Episode 556: 5 Ways to BE in the Present Moment (Mindset & Self-Care)

EBT556 – 5 Ways to BE in the Present Moment

Intro  00:01

Hey food bloggers. Thank you so much for joining me in this mindset and self-care focused episode here on Eat Blog Talk. One of the reasons I started a blog talk was to hold a space to talk about the importance of mindset and self-care. Being an entrepreneur can be a lot. If we are not taking care of ourselves, then getting actionable information about SEO Pinterest or whatever else is all moot. I will meet you back here every Wednesday to discuss various mindset and self-care topics. So you have the energy and space to tackle the rest.

Sponsor (Carrie Tyler)  00:36

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Megan Porta  01:46

Hey, food bloggers Welcome to this mindset and self care episode of Eat Blog Talk. So happy you’re here and listening today. Today in this episode, we’re going to talk about five ways to be in the present moment. This topic has been brewing over the past few weeks for me, I knew it was going to turn into a podcast episode because it has been something I have been working on a lot recently. Before we get into the details and everything that I want to talk about, I want to address this. What does it mean to be in the present moment? And why does it matter. Being in the present moment means to be mindful of what is happening right now. We’re not stewing about the past, we’re not thinking about the future we are here. Now experiencing this very moment. This is important because it can help to reduce anxiety. It can eliminate guilt and stress, which leads to greater happiness, peace, fulfillment, all those good things. I personally say yes, please to all of that. And I’m assuming that you would as well. For the past few weeks, I have felt this sort of static in my head. And I haven’t really known what to do with it. For a while I was trying to overthink it, I kept telling myself that if I just thought hard enough, but if I could just figure it out, I could come up with a way to make it go away. Then I had a phrase come to me during a meditation, which was need more space. My interpretation of this is instead of overthinking the issue, and trying to think my way to peace, I need to do the exact opposite. I need more quiet and more space. We hear this all the time, this concept of living in the present moment for greater peace, et cetera. It sounds good, right? But it also feels really hard to achieve like it’s for those Zen folk and not for us. Like it’s way too hard for the average human, me you to achieve. I think especially with technology advancing and the way it is our minds are absolutely flooded with constant information requiring us to think constantly, we never give ourselves a break from thinking. So let me ask you this. How often does your mind get a break? And how much space do you reserve for nothing to be in your head? I could be wrong about this. But it has felt like I have one of the squirrel earliest brains out there. I feel like I’m always thinking, my poor mind. It just needs a break. Rewind to four or five months ago or so when I knew some big things were coming. I knew Flavor Media was on the horizon. And I had some other work projects that I was juggling. There were some things going on with our oldest son’s insurance that was taking up a lot of my energy. And we’ve just been contacted by the IRS about my tax audit. 

Megan Porta  05:01

So in the midst of all this, I knew I needed to start giving my mind to break, even for just a few minutes a day because I knew if I didn’t, I was going to implode. I had dabbled with meditation prior to this. But starting in March of this year, I became super diligent about meditating every day, for at least 15 minutes, I am going to publish an episode about meditation soon. So to be continued on details surrounding that, when I started this 15 minutes a day of meditation, immediately, the benefits were incredible. Like, literally instantly, I was sleeping better, and not just a little bit better, but way better. And my baseline felt more peaceful. And I just felt more capable of handling stress and anything that came my way. It has truly been life changing. And I vowed never to stop meditating at that point. Although I’ve been keeping up with this, I’ve been meditating regularly since I have felt this underlying anxiety creep in for the past few weeks. So I knew that I needed to continue that, yes, but also find additional ways to get my mind a little bit of peace and space, so that I can live more presently. So I am in this, I’m living it out now. So to be continued on how it turns out, but I feel so confident that if I stick with it, I will ditch the anxiety, I’ll ditch that background static, and that extra worrying I’ve taken on and I will feel more peace than ever before. 

Megan Porta  06:38

So in this episode, I’m going to share five things that I’m doing right now that are helping me to be in the present moment. And I really hope these helped you as well. 

