The Wisdom of Ferris Bueller: Learning to Live in the Moment

In the immortal words of Ferris Bruller, “life can move pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while you could miss it.”  These insightful words seem ever more prevalent in our fast-paced, distraction-filled world.   So often our attention seems fixed on anything but what is happening right now.  Instead, we worry anxiously about what might happen in the future, emotionally relive the past, or get lost in the mental nether world made up of such things as daydreaming, surfing the net, or mindlessly scrolling through Facebook posts.  In fact, one study by psychologists at Harvard University found people spent 46.7% of their time, yes, half of their time, thinking about something other than what they were actually doing.  

Unfortunately, not living in the moment can be a real downer. The same Harvard study found people were less happy when their minds wandered, even if they were daydreaming about something pleasant.  Science is also showing that living in the moment can be beneficial to one’s physical health as well.   For example, studies have found that people who pay attention to their food while eating tend to consume less calories.  

So, what is a distracted person to do?  Luckily, being able to stop, look around and experience the present moment is really a skill that one can learn with a bit of practice.  Here are some exercises that can help you get your head out of the clouds and into the present moment: 

• Look around the room and slowly name the things you see.

• Use all your senses while consciously doing a normal everyday activity, such as washing your hands or taking a bite of food.  For example, you might notice what you’re eating smells like, what it feels like to chew, and of course, what the food tastes like. 

• Take an everyday object such as a pen or your keys, and really look at it.  What shape is it?  What colour?  Pick it up and observe what it feels like to touch the object and the weight of holding it in your hand.

• Set a “Ferris reminder” alarm.  Program your phone to go off at some point during the day.  When it does, stop, look around, and notice your surroundings, including what you are doing, and sensing.  Note in particular what you hear, see, smell, and even taste in that moment.

• Take a breath and pay attention to what it feels like to take air into the body and then push it out.  Do this for a few breaths, noting in particular the path the air takes as it goes in through your nose, down your throat, into your lungs, and then out again.

So this week, try to remember to think like Ferris and take a moment to enjoy the moment, no matter how big or small it might be.