Life support: How to live in the moment

Focus on what you're doing

In his best-selling book The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle argues that, if you are completely conscious of the present moment, you won't have to rely on external things for happiness, and will discover an inner joy. While many are sceptical about the promises of self-help experts, the idea of being happy in the present – free from worries about the past or fears over the future – is undoubtedly appealing. Tolle suggests that a simple way of reconnecting to the "now" is to think about your breathing, or to spend time contemplating nature.

Slow down

Do you eat breakfast while listening to the radio and reading the newspaper? It may be a familiar scene, but trying to do five things at once makes it difficult to fully enjoy any of the activities you are involved in. Slow down, taking your time over things that you normally rush, and you will find that you are calmer and more focused on the moment.

Accept your life

Many of us are plagued by the idea that there is something better we could be doing. If you find yourself looking at a beautiful sunset alone, and saying to yourself, "This is so romantic – it would be so nice if only I was here with so-and-so," you are preventing yourself from enjoying the experience as it is. Try to avoid allowing such thoughts to distract you from the present.

Let go

You can't change the past, so there is not much point stewing over things that have already happened. Similarly, try and stop worrying about the future. Many of us spend a lot of time fretting about what might happen, and mulling over potential scenarios in our mind. While this is a fairly common way of preparing ourselves for bad things that might occur, it wastes a lot of emotional energy – energy which could be better directed into the "now".