Life is a journey best lived in the moment. The past is what we remember of our experiences. It is no longer real. The future is what we imagine will happen. It is not yet real. The only time we have in real time is now, this moment.

Our brain is as unique to each of us as a fingerprint. Our perception of the world is unique. We build our idea of the world thought by thought in the privacy of our mind.

From the time we are born to each moment in life we make rules about our experiences that are meaningful to ourselves. We may expect the world around us to behave according to our rules. We may believe those rules are logical and right, even though others may have different rules that they believe are logical and right.

Our thoughts of the world around us can lead to frustration, anxiety and stress, as we imagine the world is not living up to our expectations. Left too long stress and anxiety can lead to depression and a sense of not being able to cope with what is happening in life.

Your mind is  a tool. You can focus your mind on any part of your body.  Take the time to focus on the back of your shoulders. Do you feel the tension? If you are sitting, feel where your buttocks are touching the chair.

You can focus your mind on what you are doing moment to moment.  And you can bring joy into that moment by remembering the feeling you had whenever you were joyful.

We all get random thoughts. A thought is just a thought. You do not need to do anything about a thought. You do not need to take it seriously or do anything about it. You just focus on what you are doing.

Left unfocused your mind fills with random thoughts.

Thoughts create feelings. Disastrous thoughts create disastrous feelings. A thought is just a thought. You do not need to take it seriously or believe it. You do no need to do anything about it.

Make plans for the future. Then each day do something that brings you closer to your goals. If you want friends, then be a friend.

Start to practice to relax. Joy and confidence come from feeling peaceful and calm in ourselves.

Here is a simple method:
Sit in a quiet comfortable place.
Breathe slowly in and slowly out.
Focus on the sound of your breath.
If your mind wanders, just bring it back to the sound (or feel) of your breath.
You can do this anywhere. Do it for three breathes or one thousand.

This exercise done frequently will help you to practice focusing moment to moment while giving you a time to keep your mind busy on something else.

So focus all your efforts, your thoughts, your mind on now. That is all that is important. That is all any of us have.

Article: Joy is a Thought:

Sources:
Life long experience and learning.
A great insight from the works of Sydney Banks.

Video 1: Sydney Banks, A Quiet Mind

Video 2: Tanya Kennard, A Free Mind 

If you need a diagnosis ask your family doctor for a referral to a mental health caregiver.