Health and Living in the Present

Part of my belief structure is doing my best to live in the present. This means trying not to worry about the past, or anything beyond the immediate future.

That said, I have a friend who is trying to coach me out of my unhealthy slump (ie. poor eating and no exercise) by appealing to my future. Basically, he's trying to instill urgency in me today by forcing me to think of the distant future. As such, I'm having a hard time with this, because I'm simply not accustomed to thinking about the future.

Does anyone else have this issue? How do you instill that sense of urgency now for something far in the future?

The future is simply a version of the present, isn't it? The future is created by its previous moments. So, if you collect enough moments, you can build a future.

Every present moment we have is the future. Every present moment we have is the past. It is correct to say they don't exist... but it is also correct to say they do exist as the now.

Far in the future isn't real... Now is real. But, now is also the future. They are tightly interconnected.

So, when I think about my future, I'm thinking about I can connect the dots. Maybe that helps... maybe not.

Life is short. I don't mean to freak younger folk out, but if you think your 20's went quick, subsequent decades go quicker.... and health gets trickier. Is that idea a worry or a call to action?

Because when you say "trying not to worry about the past, or anything beyond the immediate future", do you mean to ignore them, or to just not 'worry' about them ie can you think about the future and past without worrying?

I think the subconscious naturally exerts energy in focus to both the past and future, and ignoring it might not be the most useful outcome. Sort of like taking the wheels of your car to make sure you don't get anymore speeding tickets. You sure save a lot of money but break the car in the process.

So then as long as failing is not seen as failure, you can use failing as lessons towards success. If you can recontextualize efforts in a productive future sense then it provides a better foundation to act in the present and eventually a more productive past (when it becomes history).

But to make mistakes productive you need to be engaged in understanding them, and working with the conditions around what causes them to try and engineer change in the required direction. Plans help in this regard as they serve as a sort of scaffold for decision making and exertion. Yes, sometimes its good to see where the universe takes us, but its also risky in various ways, and in regard to timeliness we want to learn lessons so they are not repeated ie a plan. It's funny that it also allows one to prioritize resources and energy so that one can be more in the present, but so it also creates time by asserting some measure over it. Instead of being forced into a rhythm someone else controls - you try and create your own.

So for me urgency does not best come from worry about the future - that sounds counterproductive as I think the subconscious would be looking at escape options instead. I would use a the plan. being the context for exerting timing in action, with something like curiosity as the drive to adhere to the plan.

Other drivers might suit different circumstances, but curiosity is a good foundation to experiment with and fall back on if other drives don't work..... eventually fear will fade away IMO. Some people seek rewards in other things but in my experience setting a reward at the beginning of a journey is not as rewarding as one set at the end of it - since you'd be a different person by then!
For example, if one wants to be rich the worse thing to do is waste money, eg if you want a bucket full of water you don't punch holes in the bottom - yet when people think of being rich its how they see it, spending money!!! As with change comes a new point of view, and so there is plenty to be curious about!!

Focusing on the now is so incredibly important. This doesn't mean you can't work toward a goal. The work you need to put in to reach a goal is always right now. The allure of instant gratification can be extremely toxic to that work. You must find balance. Start small as to not "tip the scales". Slowly add more as you grow more comfortable. Eventually you'll enjoy it. Maybe even desire it.

Well... Ultimately, then is now is later, yeah? So, to use the original example, me sitting up straighter in this moment improves my physical health across all moments, including this one. Because even though our puny mortal minds experience time click by click, that's just because we aren't grand enough to understand reality.

I believe there's always some kind of immediate pay off anyway, even in our sense of time. Sit straight now for benefits now, then, and later. It really does improve digestion, breathing, evacuation, and back/neck/head pain as soon as you do it, with greater benefits the more you do it.

I never thought I would live this long, so every extra second is something I should be taking advantage of. Instead, I fritter it away being too afraid to do anything (thanks, anxiety).

I wish I had wisdom for you. All I have is a "please don't be like me."

I'm in that same bandwagon with you. I have a LOT of trouble with the execution of goals, procrastinating, generally losing momentum and motivation and quiting too soon.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan have a conversation about living in the moment and the future:

QUI-GON: Don't center on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now where it belongs.
OBI-WAN: But Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future...
QUI-GON: ... but not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the living Force, my young Padawan.
OBI-WAN: Yes, Master.

I think the key lies in "not at the expense of the moment". You decide on an objective (goal) for the future. You break it down into steps. You work on those, and let go of the anxiety. When you are in motion, and you are executing those little steps to get to the bigger ones in the future, the anxiety is overkill (plus it really sabotages you more than it helps).

Of course, this is all easier said than done. I wish I could follow my own advice. :laugh:

^

That's exactly what I said in another thread. Whenever I make I big goal, I tend to break that goal down into smaller goals that will eventually hit the big goal. In example, let's say I want to lose 30 pounds by January......I'll go ahead and set smaller goals of losing, at least 10 pounds by September. Then, If I hit that goal in September, I'll make the goal of losing another 10 pounds by November (which makes it 10 pounds every two months.....with regular diet and exercise, it should be easy to achieve). This means that by January, I should have hit my goal.

If it doesn't go the way it's planned, then that's ok, no biggie, just keep going until you hit your goal and keep the train chuggin'. I have anxiety issues myself and I realized that if I take it one step at a time, it helps me. This is especially true at work when I have a million things to do at once. When you have anxiety, making a list can be a helpful thing (well, for me, at least!).

The tricky part about health is that you always experience it NOW. We know how we were and we know where we don't want to end up, but ultimately, you feel the impact of your health in every moment.

I often ask myself if I never went to the doctor, would I notice that I have cancer? Would I just be living in blissful ignorance? Maybe, but that wouldn't stop the cancer from killing me eventually. I would have more stress free moments now, but die sooner. Instead I choose to be uncomfortable through chemo now to possibly live longer than I would otherwise.

We have to acknowledge the future consequences of being unhealthy, but not at the cost of our peace of mind today. Do what you can today, knowing that tomorrow could bring better health because of it, but don't let that be the only motivation. Also do it because it feels right to you in this moment regardless of what tomorrow will bring.

Senan wrote: I often ask myself if I never went to the doctor, would I notice that I have cancer? Would I just be living in blissful ignorance? Maybe, but that wouldn't stop the cancer from killing me eventually. I would have more stress free moments now, but die sooner. Instead I choose to be uncomfortable through chemo now to possibly live longer than I would otherwise.

That's how it was with my father. We found out two weeks before the end. It was already stage 4 and metastasized throughout all of his organs. I have definitely wondered if we somehow had found out sooner would he still be here?
I like to think of it as shaping our now. Shaping our experience. We work to alter our reality. Somethings are easy and some take time. But piece by piece you can get it done.