Our Inability to Live In the Present

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

We live in a time when it seems that an unusually high number of people are struggling emotionally.

While there are any number of outside factors we could point to as likely reasons for this growing anxiety, there’s also an inner one that plays a role.

That would be our inability to live in the present.

When we spend too much time living in the past, we may find ourselves wrestling with depression over past regrets or disappointments.

On the other hand, too much focus on the future and worry over what it may bring is a sure way to fuel anxiety.

We’ve all heard the biblical phrase, “As a man thinketh, so is he.”

Yet we don’t quite make the connection that this also means that we can literally think ourselves into madness.

Charley Reese once counseled:

"The thing to remember is that from the day of our birth to the day of our death, we live only in the present. The past is only a memory. The future never exists. It’s a very good idea to let go of the past and to live in the present moment. That’s not easy to do, but it is a worthy goal.”

In a normal life, there will be times when things don’t go the way we’d hoped.

Fortunately, learning to live in the present is something that each of us can learn to address with a bit of practice.

It’s the key to thriving rather than simply surviving.