present more meaning

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Meaning of present in English

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present noun ( SOMETHING GIVEN )

present The coat was a birthday present from my sister.
gift I have a small gift for you.
donation After the earthquake, donations poured in from all over the world.
grant Students receive a grant equal to £250 per month.
contribution She wanted to make a financial contribution to the family.
We're having a collection for Tom's retirement present.
They got an entire set of silver cutlery as a wedding present.
I was looking for a birthday present for my mother but I didn't find anything suitable .
Aren't you going to unwrap your presents?
The children squealed in delight when they saw all the presents under the Christmas tree .
Christmas box
Christmas stocking
secret Santa
stocking filler

present noun ( NOW )

I'm usually too immersed in the present to worry about the future .
Let's talk about the present.
contemporaneity
contemporarily
contemporary
in current use
in this day and age idiom
present-day
the status quo
there's no time like the present idiom
this minute idiom

present adjective ( IN A PLACE )

Mind your language - there are ladies present!
Is it necessary for all of us to be present at the meeting this afternoon ?
Melanin is the dark brown pigment of the hair , skin , and eyes that is present in varying amounts in every human being.
More men are present at the births of their children these days .
There ought to be an adult present at all times , when there are young children in the pool .
be in at the kill idiom
in the flesh idiom
kick around
seropositive
sit through something
synchronically
to someone's face idiom

present adjective ( NOW )

Charlie has a clever plan for getting us out of our present difficulties .
Unlike the present government , we believe in serving the community .
The present system of payment will remain in effect until the end of the rental agreement .
The present voting system distorts the wishes of the electorate .
Are you feeling frustrated in your present job ?

present verb ( GIVE )

give Give me that dirty plate.
offer Your doctor should be able to offer advice.
provide This booklet provides useful information about local services.
supply The lake supplies the whole town with water.
donate Four hundred dollars has been donated to the school book fund.
He has a lot more work to do before he can present the scheme to the public .
Ruth was astonished when he presented her with an engagement ring .
She presented a well-argued case for the banning of smoking in public places .
She graciously accepted the flowers that were presented to her.
The Duchess of Kent will be presenting the trophies .
accommodate
accommodate someone with something
administration
arm someone with something
hand something back
hand something down
hand something in
hand something out
reassignment

present verb ( INTRODUCE )

I'd like to present my grandson , Jackson Junior.
He was presented to the Queen and given a knighthood .
She used to present one of those holiday programmes but now she reads the news .
May I present Sir Bob Geldof?
What was that documentary called that she used to present?
announcement
audio described
audio description
executive producer
interchannel
live stream
serialization
slow motion
transmission

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

present verb ( SHOW SIGNS OF ILLNESS )

adverse reaction
aggressively
contraindication
echocardiogram
vital signs
withdrawal symptoms

present | American Dictionary

Present adjective [not gradable] ( grammar ), present adjective [not gradable] ( place ), present verb [t] ( provide ), present verb [t] ( cause ), present verb [t] ( introduce ), present | business english, examples of present, translations of present.

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Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
present (SOMETHING GIVEN)
present (NOW)
the present
the present (tense)
present (IN A PLACE)
present (GIVE)
present (INTRODUCE)
present yourself
present itself
present (SHOW SIGNS OF ILLNESS)
present (GRAMMAR)
present (PLACE)
present (PROVIDE)
present (CAUSE)
Business Verb
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How to be more present

By Your Headspace Mindfulness & Meditation Experts

The biggest gift we can each give ourselves is the gift of being present — engaged with life, connected with each other, listening with kindness, staying open-minded, free from judgment.

These are the words of Headspace co-founder and former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe, because the ability to be present, no matter what's going on around us, is the cornerstone of meditation and mindfulness. But it's not just a beneficial skill for monks. We hear a lot of people say it: “I want to be more present”. So how does that look in reality?

Watch Mini-Meditation: Breathe

What does it mean to be more present.

On the most basic level, being present means being focused on one thing — a conversation, a project, a task in hand — without distraction, without wanting to be somewhere else, without being in your head and lost in thought.

At a deeper level — and this is what meditation teaches us over time — it means being able to sit with challenging emotions that we feel, when we feel them. It may happen when we sit to take a deep breath or when we're triggered by circumstances or situations in everyday life. No matter what we feel, we sit and experience that feeling.

To be more present with happiness , feel joy. To be more present with anger , feel angry. To be more present with sadness , feel sad. To be more present with anxiety , feel anxious. And then, once we've felt it, we're better able to let that emotion go so it doesn't overwhelm us and mess so much with our mood that day.

Of course, learning to anchor yourself to the present moment is easier said than done, especially when most people have a tendency to dwell on yesterday or worry about tomorrow. Meditation can help bridge the gap between emotions from the past and eagerness of the future ... and that’s why it teaches us how to be more present in life.

Some of you might notice a pattern of restlessness or indecision throughout the day that has drawn you to mindfulness, and some of you might have a goal that you are looking to accomplish. The idea of being in the present moment while simultaneously having a goal for the future might seem counterintuitive, but cultivating the skill of becoming more present is imperative when it comes to reaching your goals.

When you understand how to live more in the moment, you can maximize your results for any given pursuit by using mental toughness versus purely physical. It’s all about how we show up, which is where the practice of presence comes in.

Do a body scan

When you do a body scan meditation — mentally scan how your body is feeling from head to toe — you're bringing awareness to every ache, pain, or sensation you might be feeling. When you breathe into these senses, you are learning to sit in the present moment and pay attention to every physical and emotional feeling that comes to light. You’re not changing anything, you are simply noticing everything — which is the first step in becoming present.

Practice mindful eating

Believe it or not, eating can become an incredible tool to help cultivate mindfulness in the present moment. Many of us are on the go so much that we're often eating on autopilot between meetings, at red lights, or even in conversation. When we practice mindful eating , we engage all the senses and take time to savor a meal. You can use the practice of engaging the senses even when not eating, which gives you the opportunity to cultivate presence physically and mentally — similar to the body scan. Eating is something that we experience every single day, so it’s a simple time to start encouraging this practice.

Pause screen time

With constant notifications stacking up on your devices from the moment you wake up until right before bed , it’s incredibly difficult to stay in the present moment. But we always have a choice. Allow yourself a few moments each day to willingly close your screen and turn off your volume — to think about the here and now — your priorities, how you’re feeling, your breath. This allows you to take back control on the trajectory of your day, versus the distractions taking control and piling up lower priority items in front of you.

Build a routine

Routines can help us stay on track and feel empowered. Finding a routine that is built on the precedent that you are a priority can help you feel anchored when it comes to decision-making throughout the day. When we're learning how to be more present, finding time for daily meditation can be instrumental. If you have more leeway in the mornings, consider opting for daily morning meditations, if you have a few moments during your commute, consider listening to soothing music in your car. Once you find a meditation routine that sticks, you have the opportunity to strengthen your mental health — which supports the quest of learning how to be more present in life.

The benefit of learning how to live in the moment goes far beyond productivity and goals, but it allows you to trust yourself, spend quality time with those you love, and find great joy in all of your experiences. If we can do this, then we will experience an increasing sense of confidence, in being at ease with both comfort and discomfort, difficult and joy.

Looking for more meditations to find more focus and be more present? The Headspace app offers members several courses and single meditations to help be less distracted, including:

Appreciate the Moment meditation .

Step away from what's in the past of the future, and find a sense of appreciation for the present moment.

Bring Yourself Back video .

Use this exercise to create more mental space from worrying about things that haven't happened yet.

Dealing With Distractions course .

Create a calm environment.

Finding Focus course .

Get familiar with a relaxed, precise kind of focus.

Focus meditation .

Bring out the innate focus within you through a quick mindfulness exercise.

Midday Check-In meditation .

Take this moment to check in with yourself, accepting whatever comes up.

Managing Anxious Moments meditation .

Learn to be present with the feeling of stress and tension being released.

The benefit of learning how to live in the moment allows you to trust yourself, spend quality time with those you love, and find great joy in all of your experiences. If we can do this, then we will experience an increasing sense of confidence in being at ease with both comfort and discomfort, difficult and joy.

