No Time Like The Present: My Guide To Living In The Moment

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Conn chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Well, it’s that time again! Summer has faded into fall, which means I’m hearing a mixture of “summer was too short,” “fall can’t get here fast enough,” and “I can’t wait for the holidays.” It happens all the time. People are either holding on to the nostalgia of the past or desperately waiting for the next exciting thing to come along. It is so easy to fall into this cycle and stay stuck in an endless cycle of sad thoughts. This past summer, my main goal was to learn how to live in the moment. For anyone who feels similarly to me, here is my advice.

Start by acknowledging Your feelings

The hardest part about living in the moment is trying to escape the feelings of nostalgia or impatience. Every time I felt these feelings, I would tell myself that it was okay to feel that way. If I was reminiscing on the past, I reminded myself that the past is in the past and I’m grateful for my experiences, but I had to move forward. If I was waiting impatiently for the future, I would tell myself that that the future will still be there and I should enjoy the journey to it. If you have felt the same as me, try to be more aware of your feelings. You could even try journaling! It is a great way to think about your feelings more deeply and get in touch with yourself.

focus on the positive

Once you’ve acknowledged any negative thoughts you have, you can start to focus on the good things! I make this a goal of mine every day. Even if I’m having a bad day or week, there is always something good to think about. My advice for anyone who struggles with optimism is to find the little things. Maybe the weather is nice, or you completed an assignment, or someone told you they like your outfit. Or if there’s truly nothing good about your day, then do something positive. Buy yourself a sweet treat or grab lunch with a friend! These little things make your days so much better.

Make a playlist

My favorite thing to do is create a playlist to fit the mood of each season. It is a great way to romanticize your days, and if you do, you’ll enjoy them more. Take fall, for example. It is easy to complain about shorter, colder days, but with the right song, suddenly your walks to class feel interesting and fun. If you don’t want to make your own, there are thousands of public playlists to look through! Here is one fall playlist I found:

Learn new hobbies

It sounds clichéd, but picking up hobbies here and there truly allows you to make the most of your time. Learning new things forces you to be present, and there are a million hobbies for you to choose from. This past summer, I learned how to make friendship bracelets. It is very quick to learn, and there are thousands of designs you can create! If you are interested in making bracelets, check out Bracelet Book for patterns, or search for inspiration on Pinterest.

spend time with others

It’s true what they say! Spending time with peers truly improves your mood. Over the past few months, I made it a priority to be social and have positive interactions with others. Even just getting a meal together or talking to your neighbor in lecture can significantly improve your day. I understand that people get nervous talking to new people, and believe me, you are NOT alone if you feel this way. I have experienced the anxiety and stress from awkward conversations and uncomfortable interactions, but you have to force yourself to get over this fear. Once I learned not to worry about these little moments, my days improved significantly.

stop doomscrolling

This is, admittedly, still something I struggle with. It is so easy to go on my phone and scroll through TikTok, but it wastes a great deal of time. As college students, we all have heaps of work to do, and though we could be spending our limited free time with friends or doing something fulfilling, many of us just go on our phones instead. For me, the only way I could quit TikTok was by going cold turkey and deleting the app. If you don’t want to do this, try creating screen time limits in the setting app. You could even have a friend set the password so you can’t get around it. Either way, cutting down on phone time is truly the key.

After I implemented these practices in my day-to-day life, I had a wonderful summer!

Live for “the now”

With or without my tips, it’s ultimately about mindset. As college students, it’s hard to remember that we don’t have to have everything mapped out for the rest of our lives. Once I started focussing on being present, I realized how much more I enjoyed my days, and I learned so much about myself. To live in the moment is to know that the past is in the past and the future is the future. Everything that has happened, good or bad, led you to where you are now. And there is still so much more to experience, which I think is such a lovely thought. I would encourage everyone to learn to be present and live in the moment, and hopefully you’ll see improvements in all areas of your life.