Megan Porta  06:48

Number one, meditation. Meditation, as I’ve said, is so important. I cannot even express how much 15 minutes a day minimum of meditating will change your life for the better. As I mentioned earlier, I will cover more details about how I made this work for me, but in this episode, I’ll just encourage you to try it. And to be consistent with it. An excuse I gave to myself for many years, so many years, it’s kind of embarrassing to admit this was that I didn’t have time for it. Now at this moment in time, that seems absolutely crazy, because I have seen the benefits. And I know that making time for it is priority number one for my mental health. If you feel like you don’t have time for it, just start with five minutes, every single person listening can find five minutes a day to meditate if you truly want to find a quiet spot where you won’t be bothered. And just close your eyes, play soothing music if you want or find a guided meditation on YouTube, there’s so many out there, or just sit in the quiet, you might have to experiment with this a little bit to find what works for you. I’ll go through this in my meditation episode in more depth. Something else I got hung up on for years was that meditation never seemed to quote work, I would sit down with the best of intentions only to think through the entire session. This takes consistent practice and repetition. Our minds are thinking all the time. So of course, they’re going to think at first through meditations when you first get started. So you may need to do this again and again and again, to get the hang of it and to figure out what works for you. Just don’t stop it is so important. It’s the most important thing. If you’re looking for greater happiness, more fulfillment and peace in your life, I promise you, this will help. My last little bit of advice on this, ironically, is not to overthink meditating. It really is so simple. It’s just you getting quiet with you. Nothing else is needed outside that it could not be more simple. 

Megan Porta  08:54

I was telling a family member recently that they should try meditating, because this person was telling me how stressed they are and it’s actually affecting their physical health. It’s getting a little bit serious. Guess what their response was? They said to me, I think I have a book on meditating. I should go read it. You don’t need a book to start meditating. You just need a bit of time to sit with yourself. That’s it. 

Megan Porta  09:21

Number two, get caught up in the fun parts of life. I love this one. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about this and reflecting back on the times in my life when I’ve been the happiest. Those stretches when I just felt healthy physically and mentally when I felt peaceful filled with joy, etc. carefree light. One of those stretches for me was when I was doing a lot of skydiving. So I started examining why that time in particular led to so much happiness. And I came up with this. It was a time in my life when I was just attracted by the noise in a healthy way. At the drop zone, a drop zone is a term for the place we land in skydiving. It’s the runway we call that the drop zone. So when I was at the drop zone, my main goals were to number one, stay alive, and to have fun. When our main focus is staying alive, I promise you all distractions disappear. I’m not implying that you should find something life defying to do to be happy. But falling from an airplane over and over proved to keep me living in the moment very well. And I know it does this for a lot of people. Outside of making sure I stayed alive my year skydiving were also so much fun. skydiving, it comes with this entire community of friends with a positive vibe, mostly, and crazy antics included. You guys should see what skydivers do on rainy days. Oh my gosh, I could tell you many stories. So ultimately, when I was at the drop zone, I never thought about work. I never worried about I don’t know that weird thing I said to a friend that may have offended them. I never got caught up in thinking about how I was going to pay for groceries next week or getting my car fixed or whatever. I never did any of that I lived in the moment. And that served me really well during that time in my life. It made me happy. It made me healthy and it made me stress free. Sometimes I think we just need to get caught up in the fun parts of life and we forget that we’re so consumed with worrying about the future and stewing about the past that we forget that it’s actually good for us to get caught up in fun once in a while. Healthy distraction I call that is such a good thing. It will help to pull you into the present moment which will inevitably cease that incessant worrying and stewing. Which drives I know it drives me crazy. 

Megan Porta  11:58

Here are some suggestions. Join a regular meetup. Have you ever looked at meetup.com The site is extensive. There are so many different types of meetups that you can join. There’s hiking, networking, social meetups, there’s movies, picnics, book clubs, you name it, and it’s on there. You could also just schedule regular outings with friends or family members host your own book club or dinner party. I love it. When people do those rotating themed at dinner parties. I’ve always dreamed of doing that and it’s on my to do list. You can schedule hiking with friends or other adventures meaning you want to go skydiving take up skydiving. Do whatever you find fun, get lost in a painting or other artwork, go to an amusement park, go skiing or snowboarding in the winter. Or take a day adventure that just lights you up. By the way since I mentioned amusement parks, most people look at me like I’m unhinged when I tell them how often I attend amusement parks with my kids. Do you know why I do this? Number one, because my youngest son in particular loves them. He’s obsessed with them. And I love spending time with him. And this is such a good way to bond with him. As the mom of a teenage boy, I see this as such a bonding opportunity. And number two, because I’m in the present moment at amusement parks, I am 100% living in the moment enjoying wind flying through my hair, running from right to die like a 12 year old. Every single time we leave a park I feel carefree, happy, peaceful. Without a worry in the world. And one of the best parts, I’m ready to sleep like a baby. The point is, get out of your mind and perhaps your comfort zone a little bit and have some fun on a regular basis for a great healthy distraction.

