Sometimes anxiety has nothing to do with what is happening around us, but with how far our minds have drifted from the present moment.

I've been sleeping pretty horribly for the past couple weeks, and there's been this strange guilt whenever I feel anxious. I have to admit, here I am, an aromatherapist, a certified yoga teacher, a Reiki practitioner. I have my own practice. And yet my mind has felt like it was racing. There’s this feeling that I should know better, that I should have all the tools.

I'm trying everything. I do a sound bath for myself every morning. I have my tea. I play the Native American flute. I live in the woods. I go on walks. And still, there was something in the background of my mind that felt unsettled.

I know some of this comes from my past, and I've done enough therapy to understand that these sorts of patterns will always be there to some degree. But when I look honestly at my life, I realize I should probably be one of the happiest people in the world. I love my relationship. I get to do work that I care about every day. I don't have to go to an office, which for me was always a dream. I have healthy food, I’m healthy, and I've made it through a lot. Yet something still felt off.

This morning I was lying in bed, where I do my Reiki practice, thinking about what it might be. And then it dawned on me. It was something I already knew, something very simple. I realized I wasn't living in the present. If I stopped thinking about the future or replaying the past, and just came back to right now, everything was actually wonderful.

I've had periods where I'm very attuned to this, but it’s hard for me to stay there. I think some of that is just my nature, the way I was raised, maybe even the way my DNA is wired. But it reminded me how important it is.

So today I got out of bed with one goal: bringing myself back to the present every time I feel off. Because when I return to the present moment, everything is actually quite beautiful.

I’m no stranger to breaking habits, and I help people move through that all the time. But it’s uncomfortable, and sometimes we go far off the rails before we even notice. There’s really no point in criticizing ourselves. You just keep turning toward the new habit, again and again, throughout the day.

And so today I’m moving through the day with that intention. I've already gone into the past and the future probably a hundred times this morning, and it's not even noon. But each time I notice it, I bring myself back.

I invite you to try this with me, even just for a day. It won’t be perfect and it won’t be easy, but whenever you notice your mind drifting, just bring it back to where you are.

My goal isn’t to be in the present all the time. I don’t think that’s realistic, and it may not even be in my nature. But I do want to be there more.

Because the present moment is actually beautiful.