It’s pretty easy to get sidetracked – you probably found yourself lost in a daydream more than once, am I right? I am, right? While daydreaming can too be helpful, being in the now also comes with great benefits. It has little use to dwell over the past or to worry about the future since the only time and place where you can be and control at the same time is the now. Ok, so the now is your new place to be. Great. The only thing left for you to do is get there. Like the most awesome things in life, it is not easy to get there per se. This guide with actual hacks to stay in the now will help you fo sho. Here’s what you gotta do.

Breathe, girl

The simplest of all. Just put all your attention into breathing. Why? You can’t breathe into the past or into the future, now can you?

Let it go

Holding on to the past is really good for just one thing: robbing you from the joy that you could be having right now.

No more multitasking

We live in a world where multi-tasking is viewed as a good thing, but is it, really? If you truly think about it, you might find that the tasks done while multi-tasking are done less effectively than when you decide to put all of your effort and focus into just one job. Practical tips: only browse the internet one tab at a time, lay off of the gram while you’re watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. (what a shame would it be to miss Chandler’s hilarious joke just to see Kylie Jenner’s new lip fillers), and really converse when you’re in a conversation. Yes. One. Thing. At. A. Time.

Slow down

By trying to do things quickly, you immediately create a source of stress. Move slowly and with attention and you’ll find that it comes with joy and maybe even a sense of stillness.

What am I doing?

If you notice your focus is slipping away like a pile of bricks into quicksand, simply ask yourself ‘What am I doing right now?’. It helps you to bring you back to where you really are.   

Put your thing down flip it and reverse it – Ti esrever dna ti pilf, nwod gniht ruoy tuptowel off

Try to change the order you dress yourself in the morning. If you usually put on your undies first, then start with your bra now or your socks. Why anyone would do something strange like that? To delete their auto settings and create a new outlook on life. And because Missy Elliot says so, obviously.

It’s a date

“Arrange” appointments in your calendar which remind you to stay in the now. If a reminder pops up, you have no choice but to be where you are. If you find it hard to comply, then you could set specific exercises like ‘smile’ or ‘take 3 deep breaths’.

Get real to stay in the now

Think about it for a minute. The past is just a story and the future is, well, just one big mystery. When you realize this everything but the now will become irrelevant. Also, you should realize that you can’t really predict a thing. Yeah, sure, you can make a good estimation, but only the now will reveal if you were right. Therefore, the now is all that matters.

Passion 4 Fashion

Or anything else, if you will. The thing is, once you follow your passion you’ll be having a hard time NOT to be in the now, just because you are so engaged with you favourite thing in the whole wide world. There’s no reason anymore for your mind to wander. To stay in the now is all there is.

Take a walk

Yeah, it’s THAT simple. Just try to be aware of everything you’re usually not. How big are your steps? What’s the weather like right now? What colours do you see? And so on.

Routine is for losers

I’m not saying you should go off and be a loose canon here, but it wouldn’t hurt to change things up a bit every now and then. I’m just saying you might wanna eat a smoothie bowl for breakfast if you usually go for cereal or choose a different route to work, because change causes you to notice and awareness is all we want here.

Stop and smile

Just take a moment and just smile for a bit. Notice what it does to your body, and more important – what it does to you. It surely invites you to stay in the now. If you find it hard to remember to smile, you can combine in the calendar tip.

Put yo game face on

Who doesn’t love a little game every once in a while? Yeah, it can be tough to be mindful and in the now, but there are a few tricks to spark your newfound nowness. With the following 3 games you’ll be sure to find yourself right here, right now and also have a blast while doing it.

  • Countdown: Name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can feel, 2 things you can smell and one thing you can taste at this very moment. It that’ll not bring you back to where you are, I don’t know what will.
  • Switch it up: If you’re a leftie, try writing all day with your right hand. Or try putting on your mascara that way (or maybe not). It might seem silly, but one thing is for sure: you are focussing on your task like crazy.
  • Alphabet game: When you’re strolling along the hood, try to spot things that begin all the letters of the alphabet. Stick to the order though, ’cause otherwise there’ll be no fun in it.