Megan Porta  13:47

Number three, call yourself out on anxious thoughts, worries and habits. Before we can do this before we call ourselves out on anything that we need to correct, we first have to know what we need to correct. This requires some awareness. So I’m going to ask you a question off the top of your head. Do you have thoughts habits or habitual worries that plague you repeatedly? I will share a few of mine. I pretty much always have this soundtrack running through my head whether it’s a song I’m repeating incessantly or a thought I’m repeating over and over. It’s always going literally sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night incessantly thinking of lyrics to a song and I’m like what the heck I am sleeping. Why am I doing this? I have some other anxious habits that I do. I play with my hair, which actually leads to me pulling out my hair not good. One of my biggest ones is that I tense up my shoulders really tight and some of the rest of my body but mainly my shoulders get really tense. Anytime I get a massage, the masseuse comments on my super tight neck muscles shoulder muscles and back because I’m doing this constantly. And not to mention this obsessive and constant thinking about things that don’t matter that I do seemingly all the time. So if you aren’t sure what your anxious thoughts worries or habits are, just do an audit for a day or two. And without judgment, pay close attention to these habits and actions and thoughts that you do consistently that come from a place of anxiety. Once you’re aware of what they are, you can start to change them. This is something else I have been working on this year. And I will tell you that it takes mucho intentionality and consistency, my anxieties that manifest have been going strong for decades, I know they’re not going to go away overnight. And it’s really easy to get frustrated because it feels like I’m never going to get a handle on them. But I also know that with patience and diligence that I will eventually get a handle on them. I mentioned my massive shoulder tensing. One of the times when I do this the most is when I’m on call. So like if I’m on a zoom call, or if I’m just talking to people in everyday life, for some reason that social interaction makes me automatically tense up. I am super rigid, like almost as if I’m bracing for impact or something. I know this is anxiety because I can feel that tension and it doesn’t feel good. So every time I notice it, I give myself gentle reminders, I will say to myself, relax or calm or change than I let my shoulders completely relax. Sometimes I have to remind myself many times an hour. Like I said earlier, this is a process of making changes over and over and over. But I just keep doing it. I mentioned also the incessant useless chatter that goes through my brain constantly. When this happens, I do the same thing. A non judgmental change stops it. And I keep doing that in order to be as anxiety free and present as possible. 

Megan Porta  17:05

By the way, I use the word change for myself instead of stop because it feels gentler to me, it implies that I’m seizing one thing and moving on to something more productive and positive. For me stop implies a reprimand and also comes with a hint of judgment. So I try to stay away from that change when said gently implies that a simple tweak needs to be made and comes with a hint of compassion. Some other things I thought of that people can manifest as anxieties are jaw clenching, or teeth grinding, or I’ve seen people hand clench or shake their legs incessantly. However, your anxieties are manifesting for you call them out. And over time, you will slowly pull yourself into present moment living. 

Megan Porta  17:57

Number four, spend time in nature. This one oh, I love this one. It comes so easily. For me, I find this to be one of the easiest ways to pull myself into the present moment. When I find myself totally caught up in rampant thinking I can feel anxiety taking over my body. Do you know what I mean? When this happens, and if it’s nice outside, it’s not always nice here in Minnesota. I stopped what I’m doing and I go outside, and I just sit and observe. I believe that we can learn so much from observing nature. That sounds so simplistic and kind of woowoo if you look around, you’ll see the birds and squirrels aren’t overthinking. They aren’t worrying about the drama going on over and that nest. In the next shower. They aren’t fretting about what their bird friend saying to them yesterday. They’re living in the moment. It really is as simple as sitting outside shutting off your mind and just observing. Preferably do this without music, podcasts, audiobooks, technology, or even having someone talking in your ear. Usually it takes me about five to 10 minutes before I can feel myself really calm down and find that present moment piece. You could also just try taking a techless walk or driving to a lake and looking out over the water. The present newness of nature rubs off. 

