8 Easy Ways to Be More Present, According to Mental Health Experts

Ferris Bueller said it best: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” From endless to-do lists at work to maintaining relationships with loved ones, learning how to be more present in everything you do is important—but it’s an acquired skill that’s easier said than done.

While staying mindful can feel challenging at times, it’s a worthwhile effort: Making a conscious effort to live in the moment provides a host of benefits to your mental and physical health. 

To learn about how to be more present and find tips for incorporating mindfulness into everyday life, we turned to two licensed mental health professionals for their intel and guidance. Here’s what experts have to say about this buzzy topic and the realistic ways you can weave mindfulness into your everyday routine.

What Does Being Present Mean?

Learning how to be more present isn’t a one-size-fits-all practice. Everyone experiences it differently, says Hannah Yang, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Balanced Awakening.

“Being present usually involves an absence of thoughts about the past or the future,” she says. “Sometimes we say that depression lives in the past and anxiety lives in the future. So by focusing on the present, we’re inherently free of prominent experiences of anxiety and depression. Being present is about paying attention to what is happening right now, in this moment.”

Samantha Bender, a licensed clinical social worker at Octave, adds that being more present or experiencing mindfulness is a significant part of dialectical behavior therapy, also known as DBT. 

“A general and widely accepted definition of mindfulness is being in the current moment with awareness but without judgment or attachment,” she says. “You can be fully present by observing what’s going on internally and externally, participating in whatever is happening around you, or describing what you are sensing.” 

The Benefits of Being More Present

Staying present provides a range of benefits, from big things (like generally feeling more thankful or focused) down to the little things (such as noticing the warmth of the sun shining or the coziness of a fuzzy pair of socks). 

“When we focus on the present, we can more easily develop a sense of appreciation or gratitude for what is going well for us right now in this moment,” Yang says. “You won’t be focused on those beautiful but simple experiences if you’re racing around trying to get something done or caught in a pattern thinking about something you did in the past that you regret.” 

When you’re more present, you can also:

How to Be More Present

It’s one thing to know that mindfulness can make your life better; it’s another thing to actually do the work to stay more present in your day-to-day routines. Here are a few of our favorite practical, expert-backed ways to stay more present:

1. Notice When Your Mind Wanders 

To become more consistently mindful, you need to first take note when you aren’t feeling present and attempt to redirect your attention back to the current moment. Bender recommends doing this if you find yourself “daydreaming, worrying, or ruminating.” It might feel tricky to catch yourself right away, but the practice becomes easier with, well, practice.

2. Pay Attention to One Thing

“Set a timer for say, two minutes, and look at a plant,” Yang says. “Study the leaves, notice the color variations, see if you can tell if the soil is moist or dry. You could do this with anything, and it will help to train your mind to have more in-depth focus and presence in your day-to-day life.” Simple but effective.

3. Tap Into Your Senses 

Take anywhere from one to five minutes to notice and describe what you’re seeing and hearing, Bender suggests. That could be the sound of your fingers hitting the keys on your laptop, the color of your water bottle sitting next to you, or the soft hum of air conditioning in the background—basically, anything you’re perceiving.

Meditation can help you tune into your sensations. Try a body scan, practice breathwork, or explore all the different types of Peloton meditation classes to find what serves you best at that moment.

4. Set up Your Workday In Chunks of Time

When you walk into the office or open your laptop, try blocking time for each specific task on your to-do list. Yang says this might include checking and responding to emails once every hour and dedicating the rest of the hour to work on a project. “See how you might break up your day or set boundaries around your time so that you’re more naturally set up to focus on one thing at a time,” she says.

5. Don’t Look at Yourself on Video Calls

You might not even realize that you’re distracted or being self-critical while watching yourself during a video call. Bender says removing this self-view can allow you to stay present and focus on the meeting and your coworkers, loved ones, or whoever else you’re speaking with.

6. Participate in Reflective and Active Listening

“Active listening is a way to demonstrate that you are listening to the person speaking, maybe by maintaining eye contact or nodding, while reflective listening requires the listener to then reflect back on what they heard or interpreted,” Bender says. Both types can help you stay more present and engaged.

7. Practice Mindfulness While Eating

Your mealtimes are another opportunity to be present, especially during work hours. Yang suggests trying your best to eat and experience each bite. If you feel comfortable doing so, “put your phone and computer away and just be with yourself and the food,” she says. “Or if you’re taking a break and eating a snack, see if you can focus your full attention on the snack, the experience of it in your mouth, the smell, the taste—even if it just takes a minute.” 

8. Try Mindful Movement 

Mindfulness is something you can bring into everything you do, and that includes your workouts. Several activities are considered mindful movement, including yoga, walking meditations, and tai chi, but you can make almost any exercise “mindful” by focusing solely on your exercise and resisting the urge to think about past or future concerns. Feeling fully present can help you make the most of your workout and strengthen your mind-body connection. 

Adding a few, or even just one, of these ideas will guide you toward feeling more focused and present in all aspects of your life. If you want to go a step further, you can also work with a therapist who can show you how to be more present and help you identify more mindfulness activities that work best for you. A few of Bender’s favorites include breathing exercises, coloring, knitting, and movement.

And of course, the Peloton App offers tons of guided classes across modalities that can help you stay more present, from meditation to yoga to Pilates.

The Takeaway

There are so many ways to practice mindfulness in your life, but it’s much easier said than done. It can be difficult at first, which is why you need to practice until it becomes a habit at work, at the gym, and at home. You’ll need to be gentle with yourself as you navigate adopting these new habits, and it’s all about starting small. Taking a minute or two to recognize your mind wandering can ultimately lead to loads of benefits for your mind and body. To stay motivated, remember that there’s so much to look forward to when you can zone in, engage, and be your best, most present self.

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice. It is not intended to replace professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician for questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. If you are having a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.