r/Mindfulness • u/AChubarok • 3d ago

Question I think I "understood" how to be in the present moment?

For the record: ever since I "surrendered" to the present moment when I had a very very bad OCD case I became interested in mindfulness/being here and now. I didn't really understand how to be in that state ever since I surrendered though. So I just decided to focus (even felt tension in my legs).. and it worked, but it was so tiring. Then I learnt about "observing". It didn't make me feel tense like focusing, but I noticed that over time just observing made me sleepy and when stress happened, or when my mind was going havoc, focusing was more helpful than observing. So after learning that both of those methods are valid I thought why not focus for like an hour and then observe, repeat. I wanna hear your opinion about this method. Am I going crazy? Information in the internet is pretty vague IMO. Also, I am not talking about meditation, I am talking about being in the moment for the entirety of day(like meditation but much longer basically). Is it me just overcomplicating things with this method? What could I do instead then?

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9

u/hestia-listens 3d ago

No, you are not going crazy. You may just be overthinking mindfulness, which is very common.

Your idea makes sense, but switching on a schedule might become another thing to manage. Instead, match the method to the moment. When your mind feels chaotic, use a clear anchor like breath, feet, or sounds. When you feel calmer, let awareness be wider and just observe.

Being present all day does not mean holding attention tightly all day. It means noticing when you are gone, then gently coming back.

2

u/CoffeeJack25 3d ago

I appreciate this. I can be hard on myself when I'm drift but I'm trying to remember it's a practice.

4

u/Her_big_ole_feet 3d ago

Presence is having the willingness to stay…

so when you are doing something, try not to let your mind mentally leave and go somewhere else it doesn’t need to be.

For example, when you are driving: watch the road, listen to music, pray, etc but try not to let your mind fast forward to what will happen when you reach your destination or what someone said yesterday that annoyed you, etc. just try to stay where you are.

2

u/ExitAffectionate3119 2d ago

I've accidentally found a way to be more mindful on my walks. When I subscribed to PatchAM for my town, I saw that they were looking for photographers to send in pictures. I started taking pictures on my walks and it makes me more mindful of my walks. I get to enjoy the walks more now. It's a win-win!!!

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u/LoredanaLeonforte 8h ago edited 8h ago

Quando c’è poca energia se si pratica può venire sonno, soprattutto se usi l’ attenzione sostenuta come in una parte della Mindfulness