“Beware of Destination Addiction: a preoccupation with the idea that happiness is in the next place, the next job or person. Until you give up the idea that happiness is somewhere else, it will never be where you are.” – Robert Holden
The last few weeks have been full of anxiety for me. I’ve been planning trips, working out details of upcoming events, furthering my nursing education and keeping extremely busy to say the least.
I found it really hard to just take a moment to relax, and it started catching up with me physically and emotionally.
I’m a do-er, and I hate to sit around and wait for things to happen. I want to get out there and put my thoughts into actions. In some cases this is a good thing, but recently I was pushing my limits.
Since I was a child I’ve always found it difficult to just be happy in the present, to just be happy where I was. Every moment had to be filled with action, or my anxiety would reach an extreme level. Being in the moment is simply not in my DNA.
When I started this year of transition, I decided I wanted to look into some new practices. I wanted to do things I’d never done before.
Ultimately I wanted to create a routine that allowed me to manage my anxiety better. So I looked around a bit, and after countless hours of research I began my journey of new age spirituality.
One of the main components of new age spirituality is meditation. Honestly, I always thought it was stupid and pointless. I’d watch people meditating and think “what a bunch of crap.” However, this was a time of exploration so I thought, “what the heck, what’s it going to hurt?”
Fast forward almost a year later, and I absolutely love my meditation time. I meditate each morning for at least 10 minutes (it took me a while to be able to sit still that long), and during that time I’m able to reflect on my life.
Through meditation and other practices I’ve slowly began to realize just how important being happy in the present moment is.
Being a Pediatric Oncology Nurse I find myself constantly surrounded by grief and sadness, and sometimes it’s hard to embrace hope. Yet there is also something inspiring about watching how tough the human body can be.
We have so many blessings to be grateful for, but we consistently look for happiness in the future.
If we can’t be happy in the here and now then what’s the point? Today is all we’re guaranteed, and it’s a shame that we waste so many wonderful moments.
I look at the world we live in, and it saddens me. The world has turned to violence instead of love and understanding. While my empathetic nature forces me to feel all of the sad emotions of the world, my hopeful side has taught me to embrace the present.
Each day that we live is a precious gift that we so often take for granted. We are always looking for the next best thing, the next moment for happiness, the next opportunity to live. However, we fail to realize that now is that time.
We will never be younger than we are now. We will never be in as good of health as we are now. Our lives will always be busy, and there will always be things we can use as excuses. It’s time we start living. It’s time we start learning to just be.
So many people would be amazed at how long 5 minutes can feel when you are sitting in complete silence with yourself. I say this because I know from experience. When I first started taking time to reflect, my body sat still but my mind ran a 100 miles a minute.
It takes time and true effort to teach ourselves to stop forging ahead and see all of the blessings our lives currently hold.
There is so much beauty and wonder to be found every day. There are small miracles that are overlooked because we are too busy. Take time to embrace the magic, embrace the wonder. Take the time and learn to just be.
XOXO,
Myka Shantell
thoughtsofananxiousmindblog.wordpress.com 