Trouble staying in the moment? 7 easy ways to get better at being present.

Traffic, commuting to and from work, and running errands can be a tedious task. When rushing from A to B, we rarely focus solely on driving; this is when people often make phone calls, eat lunch in the car, listen to the radio, and scowl with road rage. But it can also be an opportunity to calm the mind and hone in on the here and now. “Use red lights to your advantage,” says Dr. Patti Johnson, a psychologist in Sherman Oaks, Calif., who urges her patients to make a point of taking a few diaphragmatic breaths whenever they are stopped at intersections. “Focus on breathing in slowly through your nose so that your stomach moves outward with each inhale. Do this a few times and you’ll instantly reconnect with your surroundings and the present moment,” she explains.

So often, eating becomes something we quickly cram into our days. We dine while working, in front of the TV at night, or while browsing the internet. But taking a moment to pause while eating can help you connect with the present moment. “Take three deep breaths before each meal or snack. This helps to calm the nervous system, which benefits our metabolic power and tunes us into the practice of mindful eating,” says Rachel Avalon, a holistic health coach in Los Angeles. With each bite, chew slowly and focus on the smells, flavors, and textures of your meal.

In the smartphone age, it seems humans live in fear of any idle time. We grab our phones while riding up an elevator, when a friend makes a trip to the bathroom, or while sitting in the lobby at a doctor’s office. But Meredith Strauss of Light Street Psychotherapy suggests breaking the habit and allowing yourself to sit and observe your surroundings in lieu of occupying solo time by perusing through social media on your phone. And this can start as soon as you wake up. “After getting out of bed, leave your phone alone,” she suggests. “Enjoy a moment of peace and have a cup of tea/coffee. [Or] have some quality time with your family in the morning before the outside world rings your phone and computer.”

Erica Hornthal, founder and CEO of Chicago Dance Therapy, suggests taking a break from the busyness of the day to check in with your body. “Try a full body scan,” she explains. “Mindfully pay attention to everything from your head down to your toes and without judgment or bias, acknowledge feelings and sensations that come up. This not only brings awareness to the body but also provides the opportunity to release tension before it builds up.”

“The beauty of this life is being here in a body. It is the perfect mindfulness tool to come back to throughout the day that brings us right here in the moment,” says Jean Vitrano. To do this, the LMT and mindfulness facilitator suggests tapping into your five senses. Notice the feeling of warm water flushing over your skin while washing your hands, tune into the sounds of the present moment, stop to smell the roses.

It’s easy to leave work with unfinished tasks on the brain or to sit through your kid’s soccer game while thinking about taxes and bills. Try to make a point of not doing this by fully engaging in one task, and then completely switching over to another, while leaving the previous endeavor behind. “Slow yourself down during transitions, which have the tendency to be rushed. Make a point to pause and notice your surrounding after you first step out of your home, office, or car,” says Dawn Gilbert Ippoliti, an art therapist in New York City. “Maybe you even ask yourself ‘what do I see?’ ‘Is the sky blue’ or ‘how does the air feel on my skin?’ Is it cool, hot, or just right?’” Practicing mindfulness is a process. But it isn’t one that has to involve copious amounts of time. Learning to live in the moment, slow down, and single-task can be achieved by dedicating just a few minutes a day to practicing to focus on the here and now. “It’s these little moments that can really add up and make a huge difference,” says Johnson.

Try meditation to find more focus and be more present with the Headspace app, which offers members several courses and single meditations to help be less distracted, including:

• Appreciate the Moment meditation.

Step away from what's in the past of the future, and find a sense of appreciation for the present moment.

• Bring Yourself Back video.

Use this exercise to create more mental space from worrying about things that haven't happened yet.

• Dealing With Distractions course.

Create a calm environment.

• Finding Focus course.

Get familiar with a relaxed, precise kind of focus.

• Focus meditation.

Bring out the innate focus within you through a quick mindfulness exercise.

• Midday Check-In meditation.

Take this moment to check in with yourself, accepting whatever comes up.

• Managing Anxious Moments meditation.

Learn to be present with the feeling of stress and tension being released.

The benefit of learning how to live in the moment allows you to trust yourself, spend quality time with those you love, and find great joy in all of your experiences. If we can do this, then we will experience an increasing sense of confidence in being at ease with both comfort and discomfort, difficult and joy.