Key takeaways:

Being present means focusing on one thing and feeling whatever emotion we feel when we feel it, even challenging ones

The more we practice being present, the more comfortable we'll feel when we experience tough emotions

Mindfulness and meditation help us notice thoughts and feelings when they come up — the first step in learning how to be more present

Be kind to your mind

Put your mind to bed with sleep sounds, music, and wind-down exercises
Make mindfulness a part of your daily routine with tension-releasing workouts, relaxing yoga, Focus music playlists, and more

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What does it mean to be present?

Being present refers to a state of mindful awareness of what's right in front of you, with no dwelling on the past and no worrying about the future.

"Being present means slowing down, bringing awareness to the moment that's currently happening versus engaging in the unrelated thoughts that may appear," licensed therapist Steph Tuazon, LCSW , tells mbg. "We are constantly processing information that we're seeing, feeling, thinking. It's easy to have our attention split between the three and get lost in thought."

Learning how to be fully present is a big part of many forms of meditation, spiritual, and mindfulness practices.

Presence is also a noun, where someone can have presence and share presence. The way that we talk about presence is oftentimes a positive gift. If you have stage presence, you light up a stage and invite your audience in. If you share your presence with another, you are engaging in the present moment with someone. Presence can feel like an intimate form of expression that involves other people around you.

Why is it so hard to be present?

If there are so many positive qualities about staying present and sharing presence, why is it so hard to be present ?

As board-certified physician Rajeev Kurapati, M.D. , previously told mbg , our minds are always toggling between anticipating risk and cultivating hope. This is a natural process where we prepare for the future with lessons from the past.

But sometimes this cycle of focusing too much on the past and future can lead to becoming detached from what's in front of you. When these thoughts go unchecked, they can become overwhelming and lead to overthinking .

"Our anxieties and stress about the past and future can get in the way of being in the present moment," board-certified psychiatrist Pia Quimson, D.O. , tells mbg. "We worry about the impact of our past mistakes or events on our current situation and about the 'what ifs' of possible events that haven't happened or may never happen."

Since our minds are already used to tapping into the past and planning for the future, intentionally cultivating a mindset that focuses more on the present takes practice.

12 ways to be more present in the moment:

It's well known that meditation helps you slow down to notice the things that are right in front of you. Not only does meditation help change your thinking patterns, one 2011 study 2 suggests that it may actually change the physiology of your brain by producing more gray matter in specific areas. This means that meditation can shape your brain to become hard-wired for higher levels of learning, memory, and emotional processing, which can lead to becoming more present.

Engage all your senses.

Our mind's consciousness is only one tool that we have to explore our world. Tapping into the intelligence that our bodies have can be useful for becoming present. According to Quimson, "A helpful strategy is to focus your attention on your five senses."

A few guiding questions she suggests:

What are you seeing, hearing, and smelling in your immediate view or environment?
Is there anything in your hands that you can feel the texture of?
How does your clothing feel on your body?
How does your body feel in the chair you are sitting in or the bed you are lying down in?
If you are eating or drinking something, how does it taste?
What is the temperature of the food or beverage you are ingesting?

Start a hobby.

A hobby can help you tap into the present and work with your flow state. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the founding psychologist of "flow" research 3 , says, "the way to happiness lies not in mindless hedonism but in mindful challenge." Engaging with a challenging task can be rewarding and contribute to positive feelings of achievement. When immense attention is on a passion project, the flow state can keep you focused in the present.

Make eye contact.

If you're having trouble staying present in a meeting or a conversation, try to make eye contact with the speaker to stay engaged, Tuazon recommends. "It doesn't have to be for the whole time, but at least to establish and confirm a connection is being made."

Focus on one thing at a time.

We have been sold the myth that we can multitask. This concept originates from computers' abilities to multitask or do more than one thing at a time. However, our brains are not wired like computers. We actually cannot multitask well. Some research 4 suggests that multitasking is even detrimental to our productivity rates.

"Try focusing on one task even if it's for five minutes before jumping into the next task," Tuazon suggests. "When our attention is split, we can easily start to feel overwhelmed at how many things seemingly need our attention in that moment."

Pause social media usage.

Social media content is mostly based in the past because the pictures and videos you're consuming all happened in the past. Sometimes taking a break from social media can help you focus on things that are happening in front of you, in the physical realm.

Social media platforms are also built to keep you in the app, potentially keeping you scrolling for hours. One substitute for social media could be a mindfulness journal where you use the pause to reflect on how you're feeling in the moment.

Do some breathing exercises.

Your breath is one of the most accessible ways to be present. If you just follow and focus solely on your breath, you can be in the here and now. Try this 4-7-8 technique next time you need to be in the moment with your breath.

Intentionally schedule time to be present.

Quimson shares a popular quote by Randy Armstrong: "Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles. It takes away today's peace."

If you're a busy person, actually scheduling time for yourself to just be in the moment may be a helpful practice until you can habitually tap into the present. With any new skill, it takes time to build a practice. So, building little by little can be helpful.

The scheduled time to be present can start as little as 30 seconds. Try it now.

Feel emotions deeply.

Sometimes we want to dwell on the good times of the past or rush to the next moment because we are feeling uncomfortable feelings in the present. Allowing ourselves to feel all emotions deeply and acknowledge what's in the moment can strengthen our ability to be in the moment, no matter the circumstances.

A paper on emotion theory 5 in the Annual Review of Psychology concludes that having the ability to identify emotions helps us to develop emotional regulation and high-level social skills, which could be helpful for being present in our daily interactions.

Go out in nature.

Nature is one of the greatest healers for our modern world. It provides an invitation to slow down and be present. Following the waves of the ocean or the sway of trees is similar to following your breath. The pattern of regular movement can help center you in the moment.

Research on 6 shinrin-yoku 6 , or forest bathing 6 , has also demonstrated potential benefits of stress reduction. Lower stress levels can lead to greater ability to focus in the present moment.

Create a ritual with candles or other scented objects.

Research suggests that our bodies have emotional and physiological responses to scents 7 . Some people utilize tools like candles to remind themselves that they are in a specific moment. For example, you can use a lavender meditation candle to calm down, or a lemon verbena work candle can perk you up throughout the day. Assigning a reminder to be present to a specific scent can help you cultivate a mindfully present practice.

Find support from a therapist.

Therapists can help you talk through any of the practices above as well as explore why you might be having a hard time staying in the present moment. Working with a therapist is especially helpful if you've experienced trauma or sudden loss, which could be linked to the longing for the past or yearning for the future.

How to be present in a relationship.

Being with our partners in the moment creates memories and meaning in our relationships.

There are many ways to be more present in a relationship . For example, Tuazon shares, if you and your partner often watch TV together after a day at work, but sometimes you're both watching and sometimes one of you is on your phone, there may be a lack of presence there that can cause feelings of loneliness for one or both partners.

"It does not have to be a hard rule of no phones while watching a show," she says, "but if you're noticing you're feeling distant or irritated seeing your partner on their phone, [you can] ask, 'Hey, can we put our phones away tonight? I really want to watch this with you.'"

It may also be meaningful to make contact with each other physically while you watch or to make eye contact throughout the show to help you feel connected in the activity, she suggests.

"It could mean pausing the show for a bit to have a chat with each other, cuddle up on the couch together, or hold hands," she adds. "Again, being present is slowing down and bringing awareness to the moment and in this case—to each other."

How to be present in a conversation.

Real-time conversation is the glue that keeps our relationships together. It's important to stay present in conversations with others because it signals that we are there in the moment with the other person.

"In a conversation, we can be present by listening and resisting the temptation to interpret, assume, predict, or come up with a reply while the person is still talking," Tuazon explains. "This could mean physically moving bodies to face each other or making eye contact. Listening can also mean asking someone a follow-up question or repeating back what you heard to see if you understand."

One sign that you aren't being present in a conversation, she notes, is when you totally miss what the other person said or can't repeat back what they said later on. But she adds, "This is a very normal human thing to do. If that's the case, take accountability for it and see what the other person may need for repair."

Being present is fully engaging with the person you are with. Depending on the topic, this may call for offering advice, empathizing, or just using active listening . The more you practice being in conversation with someone, the easier it gets.

How to be present with your children.

Children are highly sensitive to learning from the world around them. In early years of development, children mimic the people around them to learn behaviors. In later development, they learn the customs in their culture and communities, which informs how they interact with others. Being present with your children helps them to learn how to be present with others.

"Being present with children is similar to being present with adults," says Tuazon. That means using all the same practices we've mentioned above for how to be more present in your relationships to create attunement with your child.

