Self

What Does It Truly Mean To Live In The Moment?

Photo: Tananyaa Pithi / Shutterstock
woman looking at a lake

By Nataliya Greenfield

Being that we live in such a fast-paced and demanding world, sometimes it’s hard to just relax, vibe, and live without thinking about anything. We are always plugged into something in some way, whether that be work, school, or family obligations.

We prioritize adult responsibilities over self-care and fun.

Most would argue that is the most responsible thing to do. While that may be true, having time to decompress and live in the moment is the release a lot of us need.

RELATED: 8 Ways To Live In The Present & Make The Most Of Each Moment

Many of us pre-plan our days, weeks, and months. This includes pre-scheduling time to study for that big final exam or scheduling when to take your kids to soccer or dance practice.

You likely schedule when to prep dinner and when to cook it! We are so used to having to organize and compartmentalize every part of our lives, so doing things outside of that may not even sound possible.

Not only may you be overwhelmed with a full calendar, but the stress and struggles of day-to-day life may also cause you not to want to do anything extracurricular. The only thing you may have enough energy to do is lay in bed.

We all have days like that, and that’s okay too!

However, when you have some more free time and energy than usual, living in the moment and doing something spontaneous and fun will truly rejuvenate you!

What does it mean to truly live in the moment? It means not planning it or thinking about it too hard. Just to do that thing and enjoy it at that moment.

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Do something that you’ve been wanting to do for a while, but didn’t have the time or energy to do in the past.

That could be anything, like going to the spa to get a full-body massage and a facial. It could be taking a random road trip to the next state over. It could be going to dye your hair the color you’ve always wanted your hair to be.

Whatever it is, do it and enjoy it while you have the opportunity!

When you lead a busy life, an energy shift is so important. Making room for spontaneity in your regular life will take you out of the drab daily cycle that you likely feel. It will leave you excited for the next thing you will think about doing when you get an opportunity.

Balance is key. Overloading yourself with work or responsibility without a change in pace isn’t healthy.

Take care of yourself and make room for the things and people you enjoy. You will thank yourself in the long run for incorporating spontaneous activities into your lifestyle!

It’s definitely not an easy thing to do if you and your family are used to planning things way in advance, whether it’s work or even vacations. Sometimes, it’s good to do things last-minute for fun.

As a lot of us know, sometimes plans get canceled and we aren’t able to do the fun things that we originally wanted to do.

Being spontaneous here and there allows you to have fun on demand without worrying about if the plan will fall through at a later time. Keeping a balance of work and spontaneity will make for fun memories and a dash of flavor to your busy lifestyle!

RELATED: I’m Slowly Learning That Staying Present Leads To An Incredible Life

Nataliya Greenfield is a freelance writer and contributor to Unwritten, Teenagers With Experience, among other publications.

This article was originally published at Unwritten. Reprinted with permission from the author.