While I was browsing content on the social network Instagram one day, a video caught my attention.
"There's a version of you, 10 years from now, begging you to enjoy this moment a little more," the text on the screen read.
It reminded me of something many of us struggle with – living in the present moment.
This practice, known as mindfulness, encourages people to focus their attention on their thoughts, feelings, and surroundings at a particular moment.
Although it often seems like our lives are getting busier, experts emphasize that mindful presence should not be considered a luxury, but rather something necessary for maintaining mental health.
'I didn't realize I was living my best years'
"I spent years trying to be better and I forgot that I was actually already good," says Zeyna, a 37-year-old fitness trainer from Amman, the capital of Jordan.
She says that in her twenties she was obsessed with her appearance and body weight and that she always felt like she wasn't perfect.
But today, when she looks at her old photos, she realizes that she was too hard on herself.
Raed, who previously worked as a computer engineer, says losing his job changed his outlook on life.
"I always complained about the pressure at work and I wanted to change it."
"Now that I've lost him, I miss every detail of those days, even the morning traffic jams," he told the BBC.
The monthly salary provided him with mental and financial stability and allowed him to provide a better life for his family.
"I didn't realize I was living the best years of my life."
Ahmed, a father of two in his mid-forties, wanted his children to grow up quickly so he could have more time for himself.
But when they became teenagers, his attitude completely changed.
"I used to get so fed up with their yelling, constant questions, and the chaos they created in the house," Ahmed says.
"Now I miss those days when they were little, their voices and random conversations."
"I realized too late that this chaos was the most beautiful thing in my life."
Why do we ignore the present moment?
The stories of Zekna, Raed, and Ahmed show how many people only realize the value of moments over time, but only when they are gone.
"From a psychological and neurological point of view, people are naturally prone to what is known as 'mental travel,' which means that for a large part of their waking time they move between past events and expectations for the future," explains Dr. Nawaf Al-Rifai, a psychologist at the Medical Consulting Center in Irbid, Jordan.
This process is linked to regions of the brain known as the 'default mode network' which are responsible for deliberation and planning.
However, for some people it becomes a constant source of distraction.
Al-Rifai says that those who have trouble being in the present moment are not inattentive, but "overly cognitively preoccupied," believing that by thinking intensely they will find a solution.
In reality, it takes them away from feeling satisfied or productive, he says.
Where does conscious presence come from?
The practice of mindfulness stems from meditation techniques used in the Buddhist tradition and is one of the basic steps on the path to enlightenment.
Scientists began investigating the medical benefits of this technique in the 1960s for treating pain and mental illness.
One of the pioneers in this field was American professor Jon Kabat-Zinn.
In 1979, he founded a mindfulness-based stress reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the United States.
During an eight-week program, Kabat-Zinn asked patients with chronic pain to practice basic mindfulness techniques.
He found that being aware of the present moment, without judgment or overthinking, helps people cope effectively with everyday pressures, which has a positive impact on their psychological well-being.
He published the findings of his research in medical journals and books, thus promoting this practice in the wider medical community.
Today, mindfulness is used as a therapeutic technique in clinical settings.
The invisible race of comparison
At a time when social networks are increasingly penetrating our daily lives, comparing ourselves to others no longer requires much effort, as all it takes is a swipe of the screen.
Safa Al-Ramahi, an investigative journalist and media skills trainer, says users can easily fall into an algorithm that shows them a distorted picture of reality - from unrealistic bodies to lavish vacations.
"All of this gradually reprograms our consciousness, making it seem like everyone else is living a perfect life, and we're the only ones who are ordinary, backward, and imperfect," she explains.
Psychologist Al-Rifai says that such content encourages so-called upward social comparison, when people compare their own reality with selected and filtered moments from the lives of others who they perceive as superior or better than themselves.
This activates parts of the brain associated with social pain and feelings of inadequacy.
"In [therapy] sessions, we teach people to stop obsessively checking their phone notifications and to become aware, not eliminate, the desire to compare," he says.
"The point is not to fight the mind, but to teach it to be guided."
"Review your digital environment: Who are you following? Who is enriching you?"
What can we do?
Al-Rifai says there are many simple exercises that can help people anchor themselves in the present moment.
"Start with the smallest possible task," he recommends.
He advises patients to try to focus on one single thing for five minutes, for example, drinking a cup of coffee.
"Pay attention to the temperature in your hand, the taste, the smell of the coffee.
"Walk and don't think, but watch the movements of your feet."
"That's what we call focusing attention on one thing."
Another exercise, known as the 'five senses game', looks like this:
- Describe five things you see at this moment.
- Focus on the four sounds you hear.
- Pay attention to three things you touch
- Feel two scents
- Pay attention to the current taste in your mouth.
"The scientific trick here is to shift attention from the anxious brain to the feeling brain, where true presence lies," explains Al-Rifai.
"Remember that your nervous system is not designed for constant performance, but for a rhythm of work and rest."
"Never forget that you are a human being."
BBC is in Serbian from now on and on YouTube, follow us HERE.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube i Viber. If you have a topic proposal for us, contact us at bbcnasrpskom@bbc.co.uk
- The world is getting warmer - here's how it affects our brains
- Self-harm: A cry for help that is hard to hear
- Why young men have mental health problems and don't seek help
- How we really make decisions
- What is anxiety and how to fight it?
- Why failure can be a good thing
Bonus video:
