3 Ways To Reconnect With The Present Moment

How to be in the present moment. This one hits close to home. I have a history of dissociating and anxiety which I lived with for many years without even being aware of it. Now I have

a better understanding of what I am experiencing during those moments. I am still learning and growing, as we always are, but I have taken steps to be able to come back to my body. To be with my body and with my breath, ultimately being in the present moment. I have read books and blog posts, watched videos, tried medications and

seen a counsellor. Reading about/listening to other people's experiences helps you understand you are not alone. You are also able to find tips and tricks like in this post to utilize. Practicing in exercise (especially outdoors and yoga) have also helped me. Connecting with a mental health professional has been crucial in that it is personalized and they have so much knowledge and education. Unfortunately, these services are not always available or accessible. With all that being said, you do not have to deal with anxiety or any mental health issues for that matter to benefit from these tips. We are constantly overstimulated and it is easy to be reminiscing on the past or living in the future. You could be excited about an event coming up, reliving a break-up in your head over and over again, nervous during an exam or just overwhelmed. I hope these practices are useful to you. If you can't remember them all, especially during the times you need them, start with one of your favourites from the list below and try to utilize it the next time you find yourself floating away from the present moment.

1. Focus on and connect with your breath.

I am sure you have been suggested this advice before, but there is good reason for it. The way you breathe impacts your nervous system, oxygen exchange, lung capacity, immune system and more. Unfortunately, many people do not breathe properly. It could be that you are holding your breath for long periods of time, mouth breathing, sucking in your stomach in order to appear a certain way to society, taking shallow breaths or just not breathing properly. It isn't something you learn in school or that is talked about very often (at least not where I live!). If you have done your homework on breathing or engage in activities such as meditation or yoga, you may have a decent understanding of breath. However, I still bet that many people forget to breathe properly, especially in times of overwhelm and disconnection from the present moment. While your breathing changes during certain activities or specific breathing exercises (I will post more breathing posts in the future), proper breath during majority of your day should look something like this:

With your face relaxed, jaw unclenched and mouth closed, breathe in through your nose for a count of three, or more depending on what works for you, and out through your nose for a count of three, or more as comfortable. If you aren't used to breathing this way, do not focus too much on extending past a count of three on the inhale or exhale, this will come with practice. If you would like to start practicing extending your breath, start with your exhale. For example, breathe in for three counts and out for five counts. As you take a breath in, feel the cool air move through your nose and down into the chest. Feel the chest rise as the air continues down into the belly. Feel the belly rise and pause briefly. The belly will naturally fall as you exhale, as will the chest. As the air leaves your nose, feel how the air has become warm as you let off the CO2 through your breath. Slight pause. Notice if any parts of your face or body have stiffened. Relax them. Repeat.

Breathing in and out of your nose is key, as your nose acts as a filter and heater for the air you are breathing in. This contributes to those benefits I mentioned earlier! When you find yourself disconnecting or dissociating, close your eyes if you can, and breathe as guided above. Feel yourself caring f

or your body. Feel your heart rate slow. You are literally signalling to your body with your breath that you are in a state of calmness.

2. Ground your feet to the earth beneath you

If you are anything like me, you probably feel like you are floating away during these times of disconnection, and if the moment is undesirable, you might even want to float away. Unfortunately, that isn't possible and will likely exaggerate any existing feelings of anxiety. Obviously this method would be ideal with your shoes off and your bare-feet directly on, well, the ground...and in nature. However, this isn't always or even likely possible, especially in the moment you will need to utilize these practices. It is still very valuable to practice grounding whenever you need to reconnect with your body and the earth, no matter where you are. Perhaps you can combine this method with your breathing once you start to feel comfortable making use of these practices. My own personal grounding practice goes something like this:

If I am really panicking or floating away, I don't worry too much about how I am situated as I know my energy and attention span is limited. Ideally, l am standing or sitting still with my feet flat on the ground. I imagine a beam of light (but you can also imagine something like warmth, a rod or just focus on the feeling) starting from the top of my head down through my face, neck, shoulders, upper body, legs, feet and then soles of the feet. Like a quick body scan. As the light travels through my body, I try to release any tension I sense I am holding, which for me is usually in the jaw and shoulders. Once I am at the soles of my feet I start to feel grounded to whatever surface they are naturally on in the moment. The feeling of my shoes if I am wearing them and the ground beneath my shoes. Sometimes I go further and imagine them planted on the earth (grass, dirt, etc,) and even surpassing those layers. This practice really is best combined with focusing on the breath and before I know it, I start to be more aware of my current surroundings, aka the present moment.

3. Rub your hands together

This practice is obviously enhanced in combination with the previous two: connecting with the breath and grounding, but it is also useful on its own. Again, sometimes during the times you most need to utilize these practices can be the time you are unable to think of them because you are probably in distress aka flight or fight. Being hard on yourself for not remembering your tools or being able to practice them "perfectly" will add to that stress. These tools are not here to do that. Besides, sometimes all I need to do is rub my hands together in order to feel the reconnection I am needing. For example, during an exam I am nervous about or in a social situation that is causing me social anxiety. Specifically during the social situations I would rather not be in, I can almost feel like I am not real...the dissociation can kick in. Does anyone relate to that? Comment below if you relate...cause that is something I still feel kind of alone in experiencing. Of course this practice will not cure the deeper cause of this experience (trauma?) but it certainly has helped. It's also a subtle movement that nobody will really think anything of. Just put your hands together and massage, touch or tickle them slowly and gently. You should be in tuned with your body and surroundings soon after. You can also learn different pressure points located on the hands that correlate with stress or anxiety, but that is for another post.

Those are my three tips for you on reconnecting with the present moment. I would suggest learning to apply these tips during a calm state so your body can build a habit of practicing them. I hope you found these tips helpful and I would enjoy reading what tips work for you in the comments. Let me know if you would like a part two and what other topics you would like me to bring to the blog.