Live life for today

Live life for today

Live life for today is an important concept that I’m going to write about today. I’m nearly 50 years old and it’s only in the past 18 months or so that I’ve began to think about life, how short it is, and how precious time is. Unfortunately, I came to the realisation that when suffering anxiety, I was ultimately throwing away time, and I hope this post helps you to appreciate life.

Firstly though, I want to introduce you to the art of Memento Mori as the message is still very much relevant.

Memento Mori – Remember that YOU will die

Live life for today
Memento Mori headstone photographed by Amanda Norman

I’m not being morbid, but from the 14th to the 18th centuries, Memento Mori was a common feature on headstones. The purpose of this was to remind the living to live life for today as tomorrow it could be over, no matter what your status was in life.

These days, the art of Memento Mori and therefore a very important message, is no longer in our faces. In fact, a lot of people won’t talk about death, but I now realise how important this message is.

Personally, I feel like I’ve gone full circle with my self-development.

I’ve always had a love of Gothic horror and part of this is my fascination of taking emotive photographs of graveyards. I love capturing the wonderful headstones that feature the phrase Memento Mori. When I first began, I never appreciated the message to live life for today, even though it was right in my face!

Live life for today
Live life for today

Live Life for Today!

It’s vital that we all live for today and experience the present moment. If you do so, you can manage your anxiety.

How I hear you ask?

When you’re suffering from anxiety, you are spending the majority of your time NOT being in the present moment.  You’re either thinking of the past or thinking about the future and you’re not in a positive frame of mind. More than likely, your emotional state is negative causing you to waste precious time and energy. You have strayed away from the present moment as that thought flickered into your mind. You jumped on it to create a soap opera that in turn created a whole host of negative emotions.

It’s time to step off the drama roundabout and bring yourself back to the present moment. Please refer to my A-Z of Meditation and Mindfulness that details my personal journey and the strategies that have helped me to turn my life around. Hopefully there will be some tips to help you.

Please note that I don’t have any qualifications to manage your mental health and I can only offer you general advice from my own experiences. Please consult your GP if you’re struggling with your mental health as they will get you the help you need.