Most of you are aware that living in the present moment is the goal of many spiritual paths and personal growth programs.
Living in the present moment is the best way to be your true self and to create the life you want.
Unfortunately many of us are not living in the present moment. If you are not sure, here are 10 signs that you are not in the present moment.
If you are not in the present, where are you?
You’ve probably already guessed a big part of the answer. You are living in the past or the future. How many times a day are you remembering the past or day dreaming about the future?
There is another way to look at this. You are in a limiting trance. Spacing out is one obvious example.
A limiting trance is defined by narrowed attention, feeling unresourceful, a loss of perspective, and painful emotions. When you are in a limiting trance, you can’t be in the present moment.
The present moment is where your life is happening. Limiting trances can affect all areas of your life, including success, relationships, and happiness.
Here are 10 signs you are in a limiting trance.
1. You space out
You get triggered by events. This can be sights, sounds, smells, or your own thoughts. All of a sudden you find yourself in an unresourceful place. You might be remembering the past or you may not know where you went.
2. Time slows way down
Painful emotions seem to last forever. If you are depressed you believe you will never get better. You start to feel hopeless.
3. You never have enough time
You try to fill up every minute of the day so you never have enough time. You feel like a rat on a treadmill. If you don’t have enough time, you won’t have to face your problems.
4. You are in denial about your problems
You can’t step back and look at your life. You can’t see the elephant in the room. Friends try to give you advice, but you can’t hear them.
5. You are living in the past
You re-live painful memories. You may even feel like a child and no longer have access to your adult resources. You see the present through the distorted lens of your past.
6. You lose touch with your emotions
You don’t know how you feel. You are numb. Sometimes, you are physically numb, too. You can’t make a decision because you don’t know how you feel about anything.
7. You are confused
You can’t think. You can’t focus. You bounce from one bad choice to another. You have trouble finding the middle ground.
8. Your self talk is a loop of old messages
The voice in your head keeps repeating all the limiting messages from your childhood. These can be messages from your parents or you own limiting beliefs. There is no space for new thoughts.
9. You are always day dreaming
You are living in the future to avoid your life. You keep thinking you will be happy in the future. You never take the steps to create that future.
10. You forgot your true self
You identify yourself as a victim or a loser or not good enough. You can’t believe that you are a wonderful being with gifts the world needs now.
What can you do?
Did you see yourself on this list? Everyone finds themselves on this list at one time or another.
Limiting trances become a problem when they are preventing you from living your life to the fullest.
All of these trances were learned in childhood. The only way to let go of the trance is to let go of the past emotion that is holding it in place.
The poetry of emotion process is a self help method that helps you release the past without re-living any traumatic events.
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(Image: photophilde @ Flickr)
