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Olivia Alberton (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

I think living in the moment is something that everyone strives to do. I have been told to “focus on the now” and “be in the present,” which I try to do most of the time, since time goes by so quickly. I do my best to soak up and bottle the moments where I feel joy and happiness. However, there are times when I falter, and as a result, stop living in the moment. Why does that occur, and can I stop this?   

As stated, there have been countless times when I have not lived in the moment. The number one reason why this happens to me can be linked to thinking about the “future.” I let the stress and uncertainty of what is to come ruin a good moment. One example that comes to mind is my university graduation. I had just accomplished a great thing, and after four years of hard work, I should have been celebrating. Of course, I was proud of myself and happy, but something was bothering me. In the back of my mind was a feeling of worry because I did not know what was next. The future was robbing me of my present because I was letting it. A key thing to note is that, when thinking about the future, stress, uncertainty and worry are extensions of that thought. For me, not knowing what was to come next was worrisome. I did not have a plan in place for the next chapter, and that consumed a lot of my thoughts and robbed me of living in the moment.

In addition, when we focus on where we think we should be, we forget to appreciate where we are, thus taking the present for granted. I think societal pressure makes it easier for us to stop living in the moment. There is a certain timeline that has been created for people: graduate post-secondary, travel the world, land that career job, get married, have kids. Older generations followed this template, and so it passed down to us. The world is such a different place from when our parents grew up, posing new challenges and new questions. On a conscious level, we know that there is no timeline to follow, because it is a made-up concept. It is our subconscious that makes us believe we are “behind.” It feels awful to feel like you are not where you are “supposed” to be, or to feel like you are last place in a marathon. Again, we know the marathon is made up, because you should not be running against anyone. The race is not even a race, it is your journey, but sometimes it is hard to believe. For instance, you could be having a great time either hanging out with a friend or grabbing a coffee by yourself, when a nagging thought from the back of your mind surfaces. When it surfaces, it feels like this cloud is floating over your head, taking away the sunshine, all because you were thinking about the future, dwelling on where you “should be.” 

Furthermore, I believe that our everyday routine can sometimes feel mundane, making us feel down and tired. Should we find the small joys in our routines? Of course we should. Making that first cup of coffee, feeling the sun on our faces or hearing the birds chirping could be examples of small joys, making us feel more in the moment. Should we expect ourselves to find those small joys all the time? No.

This brings us to our earlier question of whether we can always live in the moment. Is it important to live in the moment? Yes. Is it always possible? No, and I think that is normal and okay. Life is hard, and there are ups and downs. Some days it will be easier to be present and not dwell on the negative, while other days it will feel like we are just existing. Also, maybe some days we need to look to the future because the present moment is hard. The future can be associated with worry, stress and confusion. But there is another side to this word. The future does not always have to be scary. It can be exciting thinking about what we want to accomplish next, the places we want to go to and the people we have yet to meet. Maybe it is a blend of living in the moment and looking forward to the future that we should try to maintain. 

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Olivia is a McMaster University graduate with a combined honours in English & cultural studies and history. She loves to read, write and, of course, drink coffee.