"Give space for the child to express themselves and engage with curiosity," she adds. "Children may not always be slowing down in the ways we want them to, but they absolutely pick up on if an adult is distracted."

Once children learn about the basic concept of being present, they are capable of starting to cultivate their own mindfulness practice .

Why is being present so hard?

There are many reasons why it's so hard for us to be present, from our mental health and personal stressors to our very neurobiology. Our brains are hardwired to protect us from mistakes in the past so that we can avoid danger in the future. That's why cultivating mindful awareness of the present often takes effortful practice.

How can I be less in my head and live in the moment?

Living in the moment may feel difficult if we're used to dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. But there are simple practices you can use right now to be more present. Quick ways to engage now are to learn how to meditate, follow the pattern of your breath, or focus on one thing in front of you. If you want to engage with a more robust solution for becoming more present, plan a trip into nature next weekend, or book an appointment with a therapist to figure out a plan of action to become more present.

The takeaway.

Practicing mindful awareness in the present moment is a skill. Not only are we navigating our neurobiology, but we also have obstacles in the form of social media, difficult emotions, and other distractions that can pull us out of the present.

The good news is that we have research-backed ways to help us become more present with ourselves and each other. The benefits of being more present in our lives are enormous and worth every try.

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-65387-2_22#auth-A__N_-Prior
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004979/
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1932202X9901000401
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10683-012-9318-8
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2723854/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5580555/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5039451/

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How to Live in the Moment: 35+ Tools to Be More Present

You also might have heard similar pieces of advice like:

“Don’t get caught up in thinking about the past or the future—live in the now!”
“Be present in your own life.”
“All you have is this moment. Don’t let it slip away.”

All of these (possibly overused) sayings boil down to the same basic message: it’s vital to live in the present moment.

In our current twenty-first century lives, it’s not easy. There’s always something coming up that we need to prepare for or anticipate, and our lives are so well-documented that it’s never been easier to get lost in the past.

Given the fast pace and hectic schedules most of us keep, a base level of anxiety, stress, and unhappiness is the new norm. You may not even realize it, but this tendency to get sucked into the past and the future can leave you perpetually worn out and feeling out of touch with yourself.

The cure for this condition is what so many people have been saying all along: conscious awareness and a commitment to staying in the “now.” Living in the present moment is the solution to a problem you may not have known you had.

You might be thinking that this all sounds great, but what does it actually mean to “live in the present moment?” How could we be living in anything but the present? Read on to find out!

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Mindfulness Exercises for free . These science-based, comprehensive exercises will not only help you cultivate a sense of presence and inner peace in your daily life but will also give you the tools to enhance the mindfulness of your clients, students or employees.

This Article Contains:

The psychology of living in the present, what is the meaning of the present moment, why is being present minded important, why it can be difficult to live in the now, balancing the past, present, and future, how to be present and live in the moment, how to live in the moment but plan for the future, using present moment awareness to stop worrying, using yoga to connect with the present moment, 5 exercises to strengthen present moment awareness, 5 mindfulness practices and tools to use everyday.

7 Recommended YouTube Videos

7 Books Definitely Worth Reading

20 quotes on the here and the now, a take-home message.

Living in the present is not just an arbitrary term or a popular phrase—it’s a recognized and evidence-backed lifestyle that psychologists are quick to recommend for those struggling with anxiety and stress in their day-to-day life.

Being in the present moment, or the “here and now,” means that we are aware and mindful of what is happening at this very moment. We are not distracted by ruminations on the past or worries about the future, but centered in the here and now. All of our attention is focused on the present moment (Thum, 2008).

As author Myrko Thum tells it, the present moment is all there truly is:

“The present moment is the only thing where there is no time. It is the point between past and future. It is always there and it is the only point we can access in time. Everything that happens, happens in the present moment. Everything that ever happened and will ever happen can only happen in the present moment. It is impossible for anything to exist outside of it.”

Download 3 Free Mindfulness Exercises (PDF)

These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients enjoy the benefits of mindfulness and create positive shifts in their mental, physical, and emotional health.

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Being present minded is the key to staying healthy and happy. It helps you fight anxiety, cut down on your worrying and rumination, and keeps you grounded and connected to yourself and everything around you.

Although it has become a popular topic in recent years, living in the present is not just a fad or trendy lifestyle tip, it is a way of life that is backed up by good science.

Being present and exerting our ability to be mindful not only makes us happier, it can also help us deal with pain more effectively, reduce our stress and decrease its impact on our health, and improve our ability to cope with negative emotions like fear and anger. (Halliwell, 2017).

Living in the now is so difficult because we are always encouraged to think about the future or dwell on our past. Advertisements, reminders, notifications, messages, and alerts are all so often geared towards the past or the future.

Think about how often you are busy doing something else, perhaps even fully engrossed in it, when you are jolted out of your flow by your phone’s sudden “ding!” Now, think about how often that message or notification helps you stay present and aware of the here and now.

If you’re like me, your response to that is probably “Just about never.” Our phones are incredible pieces of technology that allow us to do so much more and do it so much more efficiently than ever before, but we really need to take a break from our phones at least once in a while.

Other factors that contribute to our inability to live in the now include:

We often edit out the bad parts of our experiences, making our past seem more enjoyable than it really was.
We face a lot of uncertainty when we live in the present, which can cause anxiety.
Our minds simply tend to wander!

It can be tough fighting these factors, but luckily we are not slaves to the tendencies of our brains (Tlalka, 2017). It is possible to overcome our more destructive or harmful urges and make better choices.

Multi-tasking is a common phenomenon, thanks to computers allowing us to run many programs simultaneously and our devices constantly providing us with new information (Rideout et al., 2010).

While modern technology provides many advances, and computers can multitask, we, as humans, are no computers. For us, multitasking involves constantly switching between contexts.

One cannot write a report and answer an incoming e-mail at the same time. Instead, the incoming e-mail requires reorientation and interrupts the report writing. Increased interruption due to multitasking increases stress and effort to focus attention on the task (Mark et al., 2008).

Research further indicates that increased media multitasking is associated with

higher levels of depression and social anxiety symptoms (Becker et al., 2013),
lower academic performance of college students (Junco & Cotten, 2011), and
decreased ability to filter irrelevant information effectively (Ophir et al., 2009).

So what is the antidote?

It is single-tasking, which is closely related to mindfulness. While it may not be realistic to stop multi-tasking completely, these four tips can help with focusing on one thing at a time:

Only have one browser tab open at a time
Take frequent breaks
Spend time away from your phone and computer
Work in time intervals

It’s good to think about the past and future sometimes.

Where would we be if we didn’t look back over our past successes and mistakes and learn from them? Where would we be if we never planned for the future or prepared ourselves for what is to come?

In both cases, we likely wouldn’t be in a good place.

It’s essential to a healthy life to spend some time thinking about the past and the future, but it’s rare that we don’t think enough about the past or the future—usually our problem is focusing too intently (or even obsessively) on the past or the future.

One of the aims of mindfulness and a key factor in living a healthy life is to balance your thoughts of the past, the present, and the future. Thinking about any of them too much can have serious negative effects on our lives, but keeping the three in balance will help us to be happy and healthy people.

It’s hard to say what the exact right balance is, but you’ll know you’ve hit it when you worry less, experience less stress on a regular basis, and find yourself living the majority of your life in the present.

To get to this healthy balance, try to keep these guidelines in mind:

Think about the past in small doses, and make sure you are focusing on the past for a reason (e.g., to relive a pleasant experience, identify where you went wrong, or figure out the key to a past success).
Think about the future in small doses, and make sure you are focusing on the future in a healthy, low-anxiety way (e.g., don’t spend time worrying about the future, think about the future just long enough to prepare for it and then move on).
Stay in the present moment for the vast majority of your time.

Of course, following these guidelines is easier said than done, but it will get easier with practice!

It might seem complicated to figure out this delicate balance, but it’s not as complex as it seems.

When we engage in mindfulness or present moment meditation, we are not ignoring or denying thoughts of the past or future, we are simply choosing not to dwell on them. It’s okay to acknowledge and label our past- and future-focused thoughts, categorize them, and be aware of their importance.

The important point is to not allow yourself to get swept up in thinking about the past or future. As Andy Puddicombe of Headspace states,

“…we can be present when consciously reflecting on events from the past (as opposed to being caught up, distracted and overwhelmed by the past”

When we are aware and present, we don’t need to worry about getting caught up in thoughts of our past or anxiety about our future—we can revisit our past and anticipate what is to come without losing ourselves.

Speaking of worry, present moment awareness is a great way to cut down on how much you worry.

Follow these six steps to become more attuned to the present and rid yourself of excess anxiety:

Cultivate unselfconsciousness: let go and stop thinking about your performance.
Practice savoring: avoid worrying about the future by fully experiencing the present.
Focus on your breath: allow mindfulness to make you more peaceful and smooth your interactions with others.
Find your flow: make the most of your time by losing track of it.
Improve your ability to accept: move toward what is bothering you rather than denying or running away from it.
Enhance your engagement: work on reducing moments of mindlessness and noticing new things to improve your mindfulness (Dixit, 2008).

There are many reasons why yoga is helpful for mindfulness, but one of the biggest is certainly the focus on the breath.

As yoga teacher and enthusiast Kelle Yokeley says,

“The path to presence is through our mind, body connection—our path is through our breath. The breath is ALWAYS the here and now, it is the ultimate present moment… Our breath is our constant connection to the here and now, and our presence is rooted in its flow.”

(Yokeley, 2014).

When we focus our attention on our breath, we have no choice but to be in the present.

To bring yourself back into the present in a moment of stress or when you’re feeling overwhelmed by the past or the future, you can try this breathing exercise from Yokeley:

Breath in and say to yourself, “I am breathing in”, breathe out saying, “I am breathing out.” On your next circle of breath, try saying to yourself, “I am here” coupled with “This is now” (Yokeley, 2014).

This simple exercise will bring you straight to the present, even dragging along a stubborn mind that is preoccupied with worries.

Another factor associated with yoga that allows us to boost our present moment awareness is the postures and poses that we make with our bodies. You might find that as soon as you get into a good pose, your mind becomes flooded with restless thoughts (called “Monkey Mind” by Buddhists).

As irritating as this can be, it’s actually a good thing—it means that we are beginning to process our stress and getting to a point where we can truly practice mindfulness (Bielkus, 2012).

Yoga’s gentle flow from one position to the next is a perfect opportunity to cultivate the ability to stay present. The transitions mimic the changes we experience as we go from working to resting to cooking to cleaning to sleeping and everything else in between.

If you enjoy yoga and want to work on your present moment awareness, give this affirmation a try:

“I am present and aware of this moment it is full and it is great.”

(Bielkus, 2012)

If the breathing exercise above sounds helpful, you might want to try some other exercises intended to boost your mindfulness and sense of present moment awareness. These 5 exercises are some good ways to get started.

Do a mindful body scan

This simple exercise is a great way to get yourself in a mindful mood and get in touch with your body. Doing this in the morning can also help you get your day off to a good start.

While sitting or lying down on your bed (just make sure not to fall asleep if you try this lying down!), take a few deep, mindful breaths. Notice the way your breath enters and exits your lungs.

Starting with your toes, focus your attention on one part of your body at a time. Pay attention to how that area is feeling and notice any sensations that you are experiencing (Scott, n.d.). After a few moments of focused attention, move up to the next part of your body (i.e., after your toes, focus on your feet, then ankles, then calves, etc.).

This is not only a good method for putting you in a mindful state right off the bat, it can also help you notice when your body is feeling differently than normal. You might catch an injury or illness that you wouldn’t normally notice, just by taking a few minutes each morning to scan your body.

You can learn more about the mindful body scan and other exercises here .

Write in a journal / “Morning pages”

Another good exercise that can help you set the right mindful tone for the day is to write in your journal . A specific version of this exercise that is endorsed by author Julia Cameron is called “Morning Pages.”

Here’s how to use your journal as a stepping block to a more mindful day.

Early in the morning, before you’ve headed off to work or school or started checking things off your long to-do list, take a few minutes to pull out your journal or a notebook and make an entry.

You can do a new page each day and simply write however much you feel like writing, or you can try Cameron’s Morning Pages exercise:

“Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages—they are not high art. They are not even “writing.” They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind—and they are for your eyes only.

Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize, and synchronize the day at hand” (Cameron, n.d., as cited in Scott, n.d.).

Whether you follow Cameron’s guidelines or not, taking just a few minutes to write down any mindless “chatter” in your head or log any particularly insightful dreams can clear your head and help you start your day off in a mindful state.

Visualize your daily goals

Visualizing your goals is an excellent method for not only making it more likely that you will follow through on your goals, it can also help you become more mindful on a regular basis.

When you have set your daily goals (see #15 – Define Three Daily Goals on this list if you need help with this piece), take a few moments to visualize each one (Scott, n.d.).

See yourself undertaking each goal and completing each goal today. Get as much detail as you can in your visualization, so it feels real and within your reach.

When you can see yourself checking that daily goal off your list, move on to the next goal and repeat until you have visualized all of your daily goals.

Practicing visualization of goal completion can not only help you improve your focus and mindfulness, it can also lower your stress, improve your performance, enhance your preparedness, and give you the extra energy or motivation you might need to accomplish everything on your list.

Take a mindful nature walk

Taking advantage of the natural beauty around us is another good way to cultivate greater mindfulness.

The next time you feel the need for a walk—whether it’s a quick trip around the block or a lengthy stroll through a pretty, scenic spot—make it a mindful nature walk.

It’s pretty simple to make any walk a mindful walk ; all you need to do is engage all your senses and stay aware of what’s happening both around you and within you.

Be intentional with your awareness; notice your feet hitting the ground with each step, see everything there is to see around you, open your ears to all the sounds surrounding you, feel each inhale and exhale, and just generally be aware of what is happening in each moment.

This exercise helps you not only connect to your authentic self, but it also helps connect you to your environment and improves your awareness of the beauty that’s all around, just waiting to be found. Add these benefits to the known benefits of walking regularly—lowered stress, better heart health, and improved mood—and you have one handy exercise!

Conduct a mindful review of your day

It can be easy to get tired and worn out by the end of the day and let things slip. To help you keep that mindful tone at the end of the day, try this exercise.

Towards the end of your day, perhaps after you finish all of your “must-dos” for the day or right before heading off to bed, take a few minutes to do a review of your day (Scott, n.d.).

Think back to the start of the day and remember your mindfulness exercise that kicked it all off. Think about how it made you feel.

Think through the rest of your day, being sure to note any particularly mindful moments or memorable events. Take stock of your mood as you moved through your daily routine.

If you want to keep track of your progress towards greater mindfulness, it’s a great idea to write all of this down in a journal or a diary; however, the point is to give yourself yet another opportunity to be mindful and end your day on the right note.

Any meditation will do, but there are some meditation practices geared specifically towards present moment awareness.

To give this meditation a try, follow these simple steps:

Set aside a regular block of time during your day (e.g., 5 minutes first thing in the morning or before you go to bed).
Get in a comfortable position—but not too comfortable! You don’t want to fall asleep when you’re trying to meditate. Sitting upright may be the best posture.
Set up an “inner gatekeeper” to control what comes in and what must stay out of the mind. Instruct the gatekeeper to keep out any thoughts of the past or the future for the rest of your current practice.
Repeat this phrase silently to yourself three times: “ Now is the time to be aware of the present moment. I let go of the past and the future .”
Turn your attention towards the sounds you hear. Allow them to wash over you and focus only on the current sound you are hearing, not the one you just heard or any sound you may hear next.
Focus on your bodily sensations: your arms resting on the arms of a chair or on your lap, your legs on the chair or folded up underneath you, the feel of your clothing on your skin, any pain or muscle aches, any twitches or flutterings, and any other sensations you might be feeling.
Turn your focus to the thoughts going through your head. Observe them as they enter your mind, swirl around your consciousness, then exit your mind. Let each thought pass, labeling them as they go (e.g., “hurt” or “happy”) and keeping your mind open for the next thought to arise.
Finally, focus on your breathing. Notice your natural breathing pattern and take note of how your chest rises and falls with each breath (Henshaw, 2013).

Although mindfulness meditation is a pretty broad catch-all term for the types of techniques that help you be more mindful and more committed to the present moment, there are some specific kinds of mindful meditations that you can try.

