One Day, One Moment at a Time

                   I usually post on Thursday, but yesterday I was just too overloaded emotionally and mentally to write. That overload leads me into the topic for this post, taking life one day or even more importantly, one moment at a time. As I navigate several difficult things right now, I am finding that I need to take a step back and focus on the smaller moments. I need to allow myself to focus only on one day at times. When even that seems overwhelming, I need to allow myself to focus on the moment I am in and just take life one moment at a time. 

                  There are benefits to approaching life in smaller segments. This approach can reduce feelings of being overwhelmed. The more we have going on in our lives, the more we need to slow down and approach life in smaller bits. When we slow down our lives can become more manageable. Life does not seem as big. Have you ever heard the saying, “Size matters”? I would say this is true, but it does not mean that things need to be bigger. Perhaps, it is in the smallness of life’s pieces that we find we can keep going. 

                  But the idea of taking life one day, one moment at a time encompasses so much more than just the things we need to do. It is about being present and noticing what is going on in our lives without becoming overwhelmed. Last week I discussed noticing thoughts (Noticing Thoughts). To live in the moment, we need to notice our thoughts. It is in noticing a thought that we can say, “That was tough, but I got through it.” We move from moment to moment. We find our emotions in each moment. It might be frustration, joy, fear, relief, or angst. Each moment carries with it how we are feeling. If we live in each moment, we can choose to stay in that moment and thus that emotion or we can choose to move on. We can move on from the negative feelings. In the same way we can choose to savor the positive moments.

                  A while back I wrote about living every moment. (Live Every Moment) I wrote this in the midst of my cancer battle. That battle taught me that it is important to focus on the little things. I learned to be grateful for each moment I have. I think as I am facing changes in my life and other difficult issues, I sometimes lose sight of how important each moment is. As important as each moment is, it is just a moment. A new one will follow it. So, if something is difficult or painful, there is light outside of that moment. A new moment is around the corner. How we get through the difficult moments will look different for each of us. I use journaling to help me move from moment to moment. Journaling allows me to give the moment space before moving on to the next moment. It also allows me to reflect on the moment. In reflecting I can take what I need from the moment and leave behind what I do not need. 

                  When things are going well our moments may expand into a day or days. That is great. We just need to remember that may not always happen. If we can take the whole day as a moment of joy or peace, we should cherish that experience. We should also commit it to memory. That way on the days that are not so good, we can remind ourselves that there are good days. I am working on doing this. It is learning process. Sometimes I think at this point in life, I should have it figured out, but learning takes a lifetime. We are always learning. We are always growing. We are always living in the moment. 

                  In this moment, I choose to focus on what brings me joy. I choose to set aside the difficult times. This does not mean I won’t struggle. Believe me there are moments when I cannot seem to let go and move on to the next moment. Still, I need to try. I need to give myself permission to live the joyful moments and let go of the moments when I struggle. As you move through your day, I encourage you to try to do the same thing.