Time is interesting. When you want it to go fast, it slows down, and when you want it to slow down, it speeds up! It’s frustrating, really – and in fact – the older I’m getting, the faster it seems to go without giving me the luxury of slowing down at all.
This is something that’s caused me significant anxiety when I allow myself to think about it properly. The idea that there is nothing you can do to slow time down can be a daunting thought and realization indeed.
However, there are little ways that I try to help myself stay in the present in the midst of these intrusive notions.
My wife and I love to watch movies and shows on TV. I find that when I’m doing this, the entire idea of time simply washes away altogether, leaving me to immerse myself in the story. This is, of course, fantastic, but when it comes time to finish the movie or series, it can make me feel even worse when it’s over than when it began.
Over years of effort, contemplation, and a good amount of therapy, I have found that just being present – appreciating and finding value in those moments that we often take for granted – is a good way to curb invasive thoughts about time, or really anything at all.
Getting lost in TV is a short term fix for me, but staying present across each day is something I will have to master without a distraction to have a bit more control over my thoughts.
When I’m not living presently, I’m usually thinking about the past or anticipating the future; much of my anxiety spawns from the latter, however.
A lot of the anxiety that I experience comes from those anticipatory thoughts – painting a future that hasn’t happened yet; I’ve done this since I was a kid. I can remember my mom saying to me all the time, “Well what if an ELEPHANT dropped from the sky and fell on you?” It was her way to show me that these thoughts were of my own making.
Finally, living in the present allows you to really enjoy what you are experiencing. Too frequently, we’re looking to the next thing before we are finished with the current thing – it doesn’t make any sense.
Give it a shot. Try going through your day, really sitting with each moment – even the seemingly mundane ones. I hope this brings some joy and use to your life. As per usual, I’m always here if you need to talk. Always feel free to email me at Rocki@wnns.com.
Enjoy this weeks, happy fun feel good video!
