Staying in the Now
It seems so simple. Be Here Now. Stay in the Now. One Day at a Time. In a way it is - and in a way it isn't.
It's definitely a deliberate intention. It takes repetition and some focus. When you first do it you notice an immediate reduction in anxiety. Breathe it in. But it's fleeting then.
But over a period of time, dipping back into it to manage monkey brain and stressful thinking, it starts to work a little. You notice the change, but you can't sustain it very long. But you know it works.
Beats other ways to get past uncomfortable feelings and thoughts by a mile. You get this. You just wish it would be more available, and without your deliberate choice. That's kinda what drugs and drinking do for you, you take them, they change your thinking and feelings without any more effort on your part.
You know this and you are committed to not doing that anymore. Consequences are way too intense for that anymore. You get that now.
So, you notice that something vaguely healthy and causing some change is available to you through a conscious effort to shift your psychic presence to now.
And as you are able to bring that into your consciousness and notice you are doing it and observe the effect on your discomfort you start practicing it. And it gets easier. And it becomes familiar to accomplish and it always works if you can remember to do it.
Such a deal! Just notice, shift to now and Breathe!