Staying Present with a Simple Technique

The concept of time is warped - Sometimes a minute lasts almost an hour, whereas, other times, an entire day could be gone in a jiffy. It helps to stay mindful, especially in this age of attention-grab and constant distractions.

There are many known methods to stay mindful - by actively engaging in physical activities, taking a moment to slow down and breathe, by engaging parts of your body that you don't normally pay attention to, by various other breathing exercises, and so on.

A couple of days ago, I came across a method unknown to me to re-engage with oneself. I guess that it is not a new method, but it worked wonders for me. It's quite simple. All you need is a stopwatch (just a watch or an alarm on your phone would also work), and 5 minutes of your time.

The process is simple -

1. Set your stopwatch or alarm to 1 minute (one, so that you can do it without overthinking).
2. Close your eyes and open them when you think 30 seconds have passed.

You are required to do two iterations of this exercise:

1. First one without counting seconds in your head. Just think of something else if you are unable to stop counting.
2. Second one while counting thirty seconds in your head.

How does this work though?

If you open your eyes before 30 seconds, you are probably anxious / nervous and in a rush.

If you open your eyes within 2 seconds of the 30-seconds mark, you are most probably in-line with the present.

If you open your eyes beyond 30-seconds mark, you are distracted or disoriented, and need to bring yourself to present.

Simple, right?

I was at 45 seconds mark without counting and around 37 seconds with counting when I tried it the first time. It has, since, improved for me because I am actively trying to stay present. This has been immensely helpful for me. I hope you find it equally worthwhile.

Do share your times for the first tries with me. Always fun to do these activities together. 😸