Being mindful is, at its core, about being present. And being present supports my physical, emotional, and mental health. It draws my energy back from the past and the future, restoring it to where it belongs here, now. Presence isn’t some lofty achievement. It’s simple. And perhaps that’s why it feels so hard. We’re conditioned to believe that anything truly valuable must come with a price tag, a struggle, or a long uphill climb.

But the present moment isn’t hiding. It’s not something to chase. It’s free to access, and I can stay in it for as long as I choose. Being present simply means training my attention to remain where I want it to be.

Long-term absence from the present? It takes a toll.

Yearning for presence becomes a paradox. The more I crave it, the more I reinforce its distance. Craving, regretting, complaining—none of these live in the now. Even lamenting my lack of presence is, in itself, a departure from presence.

Whenever I start chasing the present moment—striving, seeking, grasping—I place it ahead of me or behind me, rather than inside this breath. Scolding myself for not being present only reactivates the past. Searching for presence removes me from it.

I can tell when I’m not present.

• If I dwell on past hurts and do nothing to heal them
• If I worry about the future without taking clear action
• If I try to control what’s uncontrollable, rather than managing my response
• If I overreach beyond my sphere of appropriate influence
• If I attempt to bend people or outcomes to my will

When I’m not present, unease follows. Headaches, stomach tension, poor coordination—these are my body’s alerts. I’ve injured myself simply by being distracted while moving. Sleeplessness often creeps in. And if I stay dislocated from the now for too long, pressure builds. Stress increases. My immune system weakens. Prolonged absence from presence has a cost, and it’s my well-being.

Realising I’m not present is the first opening. That’s where mindfulness steps in. It gathers my energy and attention and anchors them to this moment. For me, mindfulness deepens when I pair it with what I call energy work—the conscious act of drawing my attention back to where I am, to what I’m doing, sensing, thinking, and feeling right now. That is mindfulness. That is presence.

Then I take it further. I deliberately withdraw my attention from anything—person, place, event, or memory—that doesn’t serve. I also unhook from worries about the future. By re-investing my attention into the here and now, I re-energise myself. This takes repetition. I have to keep calling my attention home until it starts to stay there. And the more present I become, the more effectively I respond to whatever life brings.

Alongside mindfulness, there are other doorways into the now:

• Being careful.
• Being thoughtful.
• Being useful.

Each one is like a gentle hand on the shoulder, guiding me back