This Year Will Come & Go, but You Are Here
I’ve reached the age where years feel like months. The markers of time’s passage feel uncannily compact compared to its endless, unending, far away, and forever expansiveness of my kid years. I can count on my elders and olders to remind me that it only gets weirder from here. And so, while the world resolves and reflects at this point on the wheel, I’m caught up in time’s slippage.
I write in my journal, last year I… and three pages fill with doings I forgot about until five minutes ago. Then, my intention for 2024 is to… or… My intention for 2024 is to…This year I will… and it’s done in one sentence. Like a tough love sister-coach, I tell myself to get out of my head and into my heart.
For the last month, I’ve been hoarding resources for an unknown New Year’s resolution. An app that reminds me to breathe for two minutes before I get out of bed and drink water before I go to sleep. A book that tells me “You Are Here,” by Thich Nat Hahn. A QiGong class that makes me sweat while slowing my heart rate. As if moving five miles beyond where the pavement stops isn’t enough, I am still seeking presence.
What does it mean to be in the present when the world wants you to look backward and forward at the same time?
As I lay down goal tracks for a future over which I have no control, I remember that the most important moment is this one and that time is a circle, not a line. This day will come and go and come again a finite number of times. A finite number of chances to really be here for it.
What remedies, natural, spiritual, or physical help you make the most of this moment? Here’s what brings me home.
Get moving, mindfully.
Vinyasa, hatha, and yin yoga have all helped me locate my center at different times in my life. Depending on what meets your needs, movement and breath-based practices like yoga, qigong, or walking meditation can train your mind and condition your consciousness to peacefully coexist so you can focus on being present. For me, that simply means honing my ability to acknowledge those niggling worries about the future or the past when they arise without letting them throw my inner world into chaos. When I tap in deeply through movement-aligned breath, the rest falls away.
Find your creative flow.
Whether that’s throwing paint at a wall or clocking 10 new rows of purl stitch on that scarf you’ve been working on, creative activities have a way of getting us in the zone, and the present moment. Getting lost in quiet details as you sketch out a landscape or in deep conversation with a close friend as your fingers build up a garment will keep your mind too busy to be bothered with anything else.
Do something thoughtful for a loved one, friend, or stranger.
Ever notice how when you’re ruminating on the past or stressed about the future your thoughts tend to revolve around one person? When that happens the best remedy is to make someone else the center of your universe for a little while. If you give just a fraction of the attention directed toward your personal quandaries to the well-being of a friend or stranger the impact you have will send ripples out into the universe, and you’ll feel better too.
Find an adaptogen that works for you and take it every day.
Adaptogens regulate our body’s response to stress, both emotional and physical. Because stress is an underlying or contributing factor to multiple cognitive, mental, and emotional challenges, adaptogens play a huge role in keeping several mental illnesses in check. Those include anxiety, depression, brain fog, and lack of focus among others, the same mental illnesses that make it hard to quiet negative thoughts and connect with the goodness all around us right in front of us. My personal favorites for managing my Attention Deficit and Seasonal Affective Disorder with my physiological make-up are Bacopa and Tulsi (Holy Basil). Talking to an herbalist is the best guidance for choosing an adaptogen that’s right for you.
I hope these friendly reminders help you stay present in 2024. Farewell 2023. There goes another one!