Do you ever get the feeling when doing something like you were just teleported there, not really knowing how you got there, the feeling like when you jump out of the water and suddenly get all your senses back. Then you think about it and realise that you were there all the time, but only physically.

That's because the mind has the urge to work all the time and the consequence of that is our non-awarenes of our surroundings, some people may call it day dreaming but often the thoughts that go through people's heads are mostly trivial. The problem comes when we don't recognise that our mind wanders off and we look back at the day, week, month or year that has passed not really knowing what happened.

I used to hate that feeling of passing time, because I never really was in the moment, always doing something to keep my mind off the problems I had, trying to run away from my own life. The thing is that you can't constatly run away, the sooner you confront all the demons in your life the better for you.

Photo by Simon Migaj

One of the best ways to train your mind to be still and focused is meditation, I can't emphasize enough what an impact meditation had on my life. I know that there are alot of non-belivers, so to say, in the benefits of meditation and I was one of them too. It's not a magic pill that will fix your life problems but it puts you in a state where you are more prepared to fight the battles that are present in everyday life. Someone once asked the Buddha: ”What have you gained from meditation?”, he replied: ”Nothing! But let me tell you what I lost: anger, anxiety, depression, insecurity, fear of old age and death.” So, you see, you might feel shitty some times but that's normal we have all these emotions for a reason, some situations require that we are sad, some that we are happy, that's why I don't believe that the purpose of life is to be happy, life is to complex to be viewed as a one-dimensional thing, either your happy or you're not, it doesn't work like that.

One technique that I use to stay present and mindful through out the day is to keep my focus on the breath. It is simple but it is not really easy. Whenever I catch my mind wandering I take a deep breath and return the focus to the moment, and this happens a dozen of times in a day. So don't be discouraged, pick up meditation, become aware of all that is and you will enjoy life much more.