These kinds include:

Basic mindfulness meditation : focusing on your breathing, a word, or a mantra and allowing thoughts to come and go without judgment.
Body sensations: being aware of bodily sensations like itching, tingling, soreness, or a tickling sensation and accepting them without judgment, then letting them pass.
Sensory: being aware of what you are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching without judgment, then labeling them and letting the sensations pass.
Emotions: allowing emotions to be present in yourself without judging or trying to neutralize them; practicing the naming/labeling of the emotions and allowing them to arise and letting them go just as easily.
Urge surfing: coping with cravings by accepting them without judgment, noticing how you feel as they hit, and reminding yourself that they will pass (HelpGuide, n.d.).

A Look at Present Moment Psychotherapy

If you find yourself struggling to use these techniques or implement these tools and tricks, and/or if you are dealing with a diagnosed mental disorder like depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, present moment psychotherapy may be just what you need.

Present moment psychotherapy is like any other type of therapy, but it adds a twist with its focus on present moment awareness.

As therapist and founder of Present Moment Psychotherapy & Coaching Adrienne Glasser states, present moment psychotherapy is about “regulating our nervous system through an integration of traditional therapeutic modalities with modern, experiential modalities and meditation” (n.d.).

You may find this focus on being present and mindful to be a powerful complement to traditional, evidence-based methods of treatment.

6 Recommended YouTube Videos

To get a quick, comprehensive explanation of living in the present, learn about why living in the present is so good for you, or get some guidance on being present and mindful, give these YouTube videos a try:

The Present Moment – Alan Watts Wisdom from The Motiv8

Sam Harris – It Is Always Now from AJ Salas

Want to be happier? Stay in the Moment – Matt Killingsworth from TED

Surrender Yourself to the Present Moment – Dharma Talk by Thich Nhat Hanh from plumvillageonline

Oprah & Eckhart Tolle – Living in the Present Moment from Fearless Soul

Here’s a Simple, Proven Way to Live in the Moment from Mel Robbins

If you’re interested in learning more about the present moment or getting some extra tips and tricks on cultivating mindfulness, check out these books:

Present Moment Wonderful Moment: Mindfulness Verses for Daily Living by Thich Nhat Hanh ( Amazon )
A Guide to the Present Moment by Noah Elkrief ( Amazon )
You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment by Thich Nhat Hanh ( Amazon )
10-Minute Mindfulness: 71 Habits for Living in the Present Moment by S. J. Scott and Barrie Davenport ( Amazon )
Present Moment Awareness: A Simple, Step-by-Step Guide to Living in the Now by Shannon Duncan ( Amazon )
The Present Moment: 365 Daily Affirmations by Louise Hay ( Amazon )
How to Live in the Present Moment, Version 2.0 – Let Go of the Past and Stop Worrying About the Future by Matt Morris and Shah Faisal Ahmad ( Amazon )

You can also check out our comprehensive list of the top 50 mindfulness books .

Top 17 Exercises for Mindfulness & Meditation

Use these 17 Mindfulness & Meditation Exercises [PDF] to help others build life-changing habits and enhance their wellbeing with the physical and psychological benefits of mindfulness.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

For a great list of quotes on living in the present moment, check out this piece from Habits for Wellbeing. Their 20 quotes include:

Life is available only in the present moment. If you abandon the present moment you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply.

Thich Nhat Hanh

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it.

Sharon Salzberg

Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry—all forms of fear—are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.

Eckhart Tolle

You’ll seldom experience regret for anything that you’ve done. It is what you haven’t done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear. Do it! Develop an appreciation for the present moment. Seize every second of your life and savor it. Value your present moments. Using them up in any self-defeating ways means you’ve lost them forever.

The next message you need is always right where you are.

When you are here and now, sitting totally, not jumping ahead, the miracle has happened. To be in the moment is the miracle.

The only time we suffer is when we believe a thought that argues with what is. When the mind is perfectly clear, “what is” is what we want.

Byron Katie

The only time you ever have in which to learn anything or see anything or feel anything, or express any feeling or emotion, or respond to an event, or grow, or heal, is this moment, because this is the only moment any of us ever gets. You’re only here now; you’re only alive in this moment.

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Remember then: there is only one time that is important—now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power.

Leo Tolstoy

Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed.

The meeting of two eternities, the past and the future… is precisely the present moment.

Henry David Thoreau

The more I give myself permission to live in the moment and enjoy it without feeling guilty or judgmental about any other time, the better I feel about the quality of my work.

You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this.

What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.

Living in the present moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breathe is a gift.

Oprah Winfrey

The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.

Abraham Maslow

Past and future are in the mind only—I am now.

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

When you have an intense contact of love with nature or another human being, like a spark, then you understand that there is no time and that everything is eternal.

Paulo Coelho

I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this piece and learned something that you can apply in your own life to help you cultivate a better sense of mindfulness.

If you take just one thing home from reading this piece, make sure that it’s this: being mindful is extremely easy! Yes, it takes work and effort to create a sustained mindfulness practice, but it’s incredibly easy to take a pause and be mindful at any random moment throughout the day—like right now!

If you don’t have the time or the energy for any of the more involved exercises right now, that’s okay. Simply stop a few times a day and take a mindful moment. The more you do it, the better you’ll get at being mindful, and soon it will be second nature to you.

What are your thoughts on living in the present? Do you have any tips or tricks to share? What do you find are the most impactful benefits of living in the present? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Mindfulness Exercises for free .

Becker, M. W., Alzahabi, R., & Hopwood, C. J. (2013). Media multitasking is associated with symptoms of depression and social anxiety. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(2) , 132-135.
Bielkus, S. (2012). The present moment: Where the body meets the mind in yoga class. Health Yoga Life. Retrieved from https://healthyogalife.com/the-present-moment-where-the-body-meets-the-mind-in-yoga-class-by-aida-bielkus/
Cameron, J. (n.d.). Morning pages. Live the Artist’s Way. Retrieved from https://juliacameronlive.com/basic-tools/morning-pages/
Dixit, J. (2008). The art of now: Six steps to living in the moment. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200811/the-art-now-six-steps-living-in-the-moment
Glasser, A. (n.d.). Present moment psychotherapy: About. Present Moment Psychotherapy & Coaching. Retrieved from http://www.presentmomentpsychotherapy.com/about/
Halliwell, E. (2017). The science and practice of staying present through difficult times. Mindful. Retrieved from https://www.mindful.org/science-practice-staying-present-difficult-times/
HelpGuide. (n.d.). Benefits of mindfulness. HelpGuide.org. Retrieved from https://www.helpguide.org/harvard/benefits-of-mindfulness.htm
Henshaw, S. (2013). How to do present moment awareness meditation. Psych Central. Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-to-do-present-moment-awareness-meditation/
Junco, R., & Cotten, S. R. (2011). A decade of distraction? How multitasking affects student outcomes. How Multitasking Affects Student Outcomes. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1927049
Mark, G., Gudith, D., & Klocke, U. (2008). The cost of interrupted work: more speed and stress . In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 107-110).
Ophir, E., Nass, C., & Wagner, A. (2009). Cognitive control in media multitaskers. Proceedings of the National Association of Sciences, 106 , 15583–15587.
Puddicombe, A. (2015). How do you live in the moment and plan for the future? Headspace. Retrieved from https://www.headspace.com/blog/2015/05/07/thinking-about-the-future/
Rideout, V. J., Foehr, U. G., & Roberts, D. F. (2010). Generation M 2: Media in the Lives of 8-to 18-Year-Olds . Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
Scott, S. J. (n.d.). 71 mindfulness exercises for living in the present moment. Develop Good Habits. Retrieved from https://www.developgoodhabits.com/mindfulness-exercises/
Thum, M. (2008). What is the present moment? Myrko Thum. Retrieved from http://www.myrkothum.com/what-is-the-present-moment/
Tlalka, S. (2017). Why it’s hard to live in the present moment. Mindful . Retrieved from https://www.mindful.org/hard-live-present-moment/
Wokeley, K. (2014). Being present. Yoga Mindset. Retrieved from http://yogamindset.com/meditation/being-present/

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We Got You This Article on 'Gift' vs. 'Present'

What to Know Both gift and present are synonymous when referring to something thoughtfully given, often in recognition of an achievement or holiday. However, gift can be used as an attributive noun, as in gift bag or gift box . Additionally, both gift and present function as verbs.

