Living in the Moment

I am trying to learn to live in the moment.  I’ve been trying to do this for awhile to varying levels of success, but today I am reminded of the need to persist.

I used to think that one day I would get all of the pieces in order.  I would heal hurtful attitudes and beliefs, and I would be free to go on my merry way without even a passing hint of anxiety or depression.  It would be a happily ever after, my refuge over the rainbow.  I clung to this belief with everything I had until one day I realized it was contributing to the problem.  Life isn’t meant to be all rose gardens, and the more time we spend fighting that, the less opportunity we have for growth and happiness and peace.

Some days are just bad.  Some days, I think about the next hour and the upcoming days, and for no real reason at all, I am filled with this overwhelming feeling of dread.  My heart pounds, and my thinking gets cloudy; all I want to do is crawl underneath the covers and block out the rest of the world.  It is these times that I have a choice – I can yell and scream and curse at these feelings and wonder why they won’t leave me alone and funnel down deep into a whirlwind of negativity, or I can accept them and then try to move on from them without even really giving them the benefit of active engagement.  I can choose to move past them.

I am not really one to quote the Bible, but there is one quote from Philippians that really helps me in times like these.  “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9

I reflect on these words, and then I am able to start to see my way out of the darkness.

So often, I think we live in trends instead of moments.  We, probably rightfully so in many accounts, see our history and our present and our past all as one.  We see our failures and expect future failures just as we see our successes and anticipate success.  This probably isn’t a bad thing except for times when our thoughts are being held captive by depression, and those of you who have dealt with depressed thoughts know that this can happen all too often.

As I write, I am reminded that life is made up of moments, billions upon billions of moments.  In each of those moments, we can focus on negative trends of the past, or we can focus on the possibility of this moment, right here and right now.  What choice will we make?  What choice will I make?

If any of you have ever gotten stuck in negative spirals, what do you do to get out of them?  Are there thought patterns that make you more susceptible to those feelings?  How do you break those patterns?

Whatever is Pure

Whatever is Lovely

 

 

13 thoughts on “Living in the Moment”

  1. when i watch kids I see how much they live in the moment and try to learn from their childlike, not childish, behavior. they just play with the kid who is available without caring what their skin looks like, where they live or how smart they are in school..they just accept the person as a human being…
    i am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can.

    1. I agree. The world would be a much better place if we were able to see the world through the eyes of a child. Thanks for the follow 🙂

  2. Great post. Thank you for sharing your heart with us. I appreciate it. Loved reading it. <3
    I am happy you are able to see light in the darkness – AMEN. God is there for you ALWAYS!!
    Beautiful photos you have shared 🙂

    Thanks for linking up to First Day of My Life's Thankful Thursday!! <3 Hope to see you next week!

    Many blessings to you & yours!!

    1. Thank you for taking the time to read through and comment. I’m glad the writing meant something to you. Indeed, today is much better.

      I’ll definitely see you next week!

  5. thanks for linking up this week and sharing whats on your heart. you have a great attitude about it all. God is SO good! <3

  6. I identify with your same struggles. ANd when I had my two boys, I thought that would be the ultimate — that would define me and my purpose. It can’t because my boys are their own little people. I am a writer and artist, so I have lots of creative outlets. But being a SAHM can be isolating, and I do struggle with that, as much as I do like my alone time. I am not good at thinking the positive, get very bogged down by my own worries. It’s a difficult struggle. Hang in there!

    1. Creative outlets are so important! That’s one of the main reasons I started this blog. I also knit and sew and whatnot, but I needed something a bit more substantial to dig my teeth into.

      Thanks again for visiting!

  7. inspiration in every word, look to God he will lead. Thank you for your bloggy friendship and for linking to the Thursday Favorite Things linky party xo

  8. Last week I was on vacations and thought of you and the struggles you went through a few years ago. I’ve been battling to get out of this little bout of depression I’ve been dealing with the past month. And in addition have been fighting off anxiety issues for the past two weeks.

    Now that I’m exercising again that is helping, finding the motivation to start exercising was hard. I’m not there yet, and have a few people issues that have helped lead me to this state and trying to be strong in resisting their desires for me and their guilt trips, but I do see the light again. I’ve deactivated FB to help in this process, to reprioritize and notice the joys (hubby and children) more than the negatives (extended-family situations).

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