We often find ourselves jumping in to so many trains of thoughts –thoughts which take us into our past, or our future, thoughts that go on and on about how we are probably worthless or we aren't doing things up to the mark. We don't even notice at times that we have stepped in to these trains which sometimes lead us in to destinations which are tough to come out of, that is,ruminating about the same thoughts which creates sadness, anxiety, fear and other negative emotions. 

You might say what else can we do? How else are we to solve our issues if we don't ponder around them? Well, you did till now, has it been of use to you or is it only intensifying your negative emotions? Give it a thought!

What else can we do then? Can we look at simply allowing ourselves to step out of these trains? Can we come back to the present moment which is right in front of us, waiting for us to make the most  out of it? We should learn to anchor ourselves to the present moment. Live life moment by moment. Not let our worries about past or future affect our present. 

It is very easy for anyone to say live in the present but how do we do it? 

  1. Notice that you have stepped into a train -  Start noticing when you have stepped in to different trains which are taking you away from your present moment.
  2. CHOOSE to step out of these trains - Once you have noticed. gently try to bring back your attention to the present moment. The mindfulness bell app comes in handy here. You can set it up for every half an hour. Every time it rings you do two things. Just simply notice where you have drifted away to and gently bring yourself back to the present moment. Then you can look at how to make the most out of this moment you are living in. 
  3. Practice - It is tough to do this in one go as we are very used to drifting away. See every wandering as an opportunity to practice coming back to the present moment. The more you practice the better you get at it! And then present truly becomes a present. 

This concept has been taken from mindfulness. As Buddhism says, being in the present moment is the way to avoid suffering. Go for it!