Consider this article a gift. Or perhaps a present. Whatever you want to call it, we've made it very easy to unwrap.

light blue gift box on light blue background

It's from all of us.

There is no difference between presenting a gift or gifting a present in acknowledgement of some special occasion, achievement, gesture, etc.—for example, a birthday, a holiday, a retirement, or an act of kindness, friendship, or love. The nouns gift and present are synonymous in their meanings referring to something that is thoughtfully given to someone without expectation of return. We will explain, and as an additional treat we will defend gift as a verb (but you will find that present elsewhere).

The Origins of 'Gift' and 'Present'

The delivery of the words gift and present to the English language was by two different linguistic routes—one Germanic, the other French. Gift was presented to English through Old Norse, the North Germanic language of the Scandinavian peoples prior to about 1350. In Old Norse, it meant "something given," "a talent," or "a special ability," and common meanings in English reflect that origin (and, yes, gift and give are tied but the ribbon that connects them is long).

'Gift' as a Verb

During the 16th century, the noun gift gained a verb form meaning "to endow" (e.g., "She's been gifted with a beautiful singing voice"). By association, the verb came to mean "to make or present a gift of"—for example, "The couple gifted a bottle of wine to their host" or "The collector gifted the museum with the paintings." The latter meaning of the verb gift was not received well by some language commentators. We present our comments on this subject here , but to summarize, packaged up tightly and delivered: gift as a verb has meaningful distinction from generic give —that is, when something is said to be gifted, it has implications of thoughtful consideration; something given, however, might be handed over without much care or thought, as in "He wanted to borrow the book, but instead I just gave it to him." There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the verb gift : it is received with lexicographical joy.

'Present' as a Verb

The noun present , meaning "something presented" or "a gift," appears in 13th-century English. It is derived from the Anglo-French verb presenter , meaning "to bring or place before or into the presence of," "to introduce." The verb is related to Latin praesentare and its related adjective praesens , which is the present participle of praeesse , meaning "to be before one." As with gift , the semantic development of present (which signifies something placed before one) in English is wrapped in its roots, and senses allude to location or time—or the now. Similarly, the noun gifted the verb present to English, which is used especially to indicate the introduction of a performer or performance, a talk, legal evidence, etc., as well as the presentation of a gift, wrapped or not wrapped.

To tie this up with a metaphorical bow: gift and present both refer to something that is voluntarily given or bestowed to another person. However, gift has the distinction of functioning as an attributive noun (a noun used adjectivally as a modifier of another noun). Examples are gift bag, gift basket, gift box, gift card, gift certificate, gift exchange, gift shop, and gift wrap. Additionally, the word is common in law and finance for signifying something (such as property) transferred by one person to another without compensation—or simply a money "gift." These uses have also undergone verbification . Examples are "He gifted his property to the town's nature preserve" or "The philanthropist gifted a donation to the foundation."

So, by definition, whether you consider the item that you freely give to a person a gift or a present , it is the same thing to the recipient: an item accepted and either wanted or unwanted. Hopefully, it is of the former kind.

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How to Live in the Moment

Ways to Be More Present in Your Everyday Life

Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of The Anxiety Workbook and founder of the website About Social Anxiety. She has a Master's degree in clinical psychology.

Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.

Getty / Diana Hirsch

Notice Your Surroundings

Don't Multitask
Show Gratitude
Be Accepting

Practice Mindfulness Meditation

Find Social Support
Practice Deep Breathing
Limit Social Media and Tech

Frequently Asked Questions

Many people want to learn more about how to live in the moment. Most of us have a tendency to live in the past or the future. How often do you find yourself thinking about what happened yesterday, or what might happen tomorrow ? How does this affect your life and well-being?

Constantly thinking about the past and worrying about the future can make it difficult to enjoy the good things in your life now. Learning how to be more mindful and live in the moment can give you a greater appreciation for your life, also reducing feelings of stress, depression, and anxiety. Here are a few ways to live in the moment more frequently.

One way to be in the present moment is by noticing your surroundings . How often do you take time out of your day to actually look around and see what's going on? When was the last time you sat down, took a deep breath, and just looked at everything around you?

Take this opportunity right now. Close both eyes and take a deep breath, then open them and really take in where you are.

How do the walls look?
What about the floor or ceiling—what patterns can you see?
How many windows are there to your left and right?
How many lights can you count from here?

When you stop to look at your surroundings and take in everything around you, it's easier to be more present in the moment.

Focus on One Thing at a Time

When learning how to live in the moment, it is helpful to focus your attention on one thing at a time. While it may feel more productive to multitask and work on more than one thing at a time, constantly juggling multiple tasks makes it hard to live in the present.

Although doing something that requires your full attention can seem overwhelming at first, be aware of how much more productive you are when fully engaged in a task. Compare this with trying to squeeze multiple things into one period of time or spending half of your energy on three different projects.

If you're working on something, give it all of your attention . When you find yourself thinking about other things or checking your phone because you don't feel like doing the task at hand, stop and turn the focus back to what's in front of you.

Research shows that when you are fully focused on what's happening at that moment, you can better remember details in the long term anyway.

Be Grateful For What You Have Now

Part of living in the moment is taking the time to be grateful for what you have now (not in the past or the future). If you are constantly focused on things you don't have, you aren't taking the time to appreciate what you have at this moment.

One way to practice gratitude is to write a list of things you are grateful for and review that list on a daily basis. Try to write at least three things you are grateful for in your life right now. Alternatively, you can do a gratitude rampage, where you write out as many things as you can think of in a certain time period.

Press Play for Advice On Practicing Gratitude

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares strategies for practicing gratitude. Click below to listen now.

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Show Acceptance

If you want to learn how to be more present, let go of how you think things should be and accept them for what they are. Focus on accepting things as they are and not on how you want them to be.

You cannot control everything that happens around you; sometimes life is going to be different than how you want it to be. Practicing acceptance will help you let go of the things in your life that are out of your control.

Another way to live in the moment is by practicing mindfulness meditation . This type of meditation helps people become aware and increase their concentration on what they are doing at any given time.

Starting a daily meditation practice can help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings. This can, in turn, increase the amount of time you spend in the present moment.

Mindful Moment

Need a breather? Take this free 9-minute meditation focused on being present —or choose from our guided meditation library to find another one that will help you feel your best.

Find Positive Social Support

The kind of social support you have in your life can also play an important role in helping you learn how to live in the moment. When you are around people who are supportive and positive, it is much easier to be more present in your life.

Spending time with people who make you feel happy and fulfilled can be a great way to help yourself live in the present moment.

Surrounding yourself with positive, supportive people increases your own positivity and happiness levels. This will allow you to focus on what is going well right now instead of dwelling on past or future events.

Be Mindful of Everything You Do

Whatever you are doing, from eating to scrolling your phone, you should be mindful of it. How often are you eating your lunch while watching TV at the same time? This is one way you might distance yourself from what you are doing and not live in the moment because all of your attention isn't on that task or activity.

Instead, try to focus on each meal while you eat:

How does the food smell?
How does it taste?
How is your body reacting to what you have eaten so far?
What sounds are around while you eat - phone calls, traffic noises from outside, or music playing in the background?

Focusing on these details and being mindful of everything going on around you during a specific task or activity will help bring more present-moment awareness into your life .

Practice Deep Breathing Exercises

Deep breathing can be a useful technique when you are trying to learn how to live in the moment. Taking the time to sit down and practice a deep breathing exercise will help you focus your mind on the task at hand.

Taking slow, regulated breaths helps prevent feelings of panic or any other negative thoughts from taking over while allowing for more control during the activity in which you are currently engaged. One quick and easy method to try is the 4-7-8 breathing technique .

Take a Break From Social Media and Technology

Taking a break from social media and other technology can also help you stay more present-focused. While you might think that constantly checking your social media accounts is helping you stay connected to the world, it is actually having a negative effect on your ability to be present.

How many times have you been doing something else and found yourself checking social media? It's important that you learn how to avoid letting technology take over your life as this can really prevent you from being mindful of what is going on around you.

In particular, when you are with other people, it is important that you focus on the people and environment around you, rather than being distracted by your cell phone.

Get Regular Exercise or Do Some Yoga

Regular exercise or even just taking a stroll through the park can help you be more present. Including yoga as part of your daily routine is another great way to live in the moment, especially if it's coupled with meditation and mindfulness exercises.

