As we approach the month of December and begin to mentally prepare for the winter season, we need to give ourselves a gentle reminder to stay present in life’s moments – even if we’re head-on with end of the year stress. It may be challenging to focus on the present while our mind is racing to catch up to the chaos of the holidays; however, adapting to this mindset is imperative for our overall wellbeing. There is no surprise that the holidays may be a stressful time for most, especially after enduring a challenging year. Whenever times are extremely tough, I try to embrace the positive – or find the silver lining of the situation. I find that this helps me to remain calm and centered. With a positive mindset, it is incredible how differently we approach life’s obstacles and overcome adversity.

Daily distractions may interfere with this concept, making it challenging to focus on the positive instead of the negative, such as habits that we turn to in times of stress, fear, anxiety, worry, etc. These distractions are usually in the form of bad or unhealthy habits, that simply act as an escape from reality – forcing us to not be present in life’s moments. We cannot allow negative emotions to create tendencies that pull us away from life’s moments, because we will not get those moments back. For me personally, my bad habit is with my cell phone. I spend a lot of time on my cell phone, to the point where I become inadvertent to the cognitive behavior of relentlessly scrolling through social media. This is simply a distraction, an act that that takes time away from me and forces me to not be present in the moment.

A goal that I am working towards is to spend less time on my phone, and channel positive energy toward walking, journaling, and meditating. The less time I stay on my phone, the more time I will have to be positively present in life’s moments. Don’t let yourself turn to a habit to escape from reality when you become caught up in stress or other negative thoughts. Break free from your habits and face reality with a different approach, that will help you overcome any obstacle. Here’s what helps me break free from the chaos, allowing me to stay positively present in the moment: praying, internal dialogue (which includes positive pep-talks), deep breathing, and taking a walk. I hope that you find these tactics to be helpful – and please feel free to incorporate different tactics that you feel would work best for you. I hope that we can all enter the winter season in good health, remain safe, and become positively present in life’s moments ahead.