Have you ever experienced those moments in life when a foreign yet familiar feeling envelops you, filling you with peace and an overwhelming sense of love, like a euphoric wave flowing through your entire being? It’s a sensation so profound that it defies description, yet when you feel it, you can’t help but smile. You close your eyes and become still, allowing yourself to bask in that calm and enchanting warmth that radiates from within and surrounds you like a brilliant, fluorescent light. That is what it means to live in the present moment, and that is true existence—pure, raw, and utter bliss.
When I was younger, I never truly grasped the concept of "living in the present." However, as I grew and learned more about myself, I began to understand it. Once I became consciously aware of what it means to be "awake," I started to recognise and appreciate what true existence really is—and it is truly beautiful.
Living in the present doesn’t come naturally to us anymore; we’re raised in a society driven by time, routine, overthinking, and materialistic ideologies. It’s as if a "busy way of being" is woven into our very DNA. We often find ourselves dwelling in the past or fixating on the future, rarely experiencing the "now." We’re too occupied with questioning life rather than truly living it. The demands of nine-to-five jobs and the burden of contemplating "what has been" or "what is yet to come" fill us with regret, anxiety, and depression.
Overthinking can be harmful and overwhelming to our health, heart, and mind. We’re conditioned to "keep busy" or just "get on with it," to always "stay positive" and "pull ourselves together." But what we truly need is to learn how to acknowledge and accept our feelings. We should sit with them, feel them, and ultimately let them go. By repressing and ignoring our true nature, we risk making our souls, minds, and bodies sick.
We are conditioned to believe that our body size and appearance are more important than our happiness and self-worth. We’re told that our value is defined by how we look on the outside. Society encourages us to worship superficial, shiny objects, instilling a fear of life and one another, all while suggesting that the key to success lies in accumulating wealth. If that isn’t your goal, then “you’re doing it wrong.”
But ask yourself this: When you were in school, did you ever have a lesson on how to feel "whole" or how to carve your own path to happiness? Were you taught the true meaning of living? Did anyone teach you how to understand and accept your emotions, or the importance of confronting mental health issues like anxiety and depression? No. You have to navigate all of that on your own, and that’s okay. Perhaps that’s the greatest challenge we face as humans.
To grow, to truly love, and to find genuine satisfaction, we must discover our own way. We need to learn to love ourselves wholeheartedly and accept every part of who we are. This means not only taming our demons but also embracing and loving them. When we confront our darkness, we ultimately find our light.
Life isn’t just about living in the present moment; it’s also about living authentically. It involves taking the time to grow, learning to listen to your individual soul, and being guided by your true self. It’s about doing whatever you need to find your own happiness and recognising that feeling when it’s present within you. Appreciate every victory, but even more so, embrace every failure. After all, it’s our mistakes that help us blossom and ultimately lead to true success. You try and stumble, then you pick yourself back up and try again. But remember to take your time.
So when that beautiful feeling fills your heart, accept it. Don’t run from it—feel it, embrace it, and share it. Learn to accept all of your emotions and let go of your fears and insecurities. Begin to appreciate who you are, every inch of you. Most importantly, be mindful of those present moments before they slip away. Your journey to happiness begins here, right now.
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