How to learn to enjoy every moment

A few months ago, in one of the workshops that I teach, one of the participants shared with the rest that she was overcoming an illness, she was very happy because she had practically recovered completely, but what left a mark on me (and I think the rest of participants too) is that he told us that when he had been diagnosed with the disease he had decided to start enjoying life, because I didn't know if it would end soon ... and that since I started doing it I was much happier. And I thought, what a brave woman! And on the other hand, what a shame that hard or difficult things have to happen to us to begin to value life and enjoy it!

And to do so, I think that one of the most important points that we usually have in the pending tasks is: enjoy the present.

Usually we spend the day (life) thinking about what will happen tomorrow, the weekend, the holidays, etc. And when that moment comes we think about the next one, or about the past (that first day of the vacation, how far it is!) and meanwhile, we do not give any value or importance to what happens on a daily basis (yes perhaps we are only left with the bad, with the early morning, the boss, the housework, the obligations ...)

But, to continue with the example of the holidays, if we only focus on visualizing that moment, in which we can only be happy those fifteen days in six months ... what about the rest of the time? Are we going to be unhappy? Are we just going to survive waiting for those days to come??

The truth is that it is a waste of days, time, life ... as if time were infinite! but many times we get into those dynamics and instead of LIVING we survive. What a big mistake! With the amount of things, moments, gestures, that they give us every day and we without giving them the value they deserve!!

At this point there will be people who think that their day to day is very complicated and that things are not so easy ... of course life is not easy, but it is in our hands to decide how we want to face it, and the truth is is that even with difficult lives and situations (like the example with which the article began) there are people who learn to enjoy every moment of the present, every moment that life gives them, it is a matter of attitude.

And then ... what can we do to put all this into practice? I'm going to give you some examples but I'm sure you can think of many more:

• Direct your attention to the good things and moments that day to day offers you. In this section, each one will visualize some things, but for example: waking up in the morning next to the person you love, having breakfast at a relative's house, a smile from a colleague, spending time with friends after work, going out to running, taking a walk with your dog, coming home at night and talking with the family about what happened during the day, watching a movie, etc. How many things pass by if we do not pay them the attention they deserve! But if we didn't have them, we would surely miss them, don't you think??

• Find a way to get the good out of even the things you don't like. For example if you are studying or if you have a job that does not motivate you too much ... if you have to do it anyway, why not look on the positive side? For example, the reward you are going to get for doing it, or for what it will serve you (to be able to have a better job, or to pay the mortgage, etc.). You can also choose to focus on the task you are doing, not only to do it better, but because while you are concentrating on the task, all negative thoughts disappear and you will feel much better..

• Look for activities or tasks that make you feel good and that you can do them with a certain frequency. Playing sports, going to the movies, meeting friends, spending the day with the family in the country, painting, dancing, writing ... You can do many things that make us feel good, that allow us to relax and it is not necessary to wait for vacations to be able to do them.

• • Learn to identify negative thoughts. As I mentioned in the previous post, it is in our hands to choose the thoughts, the interpretation of the situations, and depending on the path you choose, you will feel one way or another..

All of these things take practice (more practice if you are not used to doing it), but over time you will do it automatically, especially since the effort is worth it..

There is only one life (at least that we know of) so Why not live it to the fullest, enjoying it, being as happy as you can and taking advantage of every experience?