Are you living in the present?

Post Reply New Topic

It has never really occurred to me how often I've been living too little in the present.

I can sometimes feel this "living in my own world"-tendency of autism. The problem is "living" too much in one's head and thoughts instead of living in the actual world.

Do you experience this "living in my own world"? How do you cope/live more in the present?


I know action and socialization are keys to live more in the present. But perhaps you have developed personal techniques.

I can snap myself out of it and do a good job of paying attention when I mean to, but I find myself absorbed in my own world a lot. I think I actually spend most of every day daydreaming, it's probably my biggest liability as a person.

I'm confused by this thread. There seems to be two questions being asked.
1. When you say "live in the present", is this opposed to "living in the past", as in being old fashioned?
2. "Living" too much in one's head instead of the actual world. Is this asking if somebody is so inward looking that they neglect the world around them?

Sorry, I'm literal minded and sometimes find abstract concepts hard to follow unless they're spelled out clearly.

I was always under the impression that the inside of my head was part of the world.

I think he's really talking about #2. It's just the wording of the title: "living in the present" could be re-worded as "being present", as in paying attention to the here-and-now.

Do you mean pretending to like the things of today and pretending to be like everybody else, or do you mean for me to be a 60s Mod who enjoys the technology of today who's willing to sample different types of music from Classical to Top 40?

I like my second option better than my first one.

There is no other time to live in than the present, so "Always".

I'd like to choose "Other".

You probably know of the more severe cases of autism where the person is completely unable to "get out" of his own world. Unable to speak or communicate properly - or at all.

When you have a milder condition like aspergers you have the same problem, but it's much milder. But still severe enough to prevent you from being fully present in the world. That's why it's so difficult to communicate and socialize when having aspergers. One has to become more present to do that. On the other hand, asperger people have the skills they have exactly because it is required to be in "your own world" to have those skills.

It's a matter of how one perceives the world:

"My life is a part of the world" - not being fully present (autistic view - the world is in center, not you)

"The world is a part of my life" - being present (non-autistic view - you are in center, not the world)

"The world is part of my life" feels like such a wrong way to view everything. Absolutely horribly innately wrong.

I'm not the center of the universe. I'm not the most important thing. I'm just me, nothing more and nothing less.

I live in the future.

With all due respect, I don't understand any of the above post.

While the OP's attempt at explaining what "being present," means isn't all that clear or how I'd define it, I do believe being present is extremely important. "Be present," is the 2nd most valuable piece of advice I've ever been given.

Being preset, living in the moment, involves focusing & aligning your thoughts, emotions, and actions with what is currently going on in the present moment. That's it. It's that simple.

I do deviate & daydream, or get sidetracked by some interest or obsession, but the more present I can be the more productive and happy I become.

Behavioural studies have proven that those who's thoughts & feelings are about what they're doing in the moment most often are happiest. Those who's minds wander & think about other things, whether dwelling on something in the past or worrying about something in the future, or simply daydreaming about some future positive thing or whatever, are far less happy.

I also heard a great quote that my friend relayed from a local actor/customer at his work said about being present: "If I'm not present, I feel like I'm ripping myself & others off." Makes sense to me. If your mind is wandering vs. appreciating and enjoying the moment, you're ripping yourself off from being able to be happy. If you're in the company of others and not being present, which is putting you in a bad mood, you're ripping them off - not to mention the obvious ignoring them due to being distracted by your thoughts.

I find that many things help. Exercise, meditation, yoga, anything that helps you practice focused mindfulness. (I'm sure martial arts or even dancing would be good for this, too.) Even CBT helps with this. I've read several books about manipulating your own mind for self improvement as well as books on happiness etc - doesn't hurt any to read and learn. And for myself, when I know I'm getting distracted by something and that I have things I need to stay focused on getting done - I just think of my friend who gave me the advice & reminds me of it when I need to be reminded of it and decide to do as he would do, which makes me more focused, self serving (but not selfish), productive, and best of all happier for it.

Right now I am and it sucks, I would like to go somewhere else........nowhere to go physically so maybe i can dive into my insanity and find a cool place to go mentally.

I know what you mean. The "objective"/scientific/cosmic ("My life is a part of the world") truth is that your life simply is a part of the world. But if you view your place in the world that way you are basically trapped in your own world. It manifests autistic thinking. It is the ability to view the world without (much) relation to your own life.

On the other hand, viewing your life "subjectively" ("The world is a part of my life") is "animalistic" thinking. It is the ability to only see the world in relation to your own life. That is, being present.


As a result the key to acting/thinking less autistic is becoming more present in the world by viewing the world through your own life. You are the center of the world. Your life is the most important thing there is, because that's all you have! When you die, the objective truth is that life goes on, the subjetive is that it doesn't. One should believe in the "subjetive" truth to think/act less autistic.

The "subjective" truth is really the only truth you will ever experience yourself. One should completely forget about the "objetive" view of the world, because it ultimately ruins your life (to some degree).

Last edited by qawer on 08 Apr 2013, 5:12 am, edited 2 times in total.

Really. It doesn't make sense?