If you can't make time for a full yoga class, just stopping what you are doing to take a couple of minutes for some basic poses can help you get back into the moment.

If you want to learn how to live in the moment, take the time to appreciate where you are, what you're doing, and who is with you. Instead of becoming caught up in the past or worrying about what will happen in the future, try to savor each moment as it passes.

If you need help with this process, talking to a therapist can be very helpful. They can give you tools and techniques that may make living in the moment easier for you.

Constant distractions combined with feelings of anxiety and stress can make it difficult to focus on the present moment. It is easy to get caught up in thinking about the past or worrying about things that haven't happened yet.

Three strategies that can help you be more present in your life include practicing mindfulness, showing gratitude, and only focusing on one thing at a time.

Work on focusing your thoughts and attention on the other person. When you find your mind wandering to other thoughts, gently redirect your focus back to the present. Utilize active listening when you are talking to the other person and be curious about the things they have to say. Ask open-ended questions and reflect back on what the other person has shared.

Strohmaier S, Jones FW, Cane JE. Effects of length of mindfulness practice on mindfulness, depression, anxiety, and stress: a randomized controlled experiment . Mindfulness . 2021;12:198-214. doi:10.1007/s12671-020-01512-5

Madore KP, Khazenzon AM, Backes CW, et al. Memory failure predicted by attention lapsing and media multitasking . Nature . 2020;587(7832):87-91. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2870-z

Sawyer KB, Thoroughgood CN, Stillwell EE, Duffy MK, Scott KL, Adair EA. Being present and thankful: A multi-study investigation of mindfulness, gratitude, and employee helping behavior . J App Psychol . 2022;107(2):240-262. doi:10.1037/apl0000903

Creswell JD. Mindfulness interventions . Annu Rev Psychol . 2017;68:491-516. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-042716-051139

By Arlin Cuncic, MA Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of The Anxiety Workbook and founder of the website About Social Anxiety. She has a Master's degree in clinical psychology.

Definition of 'present'

Present existing or happening now.

present being somewhere

Present gift, present verb uses.

present in American English

Present in american english 1, present in american english 2, present in british english 1, present in british english 2, examples of 'present' in a sentence present, related word partners present, trends of present.

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presenility
present a case
present a challenge
present a concept
All ENGLISH words that begin with 'P'

Related terms of present

present-day
present era
the present
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more present

adjective as in existing; at this time

Strongest match

Strong matches

contemporary

Weak matches

at this moment
contemporaneous
for the time being
in duration
present-day
under consideration

adjective as in nearby, here

accounted for
in attendance
made the scene
on-the-spot
there with bells on
within reach

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Example sentences.

The more present-day writers who can display this same sensitive and compelling charm, the better I shall be pleased.

And yet nothing is of more present-day importance in this law than the principles which underlie these regulations.

On this page you'll find 347 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to present, such as: current, begun, being, coeval, commenced, and contemporary.

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Definition of present noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

What can I get him for a birthday present ?
Christmas/wedding presents
I want to give you a little present.
as a present He gave her the painting as a present.
present for somebody We have a present for you.
I still need to buy a present for my boyfriend.
present from somebody That dress was a present from my sister.
At Christmas, family and friends exchange presents.
Customers may return unwanted presents in exchange for vouchers.
It's a present to us all from Granny.
My nephew loves this bike so I'm going to make him a present of it.
Santa Claus handed out presents to the children.
a present for my daughter
anniversary
present for
present from
make somebody a present of something

Join our community to access the latest language learning and assessment tips from Oxford University Press!

in the present You've got to forget the past and start living in the present.
at present I'm sorry he's out at present (= now) .
to the present The book covers the period from the early 1990s to the present.
the present (also present tense ) [singular] ( grammar ) the form of a verb that expresses an action that is happening now or at the time of speaking Topics Language a1
This house is big enough for the moment, but we'll have to move if we have children.
This house is big enough for the present, but we'll have to move if we have children.
(saying) now is the best time to do something, not in the future

Other results

clear and present danger
present participles
all present and accounted for
present arms
present company excepted
for the moment/present
all present and correct
form, present, etc. a united front

Nearby words

The original meaning of Mother's Day and how that lives on today

When people think about Mother's Day, they typically think about giving gifts to their mothers, especially cards or flowers.

Mother's Day is more than just flowers or sitting down for a bite to eat.

The special day devoted to mom has a historical reference beyond just gifts.

The history of Mother's Day in United States goes back to 1914. When it was officially recognized as a holiday.

Anna Jarvis created Mothers Day back in 1908 to promote both friendships and health for mothers across the country and have it spread nationally.

Jarvis' persistence in wanting nationwide participation paid off when President Woodrow Wilson signed the measure and officially established the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

RELATED: 'Glory Hallelujah': How Mother's Day in the U.S derived from the American Civil War

That original meaning seems to have lived on into the present day for some mothers.

Local Moms Calisha Evans and Emily Cherry are well aware of the deeper meaning of Mother's Day.

"It's one of those days to remember mothers for who they are, who they were, who they'll continue to be and try to keep the legacy of history of motherhood alive," said Toledo mother Calisha Evans.

Emily Cherry, another mother who also lives in Toledo, agreed.

"As much as you want to be the best mom ever, do not forget that you have to be a person, too, because if you do not take care of yourself, you cannot take care of your children," said Cherry.

RELATED: More US parents than ever have paid leave this Mother's Day - but most still don't

Holly Patton, a mother of three, says Mother's Day is a great time to keep the legacy and history of motherhood going.

"Life gets hectic and it's easy to get carried away with everyday hustle and bustle and you need to just take time to focus on what means the most to the little ones," said Patton.

Mom Denise Nowakowski agrees.

"Family, I love it. I love it. Without being a mom, I would be lost, This made my day," said Nowakowski.

The huge solar storm is keeping power grid and satellite operators on edge

Geoff Brumfiel

Willem Marx

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of solar flares early Saturday afternoon. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there have been measurable effects and impacts from the geomagnetic storm. Solar Dynamics Observatory hide caption

Planet Earth is getting rocked by the biggest solar storm in decades – and the potential effects have those people in charge of power grids, communications systems and satellites on edge.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there have been measurable effects and impacts from the geomagnetic storm that has been visible as aurora across vast swathes of the Northern Hemisphere. So far though, NOAA has seen no reports of major damage.

The Picture Show

Photos: see the northern lights from rare, solar storm.

There has been some degradation and loss to communication systems that rely on high-frequency radio waves, NOAA told NPR, as well as some preliminary indications of irregularities in power systems.

"Simply put, the power grid operators have been busy since yesterday working to keep proper, regulated current flowing without disruption," said Shawn Dahl, service coordinator for the Boulder, Co.-based Space Weather Prediction Center at NOAA.

NOAA Issues First Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch Since 2005

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"Satellite operators are also busy monitoring spacecraft health due to the S1-S2 storm taking place along with the severe-extreme geomagnetic storm that continues even now," Dahl added, saying some GPS systems have struggled to lock locations and offered incorrect positions.

NOAA's GOES-16 satellite captured a flare erupting occurred around 2 p.m. EDT on May 9, 2024.

As NOAA had warned late Friday, the Earth has been experiencing a G5, or "Extreme," geomagnetic storm . It's the first G5 storm to hit the planet since 2003, when a similar event temporarily knocked out power in part of Sweden and damaged electrical transformers in South Africa.

The NOAA center predicted that this current storm could induce auroras visible as far south as Northern California and Alabama.

Extreme (G5) geomagnetic conditions have been observed! pic.twitter.com/qLsC8GbWus — NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) May 10, 2024

Around the world on social media, posters put up photos of bright auroras visible in Russia , Scandinavia , the United Kingdom and continental Europe . Some reported seeing the aurora as far south as Mallorca, Spain .

The source of the solar storm is a cluster of sunspots on the sun's surface that is 17 times the diameter of the Earth. The spots are filled with tangled magnetic fields that can act as slingshots, throwing huge quantities of charged particles towards our planet. These events, known as coronal mass ejections, become more common during the peak of the Sun's 11-year solar cycle.

A powerful solar storm is bringing northern lights to unusual places

Usually, they miss the Earth, but this time, NOAA says several have headed directly toward our planet, and the agency predicted that several waves of flares will continue to slam into the Earth over the next few days.

