The Past is History, the Future a Mystery and the Present is a Gift
Where are you mentally living today? It is interesting to me that every night as I lay my head down to sleep, my first thought isn’t “Oh, my goodness it feels so good to lay my head on my pillow, in my comfortable bed. Thank you, Lord, that I can lay my head to rest.” No, I start thinking about what I didn’t get finished and what I need to do tomorrow. I think that this is an act of not living in today.
If you could take a snapshot of your day, what would you see? Would you see a day filled with peace and joy? If you said, “Peace and joy, what is that?” I may question whether you are plagued with depression. Don’t get me wrong here, I am more than aware of depression as a medical condition. If you are experiencing any type of depression you need to see a doctor and not self-diagnose as that could be dangerous. What I am saying is, if you are in a time of anxiety or feel depressed then you need to focus on the moment in front of you.
Do you see piles of work on your desk or in your home? Are you thinking of a mistake you recently made at work or with your friends or family? Is any of this giving you peace or bringing you joy? I would think not!
I have been struggling with this all my life and as I get older it is getting worse. I must consciously create plans to live in the current day and then I must fight daily to stay there. Here are a few of the habitual tasks I undertake weekly to help me stay focused and not get overwhelmed:
- Every Friday I spend no less than an hour prioritizing my tasks into a weekly schedule.
- My weekly calendar consists of time slots for appointments and a list of daily tasks. On Friday,
I divide my task into 3 days, then I have the 4th day free to work on unfinished tasks.
- I have committed to work only 5 days a week. This is extremely hard, and I miss it most times, but it is my weekly goal.
- When I am on task, I don’t answer the phone or check emails.
- Throughout my day I schedule time to breathe, pray, read scripture and stretch. It takes all of 5 minutes, but it helps me stay grounded and in the moment.
- I know my priority is my husband and my family and they trump all tasks.
- To stay in the day, I need to have rested the previous night. Otherwise, I am constantly waiting for the day to end so I can rest.
- I have started a thankfulness journal. Before I lay my head down to rest, I write a thank you note to God for all He has provided me for this day.
In this busy world that we live in, it can be difficult to enjoy each day and not become overwhelmed. The word of God says;
“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
“Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7