What can we learn from time travel?
In the film About Time, Tim (the main character) discovers that he can time travel. He can go back in time, and tests it out by re-living experiences and changing how things have turned out for him.
It feels like a nice idea to be able to go back and change things in our lives. Maybe there are big or small things you’d love to go back and do differently. Or to get to re-live to re-experience.
Initially Tim uses his newfound skill to try to get a girlfriend. However, over time he comes to the decision that he no longer wishes to go back and change things. Instead, he decides to live each and every day like usual, and then to re-live it the following day trying to be more intentional to appreciate life and all the small things. He eventually decides that he doesn’t need to live every day twice, and instead chooses to live every day with the attitude as if it is the second time he’s lived that day. He decides to live the best version of his normal life by using it to make sure that he appreciates his every day life and those in it. Eventually being present in his ordinary life is what he decides that life is truly about. And isn’t this what life is all about?
It is easier said than done to live life in a more intentional way. How do we learn to be more in the moment? To be fully present instead of thinking about the past or planning the future?
To learn to be more present, try one of these ideas below:
- Go for a walk. It doesn’t really matter if you go for a walk around the block or get outside into some beautiful nature, but when you take your walk, try to slow down. Try to really notice the colours, textures, and smells around you. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have much time, but try to really notice what is around you. Experience it if you can, rather than thinking about it.
- Sit on a bench for 10 minutes and don’t get your phone out. Notice the other people passing by or milling around. And if there aren’t any people then notice the pigeons or whatever is there to notice.
- Try to be really present when you have a shower or wash up. Notice how the water feels on your skin. Notice how the washing up liquid or shampoo smell and what it feels like to have them on your skin or to hold the dishes you wash. Notice how hot/cold feels. Try to focus on the sensations, even if only for a few minutes. Try not to think about anything, but just experience being in the moment.
- When you next eat something, take some time over it. Look at the colour and texture, and smell it before it goes in your mouth. Take a fork or spoonful at a time and slow down. Usually we are getting ready for the next bite instead of noticing what is currently being chewed. Try to notice how it feels in your mouth. Try to really notice the flavours and textures. See how your mouth, tongue and throat know just how to swallow it when it is time. Try to pause for a moment before shovelling in the next one.
- If you are a parent, spend 5-10 minutes concentrating on being with your child really listening to them or being with them. It doesn’t matter what you do with them or what is going on, but just be emotionally available to them rather than zoning out or trying to do something else at the same time. It doesn’t have to be for a long time to make an impact. Just a few minutes helps your child feel more connected to you.
When I’ve done these exercises before, it highlights to me how busy my mind can be and how hard it is to really notice and appreciate the little every day things in life.
Your mind is designed to process thousands of bits of information every second and is constantly working hard to think of other things which distract you from what you are doing. It’s like a computer processing lots and lots of data constantly. When you try to do these exercises you will lose focus and will start thinking about something else. It’s a given – it’s what being human is like. That’s OK. Don’t criticise yourself. Just bring your focus back to what you want it to be on. Do this the first time it happens and the 100th time it happens. It’s not about criticising yourself for being rubbish at being present, but more about exercising the muscle of it to help you focus better than before. Try to be in the moment more, even just for 10 seconds or a minute!
If this speaks to you and you’d like to know more or would like some help with this then drop me a message! 🙂