All thought of the future that is based in the fears and hopes of what we might possibly have or not have can bring about a level of stress that we are not even aware of in this present moment.
Think about it for a moment.
When we were little our first reaction to anything that was potentially harmful or scary, even if it was presented as something good like the ride at the local fair, would cause us to hold our breath.
It seems to be the natural instinct of almost all humans to withhold that one thing that we need the most.
As adults, we added what I like to call the automatic shoulder hunch.
The things we say and think or hear repeated over time seem to have an impact on our physical world in ways that we cannot manage easily.
Each time that we experience what we perceive as a possible stressful situation we tend to do at least those two things; hold our breath and hunch our shoulders.
It has become such a natural state that we have to be taught the proper way to breath again.
Both of these actions cause a chain reaction that expands on the stress level.
Perhaps a better statement is that there may be other reactions that are actually the cause of the shoulders hunching, etc.
Perhaps when you are stressed out you hold your breath and then clench your jaw first and that latter action causes the hunching of your shoulders.
Either way the root of all of these are the thoughts that result in worry about the present or future but mostly about the future.
Living in the moment allows you to let go of all that.
If all that you must be concerned with is this paragraph that you are typing such as the one I'm typing now or, being conscious of whether your posture is supporting your body in this moment, then the stress level will begin to decrease.
That alone should be reason to want to live in the moment.
Living in the moment also allows you to be conscious of how your body is reacting to any given situation.
Our cells have memory and the reactions we experience to stressful situations stay with us longer than just in the moment.
So, living in the moment will help us to create better memories for those cells.
This way, closely associated situations that might trigger the same reaction will not necessarily exist for us; especially if we have mastered this concept.
For most people, living in the moment, in the ever present now, is something that does not come easily.
It would be easier to tell them not to breath than to tell them to focus on how their breath is supporting every organ in their body and thereby keeping them alive in this moment.
Worry seems to be the order of our fast paced lives and when we are not doing that then we are led to believe that we are not normal and that something must be wrong with us.
Here's another challenge you should undertake.
Make a date with yourself to check in every hour on the hour or half hour to bring you back into the moment.
When you stop to check in, focus on your breathing and make sure that you are taking full, deep breaths.
Set your phone alarm to serve as a reminder to check in with yourself.
Check in with your shoulders and try to release any tension you have there.
Perhaps you can try doing this just in the morning from the time you get up until the time you take lunch for the day.
There may be interruptions or times you cannot do it because you are in a meeting but it is worth a try.
Try it for two weeks and what I believe you will find is that your breathing becomes more natural and full and that you are supported in all that you do regardless of how stressful your work environment might be.
Eventually you can try to increase it to your work day and then to the complete day until bedtime.
If you take this challenge, take a quick moment to send me your results and either through a comment here or on my website.
Happy stress reducing!