On presence & being present
"The next message you need is always right where you are."
What are values? Why do they matter?
As 0.1% is matter and 99.9% is no matter, values have the role of the compass in our journey no matter the situation or enviroment we are in. Without values you can sometimes find yourself stuck under the couch of indecision and moving circles until your battery dies.
If we are mostly surrounded by “nothing” , then the meaning we choose to give our lives is what actually matters more than our circumstances. Most people spend 100% of their time worrying about the 0.1% - the stuff. Living by your values means focusing on the 99.9% - the space between “the stuff” where your spirit, your choices and your character actually resides.
Living in the moment
By directing attention to the here and now, we become less preoccupied with past regrets or future anxieties, fostering a sense of groudedness & present moment engagement. This attention involves a high quality of receptivness to the present moment, where we remain open to our current experience, either pleasant or unpleasant. This openness allows for an honest and non-avoidant engagement with reality, providing opportunities for growth and change.
This type of presence cultivates an attitude of curiosity towards the toughts, emotions and bodily sensations of our own or of others present around us. Mindfulness encourages us to observe our experience without judgement, reducing the tendency to be entangled in rumination or avoidance.
Defined by the intentional awareness of the present moment, mindfulness is key for creating space for a more flexible and adaptative response to both our inner and outer subjective experiences. Mindfulness enhances psyhological well being, improving sustainable healthy nutrition & reducing mindless eating habits. It also cultivates the ability to be intentionally present in the here and now, moment to moment that leads to better emotion regulation, attention control & athletic performance.
Think of mindfulness as a physical workout that reshapes your brain for high-level performance. By strengthening your prefrontal cortex, it sharpens your focus for complex work, while simultaneously shrinking the amygdala to lower your "stress alarm" and help you stay cool under pressure by creating the space for you to respond thoughtfully. It goes beyond just relaxation; it physically builds gray matter to boost your memory and silences the mental "background noise" of the Default Mode Network that usually keeps you distracted. Ultimately, it’s a biological tool that moves you from being a reactive passenger to a resilient, present-moment leader of your own mind.
SMART goals & end of year resolutions
Deciding on what behaviours to take action on, behaviors that have different future ramifications is a part of every day life. When making these intertemporal choices, sometimes we choose small immediate pleasures instead of delayed bigger benefits, at the expense of future outcomes. Living in the present moment enhances executive functions that facilitate self regulation.
Resoluitons are moments that bring future in the present. Without reflecting in the present moment, it’s hard to set SMART goals and resolutions.
First you have to be as Specific as possible with your goal;
Then your goal has to be Measurable- be as clear as you can and ask yourself: “How often I will work on this goal?”;
Your goal needs to be Achivable -Why is this goal doable?- ;
Also the goal is Realistic -"Can I commit to this consistently?”;
Lastly, your goal has to be Time-Bound: have a start and end date for this goal.
Without a correct evaluation and appreciation of the context you might develop goals & objectives that are far from smart, no matter the area of life.
Presence in the workplace
Emotions & moods influence workplace interactions and the productivity at the workplace. Presence encompasses various dimensions that contribute to its transformative impact on psychological well-being. Mindfulness is not a new tool but is revolutionary, it’s origins can be traced back to ancient contemplative practices.
Some contemporary enviroments are often immersed in a reality characterized by a rapid sequence of stimuli and actions that don’t allow us to fully live in the present moment. The challenge in the workplace interactions in order to increase it’s productivity is to answer to the question of “How can we create a space that benefits us?”.
References
Webb, A. J. (2023). The Role of Mindfulness in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Cultivating Present-Moment Awareness. Authorea Preprints.
Molinari, E., Spatola, C., Cappella, E., & Castelnuovo, G. (2014). The present moment and giving oneself as a gift. Journal for Perspectives of Economic, Political, and Social Integration, 19(1-2), 229.
Lin, H., & Epstein, L. H. (2014). Living in the moment: effects of time perspective and emotional valence of episodic thinking on delay discounting. Behavioral neuroscience, 128(1), 12.
Mullaney, J. L. (2020). A Year Then Forever: Personal Resolution Making and the Temporal Bridge of the Near Future. Symbolic interaction, 43(2), 332-355.
Bjerke, M. B., & Renger, R. (2017). Being smart about writing SMART objectives. Evaluation and program planning, 61, 125-127.
Stanszus, L. S., Frank, P., & Geiger, S. M. (2019). Healthy eating and sustainable nutrition through mindfulness? Mixed method results of a controlled intervention study. Appetite, 141, 104325.
Birrer, D., Scalvedi, B., & Frings, N. (2023). A bibliometric analysis of mindfulness and acceptance research in sports from 1969 to 2021. Mindfulness, 14(5), 1038-1053.
