Brain researcher explains: This is why we can't really be "in the moment"
Many practices for a healthy mind, indeed the entire teaching of mindfulness, are based on trying to spend as much time as possible "in the here and now," in the "present moment." A neuroscientist explains why our brain is actually incapable of this.
"Be completely in this moment. The past doesn't matter right now, nor does the future. Only the here and now is truly real" – at least half of all guided meditations sound like this, especially mindfulness meditations. And the idea behind it is, in itself, absolutely legitimate.
Can we even be “in the here and now”?Many of us are often stuck in our thoughts either in the past or in the future. We might be annoyed about that little argument we had with our friend yesterday, or thinking about how we could have improved our important job presentation this morning. Or we might be stressed about an upcoming doctor's appointment or our incredibly long to-do list.
Either way, these thoughts don't help us at this moment, because we can't change the past, nor can we truly know what we'll actually encounter at that doctor's appointment, for example. So, racking our brains over these things is ultimately a waste of energy. Changing that at the push of a button, however, is easier said than done. Because being truly and consciously present in the present moment isn't all that easy. And there's a reason for that, if you ask neuroscientist Dr. Caroline Leaf.
What our brain can do – and what it cannot doThe brain researcher explains in the "mindbodygreen" podcast that, strictly speaking, it's impossible for our brains to remain in the "here and now." "We spend between half and three-quarters of our day wandering back and forth in our minds between the past, present, and future," says Dr. Leaf. This process of mental time travel is constantly in progress, and according to the neuroscientist, our minds cannot physically stay in one place for long.
Trying it can definitely do us good, because "it calms us down for a few seconds." But then our minds immediately start jumping back and forth between the three time levels. "Living in the moment is just one part of the process," explains Caroline Leaf.
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Mindfulness exercises can certainly be beneficial for us – but they have their limitations. "The conscious practice of staying in the here and now for a few moments is a good practice for developing the mind," says the brain researcher. "But it's not the solution for dealing with chaos."
Instead, the expert recommends accepting our past and future, and the wandering of our thoughts there, as part of the whole. So, instead of getting annoyed that we once again failed to stay mentally present for more than a few seconds, we could try to reflect on why these particular thoughts about the past or future arise.
Perhaps yesterday's argument with our friend is bothering us more than we'd like to admit. Or we're more anxious about the medical examination than we consciously admit. According to Dr. Leaf, it can be worthwhile to examine what we can learn about ourselves from this—and what we can do to reduce the burden on us.
mbl Brigitte
brigitte
