23 May Living In The Moment – How Mindfulness is Important

Living in the Moment never really was a priority for me before I became a flight attendant. I had not heard much about mindfulness.  I always took for granted the time I had with loved ones and friends.  We get so caught up in ourselves, jobs and challenges.  We forget to be mindful and enjoy the moments. Mindfulness by definition is the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.  Now I try to be more attentive to the needs of my family & myself when I’m home from work.  Listening is key. When was the last time you sat down to eat without your phone at the table or laid on the beach and just listened to the waves crash?  Now that it’s getting warm outside my kids have been playing outdoors more.  Sometimes they like to take their phones outside with them and I encourage them not to do that.  I tell them go enjoy yourself!  You don’t need any devices just each other and your imagination.

In today’s society we are so distracted by our phones and social media we forget to be present in the moment.  We feel like we have to post that pic we just took immediately to Snapchat.  I’m not pointing fingers. I am guilty.  I have started watching people when I’m out in public.  Not in a “stalkerish” type of way.  Just being observant.  Are we actually aware of our surroundings and being mindful?  I remember the scene in Sex and the City 2 when Carrie is trying to get Charlotte to watch the Arab lady eat french fries with her veil on.  All Charlotte was concerned with is not having cell phone service and currently missing out on a monumental moment on their trip.  I know this was a movie, but it was so real life lol!!

When you wake up in the morning do you just sit and meditate?  Take a moment to listen to your breathing. Creating space in your brain to think clearly before being consumed by technology can take lots of discipline.  I have tried it several times when I wake up in the morning and feel I didn’t go into overload so fast.  By putting my phone on do not disturb has helped me to focus more as well.  We do not need to be alerted every time someone sends a message.  I choose when I look at my phone.  I do have favorites saved like my parents, husband, etc and their calls will come through in case of an emergency.

So now that we have all agreed to take the time to smell the roses….ha ha sorry I had to!  Let’s be mindful of our precious moments and each other.  I will be writing more on this topic later so please take the time to subscribe 📫 and comment 📝.  I would love to hear from you.