The Mental Emotional Health Blog

Do you find it difficult to “live in the present”, or do people around you sometimes accuse you of living in the past? Hopefully this will help: it is physically impossible to live in the past or the future.  That is because every moment has its existence in the present. This includes our thinking. Remembering, worrying, grieving, planning, and hoping all happen in the present, even if they are about events that happened in the past or might happen in the future.

Human memory is amazing. Through memory we are able to recall past events, hopefully learning from them and integrating them into what we do. Of course, memories can also be negative, possibly warning us of situations we do not wish to encounter again. There are memories that are clinically labeled as “intrusive”, from a past traumatic event or from some form of abuse. Sometimes the mind shuts off those memories that are too intense, painful, or confusing. This can last anywhere from minutes to years.

But whether memories are intruding on your daily life, or you are worrying about some future event, try to keep in mind that you can still focus on “right now”. I didn’t say it was always easy to accomplish. But by being aware that your thinking itself is an action in the present tense, maybe you can separate yourself from feeling stuck in the past or worrying about the future.

Have a good moment, everyone. Actually, I hope you have several.