The Present. The Only Safe Place

The Absent Mind Dilemma

The present moment is, in reality, all we truly possess in our existence and where life happens.

However, if we suffer from anxiety, our mind constantly obsesses about the future, a place we cannot control.

This tendency to escape from the now is one of the most faulty and damaging thought processes there is.

Anxiety as an Attempt to Live in the Future

Anxiety is what happens when you are physically in the present, but mentally trying to function in the future.

This effort to control or resolve something that has not yet happened is an impossible task for the human mind.

Attempting to achieve the impossible can be very damaging and is one of the primary causes of anxiety.

We are unable to feel emotions any time other than the present, but we bring future worries into the now.

Anxiety Undeniable Reality. The Safety of the Present Moment

The undeniable reality is that, at this very moment, as you sit listening to this, everything is fundamentally fine.

In this instant, there is no catastrophe occurring, no lions chasing you, or any other real and imminent threat.

In the stillness of now, you can find a sense of peace and security that doesn’t exist in your future projections.

It’s the only place where we can enjoy life’s small, simple pleasures, which only exist here.

Differentiating Between Real and Imaginary Danger

Of course, if a real emergency were to happen now, like a car crashing through a wall, your body and mind would react.

In that case, your fight-or-flight system would be perfectly activated to help you survive that situation.

But as long as that’s not happening, the distress you feel is coming from dangers that are completely imaginary and not real.

Anxiety causes you to live in a constant state of emergency that only takes place inside your own head.

The Key to Calm: Bringing Yourself Back to Now

The key to dramatically reducing anxiety is learning how to bring your attention back to the present moment over and over again.

The more you learn to live and function in the now, the less anxiety you will feel in your everyday life.

You m