Megan Porta  19:19

Number five, mindfulness and breathing exercises. This one is super easy too when you feel that hamster wheel of thoughts getting out of control and just feel that need to bring yourself back to the present moment. Step away. It doesn’t matter where you go, as long as it’s away from tech and work and anything that is going to make you feel anxious. Just sit and observe the world. Recently on vacation I did this a few times when I was feeling that hamster wheel of thoughts start for me. I would note five things I see really specific things. Five things I hear five things I feel to the touch. Five things I smell and 1-3 things taste, taste is a little harder because you’re not usually tasting multiple things at once. I do this over and over very slowly, very intentionally until I felt that present moment. There is so much power in noticing what is here right now. And that is so easy to do. In addition, you can just sit and breathe, take intentional deep breaths and count them if you need to feel how the air feels going in and out, feel how it feels in your stomach or lungs. Just notice it for as long as you can, before you get distracted. Those moments of being mindful of what is happening now, even if they’re short and fleeting, they matter, they really do matter. You could try setting an alarm a few times a day for mindfulness or doing breathing exercises. In total, this could add up to just a few minutes of your time. But that time truly will make a difference in the long run, I promise. And I don’t normally do this these episodes, but I’m going to give you a bonus because this is so important. It’s like an overarching point that I feel is maybe an oversight to some people, because it’s such an ingrained part of our lives, unfortunately, put down the tech, I’m such a proponent for putting down the tech, I’ve actually grown to despise smartphones and technology a little bit because I see it as such a distraction to being in the present moment. We’ve gotten to the point where we’re always looking at our phones, if you go into a waiting room of any sort, or if you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, look around and see how many people are looking at their phones that is not present moment living. That is distraction living, resist the urge once in a while to pick up your phone just out of habit. And just in the present moment. I’ve been talking a lot to our teenage boys recently about technology and how distracting it is to life. I was telling them how I observed that so many people just pull out their phones and look at it for no particular reason just because they’re waiting or sitting. So the other day, we were in a waiting room and my oldest son said, My gosh, Mom, I think you’re right. Look around, and we looked around and everyone was on their phone. Like I told you, I never pull out my phone in a waiting room because I don’t want to be that example. Even if I have the urge, I resist it. And instead I turn and I talk to my son or whoever’s there. I’m not saying it’s not hard, it is hard to resist that at times because we have this powerful tool right in our pockets. But resisting that and instead, deciding to be in the present moment is really rewarding. 

Megan Porta  22:42

Okay to conclude and recap the five points discussed plus the bonus about how to be more in the present moment. Number one meditation to get caught up in fun. Three, call yourself out on your anxieties, four spend time in nature, five mindfulness and breathing exercises and that bonus put down the tech. I really believe that teaching yourself to be more present will help reduce anxiety. It’ll eliminate guilt and stress and it will lead to greater happiness, fulfillment and peace. The great thing about everything we’ve talked about today is that it’s all easy to do. It is just a matter of whether or not we actually do it. Sometimes my own anxieties can feel so big and overwhelming that I start thinking the solution is also big and overwhelming. But this isn’t the case with living in the present moment. It’s really so simple. Let me know how this episode was received and let me know if you have any ideas for upcoming mindset episodes. I’m looking for ideas from listeners so please feel free to reach out and give me ideas and feedback, [email protected]. Thank you so much for joining me here on this episode. I will see you next time. 

Megan Porta  23:58

Thank you so much for listening to this mindset and self-care episode here on Eat Blog Talk. If you are a food blogger providing a service for other food bloggers, and you want to spread the word about the value that you offer. I would love to offer you a free way to do just this. Send me a 60 second audio clip to be featured in a mindset and self-care episode here on Eat Blog Talk in 2024. Go to eatblogtalk.com/audioclip to learn more.