In what ways are you present for others?
How do you practice being present for yourself?
This topic of presence is probably why I am in the field I'm in, doing what I can to help people learn and understand the importance of being present through mindful living.
Why? Because presence is what was missing for me in my childhood which then turned into a learned behavior where I was seldom present for others or myself. I didn't know how to be.
I lived in my own bubble staying highly focused on what was wrong, what I wanted, what I needed, and how others were impacting me rather than how I could positively impact others.
This was painful for the child in me, the teen in me, and the adult me.
When people say they want and crave connection with others, what they're really saying is that they want to feel presence. We all want to feel that our presence matters just as much as we want to feel that others are present for us during an interaction.
As a mindfulness counselor, I've been honing in on presence and its meaning by starting with me. Meditation is my practice of being present with self by placing my focused attention on breath, body, mind, and more importantly, spirit and emotions.
When I can sit still in silence with myself and tune out all other distractions, I am experiencing presence. I am growing my capacity for brain and body to be still, to feel and be felt.
This is what we all long for. To be seen, to be heard, to be felt and to be accepted just as we are.
I offer presence through eye contact, listening, touching, tasting, and smelling.
I offer presence through reaching out to the people I care about.
I offer presence when I am curious and ask questions.
I offer presence when I take walks and admire trees.
I offer presence when I move my body and truly feel its layers of skin, muscle, and tissue.
I offer presence when I look up at the sky and feel gratitude for the sun shining.
I offer presence by opening my heart and sharing my deepest and true feelings.
I offer presence whenever possible because this is the best way I know how to show love.
For me, presence is EVERYTHING.
Pulsating
Raw
Energy
Sensationally
Exchanged
Now
Continually
Existing
Be present moment to moment as often as possible - Observe. Notice. Receive. and Repeat.
Presence matters to all people (kids especially) and Life deserves it!