While the storm has proven to be large, predicting the effects from such incidents can be difficult, Dahl said.

Shocking problems

The most disruptive solar storm ever recorded came in 1859. Known as the "Carrington Event," it generated shimmering auroras that were visible as far south as Mexico and Hawaii. It also fried telegraph systems throughout Europe and North America.

Stronger activity on the sun could bring more displays of the northern lights in 2024

While this geomagnetic storm will not be as strong, the world has grown more reliant on electronics and electrical systems. Depending on the orientation of the storm's magnetic field, it could induce unexpected electrical currents in long-distance power lines — those currents could cause safety systems to flip, triggering temporary power outages in some areas.

my cat just experienced the aurora borealis, one of the world's most radiant natural phenomena... and she doesn't care pic.twitter.com/Ee74FpWHFm — PJ (@kickthepj) May 10, 2024

The storm is also likely to disrupt the ionosphere, a section of Earth's atmosphere filled with charged particles. Some long-distance radio transmissions use the ionosphere to "bounce" signals around the globe, and those signals will likely be disrupted. The particles may also refract and otherwise scramble signals from the global positioning system, according to Rob Steenburgh, a space scientist with NOAA. Those effects can linger for a few days after the storm.

Like Dahl, Steenburgh said it's unclear just how bad the disruptions will be. While we are more dependent than ever on GPS, there are also more satellites in orbit. Moreover, the anomalies from the storm are constantly shifting through the ionosphere like ripples in a pool. "Outages, with any luck, should not be prolonged," Steenburgh said.

What Causes The Northern Lights? Scientists Finally Know For Sure

The radiation from the storm could have other undesirable effects. At high altitudes, it could damage satellites, while at low altitudes, it's likely to increase atmospheric drag, causing some satellites to sink toward the Earth.

The changes to orbits wreak havoc, warns Tuija Pulkkinen, chair of the department of climate and space sciences at the University of Michigan. Since the last solar maximum, companies such as SpaceX have launched thousands of satellites into low Earth orbit. Those satellites will now see their orbits unexpectedly changed.

"There's a lot of companies that haven't seen these kind of space weather effects before," she says.

The International Space Station lies within Earth's magnetosphere, so its astronauts should be mostly protected, Steenburgh says.

In a statement, NASA said that astronauts would not take additional measures to protect themselves. "NASA completed a thorough analysis of recent space weather activity and determined it posed no risk to the crew aboard the International Space Station and no additional precautionary measures are needed," the agency said late Friday.

People visit St Mary's lighthouse in Whitley Bay to see the aurora borealis on Friday in Whitley Bay, England. Ian Forsyth/Getty Images hide caption

People visit St Mary's lighthouse in Whitley Bay to see the aurora borealis on Friday in Whitley Bay, England.

While this storm will undoubtedly keep satellite operators and utilities busy over the next few days, individuals don't really need to do much to get ready.

"As far as what the general public should be doing, hopefully they're not having to do anything," Dahl said. "Weather permitting, they may be visible again tonight." He advised that the largest problem could be a brief blackout, so keeping some flashlights and a radio handy might prove helpful.

I took these photos near Ranfurly in Central Otago, New Zealand. Anyone can use them please spread far and wide. :-) https://t.co/NUWpLiqY2S — Dr Andrew Dickson reform/ACC (@AndrewDickson13) May 10, 2024

And don't forget to go outside and look up, adds Steenburgh. This event's aurora is visible much further south than usual.

A faint aurora can be detected by a modern cell phone camera, he adds, so even if you can't see it with your eyes, try taking a photo of the sky.

The aurora "is really the gift from space weather," he says.

space weather
solar flares
solar storm

IMAGES

Present Tense: A Guide to Understanding and Using Verb Tenses Correctly
Present Tense: Definition, Rules and Examples of the 04 Present Tenses
Sentences for Present, Sentences with Present Meaning and Synonym Words
Present Tense with Future Meaning Cl…: English ESL worksheets pdf & doc
PRESENT TENSE
What is Present Tense? Definition, Examples of English Present Tense

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word meaning 'present tense'v1'"important for translation #shortsvideo
Present Simple или Present Continuous / почему в английском 12 времен / времена простыми словами
English Grammar
Meaning of Past-Present-Future🐾#psychology #mind #past #present#future#psywithneha#short
Tenses in English || Past Present and Future tense

COMMENTS

PRESENT
PRESENT definition: 1. something that you are given, without asking for it, on a special occasion, especially to show…. Learn more.
Present Definition & Meaning
present: [verb] to bring or introduce into the presence of someone especially of superior rank or status. to introduce socially. to bring (something, such as a play) before the public.
Present
The word present has multiple meanings, most of which concern giving (a present is a gift) or time (the present is right now).
present verb
Definition of present verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. ... present something The company has decided it must present a more modern image. It is essential that we present a united front (= show that we all agree).
PRESENT Definition & Meaning
Present definition: being, existing, or occurring at this time or now; current. See examples of PRESENT used in a sentence.
PRESENT definition and meaning
32 meanings: 1. in existence at the moment in time at which an utterance is spoken or written 2. being in a specified place,.... Click for more definitions.
How To Be More Present
How to be more present. The biggest gift we can each give ourselves is the gift of being present — engaged with life, connected with each other, listening with kindness, staying open-minded, free from judgment. These are the words of Headspace co-founder and former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe, because the ability to be present, no matter ...
present adjective
actual / current / present actual / current / present. Actual does not mean current or present. It means 'real' or 'exact', and is often used in contrast with something that is not seen as real or exact: I need the actual figures, not an estimate. Present means 'existing or happening now': How long have you been in your present job?
12 Small Ways To Be More Present & Live In The Moment
7. Do some breathing exercises. Your breath is one of the most accessible ways to be present. If you just follow and focus solely on your breath, you can be in the here and now. Try this 4-7-8 technique next time you need to be in the moment with your breath. 8.
How to Live in the Moment: 35+ Tools to Be More Present
Instruct the gatekeeper to keep out any thoughts of the past or the future for the rest of your current practice. Repeat this phrase silently to yourself three times: " Now is the time to be aware of the present moment. I let go of the past and the future .". Turn your attention towards the sounds you hear.
Gift vs Present: Is There a Difference?
And yes, 'gift' is a verb. Both gift and present are synonymous when referring to something thoughtfully given, often in recognition of an achievement or holiday. However, gift can be used as an attributive noun, as in gift bag or gift box. Additionally, both gift and present function as verbs. Consider this article a gift. Or perhaps a present.
present verb
something in particular way; 3 to show or describe something or someone in a particular way present something The company decided that it needed to present a more modern image. It is essential that we present a united front (= show that we all agree). present yourself + adv./prep. You need to present yourself better. present something/somebody/yourself as something He likes to present himself ...
How to Live in the Moment
Practice Mindfulness Meditation. Another way to live in the moment is by practicing mindfulness meditation. This type of meditation helps people become aware and increase their concentration on what they are doing at any given time. Starting a daily meditation practice can help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings.
To have more present
WRONG: The things present I love are. Except maybe in poetry or song lyrics where grammar rules are looser. In your case you want to say, "I want", which changes the form slightly. Then it becomes. I want the things I love to be present more. That is grammatically correct, though not necessarily the best way to express the idea.
169 Synonyms & Antonyms for PRESENT
Find 169 different ways to say PRESENT, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com.
PRESENT definition in American English
present in American English. (verb prɪˈzent, noun ˈprezənt) transitive verb. 1. to furnish or endow with a gift or the like, esp. by formal act. to present someone with a gold watch. 2. to bring, offer, or give, often in a formal or ceremonious way. to present one's card.
66 Synonyms & Antonyms for MORE PRESENT
Find 66 different ways to say MORE PRESENT, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com.
present noun
a thing that you give to somebody as a gift. What can I get him for a birthday present?; Christmas/wedding presents; I want to give you a little present. as a present He gave her the painting as a present.; present for somebody We have a present for you.; I still need to buy a present for my boyfriend.
The original meaning of Mother's Day and how that lives on today
Mother's Day is more than just flowers or sitting down for a bite to eat. The special day devoted to mom has a historical reference beyond just gifts. The history of Mother's Day in United States ...
The giant solar storm is having measurable effects on Earth : NPR
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there have been measurable effects and impacts from the geomagnetic storm. Planet Earth is getting rocked by the biggest solar storm in ...