How To Live In The Present Moment – Onco Power

Feb 01, 2023

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Our Mind’s Are Always Racing

In our day to day lives, our minds tend to be always ‘on’. We are constantly replaying stories in our head of what’s to come and what’s going to happen to us in the future. Or we find ourselves in a spiral of rehashing conversations and situations from past events, whether they happened one day or 20 years ago.

Does this sound familiar?

Tuning Into The Present Moment

Stress and anxiety occurs when we are living either in the past or in the future. The present moment is all we ever have, yet we are never really being ‘present’ in our day to day lives. Instead we are worrying, overanalyzing, contemplating, and stressing over situations and events that are either long gone or haven’t even happened.

This is especially true if you receive a cancer diagnosis. A cancer diagnosis can immediately spring your thoughts into a false ‘story’ of future events that hasn’t even happened yet, or perhaps is not going to happen at all. We take ourselves out of the present moment or the ‘now’ and spring ourselves into a fearful story that our mind begins to weave and make up.

This is why it’s so important to have a meditation practice to bring your thoughts and awareness back to the present. And to also view the stories simply as what they are – just stories.

Meditation And Living In The Present

Meditation has assisted many cancer patients with restoring a feeling of calm by centering their thoughts, all while dissipating fears about the future and regrets about the past.

When you meditate, you learn how to become fully present in the here and the now. Meditation expands your senses and deepens your connection to life. It takes you out of living in the ‘past’ or ‘future’. You begin to learn how to be more open to the fullness and beauty in every single moment, even if you are going through cancer treatment. This alone helps free your mind from thoughts that can overwhelm or consume you.

Meditation expands your awareness beyond thought. You start to become aware of what is present in the moment without getting caught up in your thoughts. Meditation brings awareness without adding thought. You become more present and notice more sights, sounds, and sensations. Your connection to life is renewed. Meditation is not about stopping thoughts, but not stopping at them. We are human, thoughts will always arise. Thoughts are just something to observe, not get rid off. Anxiety, stress, and grief occurs when we identify with a particular thought.

Practices to live in the Present Moment:

• Mindful Walking

• Art

• Yoga

• Body Scan

• Morning Pages/Journaling

• Visualizing Daily Goals

• Boxed Breathing

Additional Techniques:

• Pay attention to your breathing. Take a few moments throughout the day to focus on your inhales and exhales.

• During times of stress. Pause. Take a breather, a few moments to yourself in silence.

• Choose an activity during the day where you can practice Mindfulness. Doing the dishes, brushing your teeth, walking from your car to your office. Pay attention to each movement and sensation, not letting your mind wander off.

Begin Your Meditation Journey With OncoPower

If you are unsure how to kickstart your mindfulness journey, make sure to visit our OncoPower app to access our meditations for oncologists and meditations for cancer healing and cancer supoprt. Here you can also find additional resources and access to a large community of oncologists and cancer patients.

And if you are interested in a 1:1 consultation with a Meditation teacher, make sure to book a free consultationwith Natalie Thomas, our dedicated Meditation cancer care and oncologist specialist at OncoPower, who can assist you on your mindfulness journey. Utilize our cancer support services today.