In these uncertain times many of us feel fear about what will happen in the future. Never before have we all been faced with not being able to plan holiday’s, weddings or plan for the future. Whilst having goals for the future is important, now more than ever before noticing just today, this hour, this minute is of far greater importance for our mental wellbeing. We have never existed in the future and we can’t predict what will happen tomorrow, next week or next year.

Mindfulness helps us to stay with today, to be present and to let go of thoughts about the future. Being present is an increased awareness of what is happening right now in a non -judgemental way. As we become more self- aware in our journey of mindfulness we may start to notice our thoughts and feelings. Through practise we may be able to learn to observe our thoughts and catch when our mind wanders into the future.

Overthinking, feeling stressed, anxious and in pain may all be exacerbated by thoughts based in the future. We do not live in the past and we haven’t yet existed in the future, we only ever live in the present moment. Taking a moment to pause and notice your breath helps you collect your thoughts, ground yourself and connect to the present moment. Noticing what you can see, feel, hear and smell all help connect you to the present moment.

Mindfulness meditation helps us to become more comfortable with our thoughts and feelings. Feeling fear is normal, observing it, breathing with it and staying present help you to take control of the feeling. We cannot change the world but we can change how we react to situations in our daily lives. This is nothing new but is more important than ever before. If we can manage our fear and stay present we can still notice all the good things we have today that give us love, joy and happiness. We can notice what we have in our daily lives. By being mindful we create a peaceful mind, a heightened state of awareness and control over our thoughts and feelings.