Think About the Now!

As we start embarking on a new year, it is important to set goals and think about all the wonderful things the new year may have in store for us. With this being said, however, sometimes we let our minds wander a little too much, and find ourselves not being in the present moment as we are too busy thinking about the future or the past. In fact, a Harvard study shows that about 47% of our waking hours are spent thinking about what isn’t going on in the present moment. What is even more of a surprise is that this study also shows that the activity we are actually doing accounts for less toward our happiness than our mind wandering. This means that our unhappiness can be a result of not thinking about the present and not being engaged with our current surroundings. With this in mind, although it is important to think about your values and goals in a futuristic context, this can quickly turn into something that is unhealthy and detrimental to our mental health. Find happiness in the present, and really try to engage your mind into what you do one day at a time this year! You may find that without as much mind wandering, your happiness may even increase!