My practice of presence is wildly varied depending on the day. With such young children and fibromyalgia my energy levels are often low. Postpartum, fatigue and being forced to a halt have really helped me sit with the things I was running away from - often things I wasn’t even aware of.
Therefore I suppose I am practicing presence by starting to learn how to listen to and trust my body.
Also, creativity. Once a week, for the past 6 months, myself and two dear friends meet and we paint. I haven’t picked up a paintbrush this consistently since I was a child and it feels joyful and healing.
Wow. I felt like I was reading my own words! Right down to Pema Chodrin’s wisdom, OCD and realizing things don’t need to be fixed. The memoir I started posting over here on Substack is actually called Unfixed! I couldn’t agree more with your reflections on the value of allowing things to be as they are. And through this allowing, I finally get to meet (and ultimately love) myself exactly as I am. Thank you for articulating all this so beautifully!
My practice is to embrace the quiet, and not feel the need to fill it (TV, music, get up and "do" something). Just sit in it, breathe it in and smile. Learning to feel comfortable in that calm is new, and it feels wonderful. xo
Beautiful reminder to “be here now”. My pups help me practice presence - I try to watch them and pay attention to how excited they are for every walk, how content they are during every nap, how deeply they immerse themselves in play. I try to learn from that.
Today I practiced being present by playing with my daughter outside. I loved watching the joy she gets from something as simple as playing with a stick in the dirt. I played with her and watched her eyes light up as she tried to imitate everything I did. It was a memory I hope to hold on to forever.
each morning, i open the barn doors and light floods in. i stand there taking in the warmth on my skin, the sounds of the horses, the sounds of the birds, the quietness of the morning. it’s such a sweet part of my day and i am grateful to have this experience at this stage of my life.
My presence is best when I'm involved in my mindful art practice, which I make time for everyday, even if it's just 10 minutes (often it's thankfully much more) because I'm not "producing" anything, just playing and connecting with my younger self. I also find I'm present when I'm sea swimming - it's hard not to be!
This resonates a lot, I myself have just realized in the last few years that I’ve been in this state of never fully present. It has taken me till this last year and really the last few months to put things into daily practice to keep me present and fully feeling, feeling without anxiety and guilt. The things that keep me at peace are Ayurvedic daily routine and also yoga and meditation and writing.
I love this. Growing up in survival mode engraved a survival mode mindset. I’m learning now that I don’t have to live in this constant cycle of worry and fear. I still struggle with my anxiety and ocd but I’m grateful to day that I am no longer allowing it to consume me. I’ll have to read that book! Thank you for your words sis.
I am practicing presence by allowing myself to participate in things that feel good so that I could enjoy life in the moment, despite my previous way of thinking and the old habits that I’m aware I need to shed. I use to literally talk myself out of doing things , this limited my experiences
I’m happy you’re on the path to acceptance of yourself and what is. It really does make a huge difference, doesn’t it? For years I was lost in stories about myself and my past that I believed defined me and it was so freeing to finally understand that they really are just stories now. The present and how we choose to live, and think, each day is all there is. Pema Chödrön’s words are so wise. I just read How We Live Is How We Die and it is another fantastic book from her.
Really loved this! Particularly the bit about anxiety... I too have often felt like I will always battle with worry... and as I’ve let go of trying to always control and ‘fix’ things I feel less consumed by the worries. Thank you x
I also thought that worry was part of who I was and that it would be with me my whole life. That has definitely changed for me and I try and stay present by using my breath to ground me, wherever I am.
My practice of presence is wildly varied depending on the day. With such young children and fibromyalgia my energy levels are often low. Postpartum, fatigue and being forced to a halt have really helped me sit with the things I was running away from - often things I wasn’t even aware of.
Therefore I suppose I am practicing presence by starting to learn how to listen to and trust my body.
Also, creativity. Once a week, for the past 6 months, myself and two dear friends meet and we paint. I haven’t picked up a paintbrush this consistently since I was a child and it feels joyful and healing.
Thank you for your words Alex 💛
Wow. I felt like I was reading my own words! Right down to Pema Chodrin’s wisdom, OCD and realizing things don’t need to be fixed. The memoir I started posting over here on Substack is actually called Unfixed! I couldn’t agree more with your reflections on the value of allowing things to be as they are. And through this allowing, I finally get to meet (and ultimately love) myself exactly as I am. Thank you for articulating all this so beautifully!
My practice is to embrace the quiet, and not feel the need to fill it (TV, music, get up and "do" something). Just sit in it, breathe it in and smile. Learning to feel comfortable in that calm is new, and it feels wonderful. xo
Beautiful reminder to “be here now”. My pups help me practice presence - I try to watch them and pay attention to how excited they are for every walk, how content they are during every nap, how deeply they immerse themselves in play. I try to learn from that.
Today I practiced being present by playing with my daughter outside. I loved watching the joy she gets from something as simple as playing with a stick in the dirt. I played with her and watched her eyes light up as she tried to imitate everything I did. It was a memory I hope to hold on to forever.
each morning, i open the barn doors and light floods in. i stand there taking in the warmth on my skin, the sounds of the horses, the sounds of the birds, the quietness of the morning. it’s such a sweet part of my day and i am grateful to have this experience at this stage of my life.
My presence is best when I'm involved in my mindful art practice, which I make time for everyday, even if it's just 10 minutes (often it's thankfully much more) because I'm not "producing" anything, just playing and connecting with my younger self. I also find I'm present when I'm sea swimming - it's hard not to be!
Those mindful squiggles! 😍 Love seeing how you use a sketchbook to keep present and creative. - wendy
This resonates a lot, I myself have just realized in the last few years that I’ve been in this state of never fully present. It has taken me till this last year and really the last few months to put things into daily practice to keep me present and fully feeling, feeling without anxiety and guilt. The things that keep me at peace are Ayurvedic daily routine and also yoga and meditation and writing.
I love this. Growing up in survival mode engraved a survival mode mindset. I’m learning now that I don’t have to live in this constant cycle of worry and fear. I still struggle with my anxiety and ocd but I’m grateful to day that I am no longer allowing it to consume me. I’ll have to read that book! Thank you for your words sis.
This is my best read on Substack! Thanks for sharing and will continue to read this..
💛💛💛💛
I am practicing presence by allowing myself to participate in things that feel good so that I could enjoy life in the moment, despite my previous way of thinking and the old habits that I’m aware I need to shed. I use to literally talk myself out of doing things , this limited my experiences
I’m happy you’re on the path to acceptance of yourself and what is. It really does make a huge difference, doesn’t it? For years I was lost in stories about myself and my past that I believed defined me and it was so freeing to finally understand that they really are just stories now. The present and how we choose to live, and think, each day is all there is. Pema Chödrön’s words are so wise. I just read How We Live Is How We Die and it is another fantastic book from her.
Really loved this! Particularly the bit about anxiety... I too have often felt like I will always battle with worry... and as I’ve let go of trying to always control and ‘fix’ things I feel less consumed by the worries. Thank you x
I also thought that worry was part of who I was and that it would be with me my whole life. That has definitely changed for me and I try and stay present by using my breath to ground me, wherever I am.