Blursday
Dive into the concept of the passage of time and why presence, especially in uncertain times, provides peace. Being able to let go of emotional relics of the past as well as future outcomes offers...
"Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present." ~Bil Keane
…you have the freedom to choose this moment.
The paradox of time is that it's both an abyss and an abbreviation. It expands and contracts as a slippery abstraction throughout our lifetimes. Harnessing the power of time is the underlying conscious collective goal of humanity.
We spend our days racing from one moment to the next, anticipating and fretting over situations outside of our control. Before we even realize it, the weeks are no longer discernable, bleeding into months and then years that become nothing more than endcaps for significant life events. As we age, this phenomenon only seems to accelerate. We cling to childhood memories of no worries, ease, and endless summer days.
Children don't have the same urgency and unrest concerning the passing of time that we do. Their nature is to be entirely in tune with their present awareness. They use all of their senses to learn about the world, fully engaged with the moment. There's no concern for what might or could be in their future. The reality that's available to them right now is a full immersion experience.
As we reach adulthood, the ability to stay in our present moment awareness becomes less instinctual and more of an art form. It's the state we most often seek in our aspirations to "live life to the fullest."
Our minds' processing time reflects how information comes in through our sensory experience, mainly by what we see. The rapidity with which images come into our brains changes our perception of time. By continuing to engage with novel stimuli, we strengthen neural pathways through the process of learning. We invite in a state of flow, and our perception of the passage of time seems to slow down.
Rest is another factor in how we assimilate and integrate new information. There is a direct link between mental decline and fatigue. It causes misfired signals in our minds. When our brains are exhausted, it creates pauses and overlaps in the eye movements. In turn, we're unable to process and make sense of the visual information coming in, leading to confusion, an inability to encode memories, and feeling "out of time."
Here's how you take back your sense of time: Be in the moment and allow yourself rest. This power duo guarantees you calm, peace, and the ability to transcend physical time constraints.
We give ourselves a gift when we stay present. One way to practice this state is through mindfulness. Meditation and intentional breathing offer you a way to reclaim time through the discipline of focus and quieting the mind. Just as sleep is a cleanse for your mind, meditation is also a form of rest. To observe, without reaction, offers control of your emotional health. Meditation allows you to fully experience and embrace what is in front of you now, without the need to change or dominate the moment. It's the flow of time without boundaries.
Live for now.
My question to you is: Do ruminations about past or future events rob you of your ability to embrace this moment, right here, right now?
