How Do You Find Happiness in the Present?

Living in the present isn’t easy for me. I can’t speak for other people but I’m always thinking about where I want to be next month, next year, five years from now, or when I retire. Always.

My thoughts are always, “When I can live off my writing, I’ll be happy,” or “When I can afford to not have tenants in my house I’ll be happy,” or “When I can travel whenever I want, I’ll be happy.”

I’m trying hard to learn to live in the now, though. I don't know why, but it’s really hard! I don’t know if I’ve ever really done it before. I’ve always been thinking about the future.

The thing is, there’s really nothing wrong with my life now either. It’s good. I have a job I like; I have the freedom to write what I want, as much as I want. I have a great partner.

Summer is particularly good. I work in the city on the weekends and make decent money and then Monday night to Friday afternoon I’m at the lake. I can write or read or go for walks.

What else do I need to be happy in the now?

Here are a few things I’m doing to try to focus on my happiness in the present:

#1 Daily walks

I’ve never had a habit of exercising at any point in the day or even every day. In the morning, I like to relax and drink my coffee but later in the day I’m busy doing other things.

I know that exercise, especially exercise outside in the sunlight, can have a big impact on how you feel. You get all those feel-good chemicals (and ADHD people really need the dopamine!) and it sets a pleasant tone for the rest of the day.

So, I’m trying very hard to head out the door right after I get up and go for a 20-minute walk.

#2 Morning pages

Also, simply called journaling.

Soon as I get back from my walk, I’m going to do my 3 pages of morning pages. Why 3 pages? Well, first, it’s what Julia Cameron suggests in The Artist’s Way. Second, it just seems like the right amount. Not too much, not too little. I can say what I want to say, but it doesn’t take up my entire day.

#3 Taking time to do nothing

I can’t work all the time. My ADHD brain sometimes wants to work all the time or thinks I should be working more. But you need time to do nothing.

Nothing can be a lot of things. It can be reading for pleasure, playing video games (I’m quite hooked on Animal Crossing right now), or just watching something mindless on television. But I’m allowing myself that time to do nothing just for me.

#4 Eating good food

I love food. I love to eat. But I know I need to make better choices. And sometimes, those better choices cost a little more if you also want them to taste good.

In order to satisfy my desires for good food, I’m letting myself spend a little more money so I can also have healthy food.

I often want to snack on things that are crunchy. Potato chips are yummy and crunchy and they satisfy those cravings - but they aren’t so healthy. So, I’m buying more things like nuts, even though they cost more money.

I know happiness is a variable concept. It means different things to different people and it can mean one thing one day and another thing the next.

There is one thing I know, though. I can’t be happy now if I’m always thinking about my future happiness. I need to find things to be happy about right now, today, in this very moment.

How do you find happiness in the present? What are the things you do to keep centered in the now?