Being able to live in the moment is part of the secret to meditation, manifestation and indeed long-term happiness. It’s an essential skill in building a joyful life, stress-free, and full of peace.

At the moment where so many people are feeling uncertain and anxious about the future, learning to live fully in the present moment is vital. It’s too easy to get caught up in stories about an unknown future, obsessing over things that have not happened, and worrying about potential outcomes.

So many people talk about living in the present, but not many of us actually know how to do it successfully. This is natural as a human; we set ourselves up to try to control things that really we have little control over.

I want to share with you what it means to me to live in the moment and how I manage to remain grounded in each moment of every day. It’s actually incredibly liberating. You wouldn’t believe how much stress you can eliminate by literally staying in the moment and not obsessing about next week, next month or next year.

You just take care of today.

That’s all you have to do, one moment at a time, one day at a time, every day of your life. And believe it or not, it works.
When you do this, you are not missing out on something you believe you can “make happen” by worrying.

Living in the present moment does not mean to give up on your future dreams. Instead, you focus on staying happy now. In turn, you create the future from that present-moment awareness instead of mixing up your energetic vibration with fears and insecurities about the future.

Here are my tips for staying in the present moment every single day.

Surrender to the Universe

If you feel nervous or you have too many plans and ideas and you want to try and control the outcome, surrender them to the Universe. Begin each day offering up any fears, anxieties or desire to make the day go a certain way to the Universe or your inner/ higher self.
You can do this either by saying a little prayer of surrender, such as:

Today I release my desire to control things, I surrender my plans and I allow the Universe to guide me and lead me towards a brighter, lighter and more joyful way of being.

You can also write down your plans or whatever is keeping you out of being in the present on a piece of paper and surrender that paper to the Universe in your mind. You can write at the top of the paper “For the Universe to take care of” and release those things in your mind.

Visualize your Day in Advance

This is a great way to prepare your day in advance how you would like it to unfold.

You can picture yourself moving through your day with ease and a smile on your face. Imagine all aspects of your day going well and having positive experiences and interactions with others.

Go into details about how you would like to feel, what kind of emotions you wish to experience, and feel them throughout your body as you hold onto that vision.

Keep hold of this vision as you begin the day and use it to remind yourself of how you wish to feel as you go through the day. If the entire day feels like too much then visualize the day in chunks in order to stay in each present moment as much as possible.

Ground yourself at the moment with breath and mantra

Any time that you are feeling yourself slipping away from the present or spinning off into anxiety and fear, ground yourself with some long, deep breaths and a mantra of your choice.

I like to use the mantra, “Here I am.” It makes me feel profoundly present immediately and helps to calm my heart rate if I am stressed and bring me into the present.

You could choose any mantra that resonates with you, it could be:

“Peace begins with me”
“I allow this moment”
“My presence holds power”
“I am enough”

These are all incredibly powerful mantras to recite whenever you are feeling ungrounded.

Mindful Body Scan

Dropping into your body is a fast way to bring yourself to the present moment. I like to do this in the morning before I get going for the day. It helps my morning kick off in a positive, grounded way.

Simply sit or lie down and take some deep, mindful breaths. Notice how the air enters and exits your lungs. Then, starting at your head or at your toes, focus your awareness on each part of your body at a time. Notice how each area is feeling and the sensations that you experience.

Move through every part of your body until you build up a picture of how you are feeling today and connect you deeply to your physical self, making it much more likely for you to pick up on anything that is making you feel unwell or off.
I think that we can all move through our lives feeling so much happier if only we learned to genuinely appreciate each moment before us.

My wish for all of you is to become more grounded, to remember to breathe deeply, to notice the details, to appreciate your surroundings and to really experience life in your own, unique body in your own unique way.

“Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh