Staying Here: How We Keep Coming Back to the Present Moment
July 27, 2025
Some of us live in the past, replaying moments like old movies we can’t stop watching. Others live in the future, scripting a dozen possible outcomes just to feel safe. And then there’s the present. That elusive, quiet space we keep meaning to return to, but somehow forget exists in the middle of everything else.
Being present sounds simple. But for brains like ours, wired for reflection, planning, and constant internal noise it’s not always easy. And that’s okay. Staying in the moment is a practice, not a performance. It’s something we return to, over and over, not something we master once and for all.
Here’s how we can start coming back to the now, a little more often without judgment, pressure, or perfection.
1. Notice That You’ve Left the Moment — Then Gently Return
The first step isn’t to force presence. It’s to notice when we’re not here. Are we rehashing a conversation from earlier? Imagining a future problem? Drifting into a made-up version of someone else's thoughts?
That moment of noticing is powerful. It’s not failure… it’s awareness.
Try gently telling yourself:
“Okay, I left. I can come back now.”
No shame. No scolding. Just a soft return.
2. Use the Body as an Anchor
The mind wanders, that’s what it does. But the body stays here. Always.
When we feel ourselves drifting, we can come back by noticing something physical:
Our feet on the ground
The rise and fall of our breath
The temperature on our skin
The sensation of our hands resting in our lap
These aren’t distractions… they’re anchors. The body is home. It helps us remember where we are.
3. Don’t Wait for Calm — Create Presence Inside the Chaos
Sometimes we think we need perfect conditions to be present: a quiet room, a clear mind, a calm body. But presence can happen anywhere even in the middle of overwhelm.
You can be anxious and still notice the sky.
You can be rushing and still feel your feet hit the floor.
You can be heartbroken and still take a full, grounding breath.
Presence isn’t about fixing everything first. It’s about touching this moment, as it is.
4. Shrink the Frame
We often zoom out too far, worrying about the next week, month, year. But presence asks us to zoom in.
What’s right in front of us?
Try this:
What can I see right now?
What can I hear right now?
What do I need in this next ten minutes, not the next ten years?
The smaller the moment, the more room there is to be inside it.
5. Let Go of the Idea That You Have to “Do” Presence Perfectly
Being present isn’t a task you check off. It’s not a flawless state you earn by meditating a certain way or breathing perfectly.
Sometimes we’re here for ten seconds.
Sometimes for a full hour.
Sometimes we forget entirely and then remember again.
That remembering is the practice. We don’t fail. We just begin again.
Final Thought: Presence Is Not a Place — It’s a Habit of Returning
We won’t live in the present moment all the time, that’s not the goal. But we can return to it more often, with more ease, and less guilt. We can build little rituals, pauses, and reminders that say, “Come back. You’re safe here.”
So here’s to the small returns… to breathing, noticing, grounding, and beginning again.
Not perfectly. Just intentionally.
We’re still here. And that’s more than enough.
