The Power of Presence: Three Steps to Pull Yourself Back to the Here and Now

Back in January of this year, I attended my first glass blowing class here in New Hampshire at Terrapin Glassblowing Studio.  I had been feeling pulled to try something new and after a few friends suggested glass blowing, I decided to give it a try.  The experience was phenomenal! 

I was given a tour and a basic safety overview upon arrival and then we got to work.  My instructor, Dom, began by showing me how to operate the flame, the different choices and colors of glass, what tools to use when, and then demonstrated from start to finish how to actually make a worry stone of my own, the item chosen for this first lesson of mine. 

Dom had done this particular piece of work countless times I am sure.  She made it look so easy.  It was beautiful to watch her work with seemingly effortless hand movements, the choices she made along the way, how natural it seemed for her to pick up one piece of glass and then another, break the glass off, and shape it into a perfectly smooth stone filled with swirls of color.   

When my turn came, it did not feel so easy.  Everything required effort.  It was all brand new - working so close to the flame, manipulating multiple pieces of glass using both hands, spinning glass to heat it, combining colors, breaking glass off to form my stone.  I quickly realized that I needed to be fully present.   In fact, reflecting back I realized that it was in the one moment I caught my mind rushing ahead to the next step instead of staying present in the here and now that I wound up burning the side of my hand.  When I remained zeroed in though on the task at hand and the one thing I was doing in the moment, everything seemed to flow and connect.  Despite making some mistakes along the way (or “happy accidents” as Bob Ross would call them!), I was filled with joy, I felt energized by the process, and I truly enjoyed creating. 

By the third stone I made that day, the entire process seemed easier and much more natural.  I no longer required much assistance from my instructor, my hands were moving in sync with my thoughts, my mind and body connected, and I was experiencing the power of presence.  Even the final product seemed to be more beautiful and so smooth, unlike the first two I had made. 

Glass blowing is an experience that I have returned to a hand full of times since to continue practicing presence, getting in flow, focusing in, and leaving the stress of the day behind, not to mention making other fun creations, marbles being my favorite!  

My glass blowing experiences reinforce for me that presence is a powerful thing.  When we can control our thoughts and focus them in the present moment, what we are really doing is controlling our mind.  THAT is powerful!

According to a 2010 study conducted by Harvard Psychologists Matthew A. Killingsworth and Daniel T. Gilbert, regardless of what people are doing, their minds wander 47% of the time.  More importantly, mind wandering leads to unhappiness.

When I let my mind wander while glass blowing I wound up with a burn on my hand.  When we let our minds wander each day, or “time travel” in our minds, we are often left feeling “burned”, laden with heavy feelings. 

Time traveling to the past often leaves us feeling resentful, depressed, less than, or full of regrets.  When we time travel in our mind to the future, often we are left feeling anxious, full of worry, stressed, or overwhelmed.  On the contrary, when we live in the present moment, we feel less stressed, less anxious, more creative, more energized, happier, and more calm.

So if our minds wander on average 47% of the time and we know that a wandering mind is an unhappy mind, how can we pull our mind back to the present moment?

Here are three steps to follow when you notice that your mind is in some far off place.

1) First, acknowledge your thoughts.  When you notice your mind is wandering backwards or forwards in time, it is vital to call awareness to it and to acknowledge how you feel in your body.  Do you feel stressed?  Do you feel anxious?  Do you feel sad or depressed?    

Hi thought.  I see you.  I hear you.  I notice you.  I notice in my body I feel _____________.

2) Once you raise awareness around your thoughts, you get to make a choice.  Will you keep going down this thought path wasting your precious time, energy, and attention OR will you choose to proactively reframe your thoughts and pull yourself back to the present.   I hope the latter.

I am choosing to leave this thought pattern and return to the present moment. 

3) Next, you need to proactively take action to get out of that thought pattern – to get out of your mind and back into your body.  When you focus on your body, use your five senses, or call attention to your immediate environment, you can’t possibly be stuck in your head.  My favorite action to take is breath work.  A technique that I love is a simple box breath with visualization that I call the “Be Where Your Feet Are” breath work technique. 

I am choosing to take action, refocus my attention, and be where my feet are.

To take your awareness to the next level, add in one more step to check back in with your body.  After you have returned to the present, take notice of how you feel.  Do you feel a sense of calm?  Do you feel a reduced level of stress?  Did that twinge in your belly or the tightness in your throat disappear?

The next time you notice your mind wandering, remember to ACT.  Whether you are in a meeting, on an important call, sitting across the table from a friend, having a conversation with someone you love, or glass blowing like me, when your thoughts wander, ACKNOWLEDGE, CHOOSE, and then TAKE ACTION to pull them back. 

You hold the power to be where your feet are.  It’s time to lean into THAT.