How To Let Go Of The Past, Stop Worrying About The Future & Start Living In The Moment

We're taught at a young age that we should have our lives already mapped out. As a kid, you're asked a million times, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" and as an adult, you're bombarded with "when are you getting married?" and we start wondering to ourselves how to be happy with now.

According to society, your career goals should be reached and you should be married with kids all at a certain age. What we all need to remember is that everyone is different. Life shouldn't be looked at as a competition because we all move at our own speed.

Everything will happen for you in due time, which is why it's so important to learn to enjoy everyday.

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Time is so precious because we don't have forever. Life is meant to be lived! It's not meant for us to sit around worrying about things that may or may not happen 10 years from now! I have news for you: things almost never go according to plan anyway, so why worry about it so much? 

The universe is going to do what the universe wants to do, so sometimes it's better to just let it all go and ride the wave. You'll find that your days become so much more memorable when you start to live in the moment. 

Living in the moment is something we all struggle with, especially in this day in age with all the electronic devices at our disposal, but it's something we should all master. 

It's true, you're only young once, so make the most of it! Here are some tips that will help you learn how to live your days to the fullest! 

1. Put the phone down (seriously.)

Putting away your cell phone is a simple yet hard task for most of us. We're so used to being plugged in on what's going on in our digital worlds that we forget to pay attention to what's happening in the moment.

We spend so much time looking down at our screens and it's not only bad for your posture, but bad for your well being.

As obvious as this sounds, it's true: when you're looking down, you're not looking up. When you're not looking up, you're not really here.

Take your eyes off the phone and start admiring the exciting world around you. If this is hard for you, start slowly. For example, try just going one hour without checking your phone and put it on silent so you're not tempted to check a text when you hear your phone ring. 

2. Delete your social media accounts (gasp!)

Thanks to the creation of social media, we've become invested in the lives of others. So invested, that many people forget to live their own lives.

Studies show that social media use is correlated with depression, and it's become an unhealthy obsession for some, especially young teens. People get jealous or may feel like their lives aren't as fullfilled because of what they see on social media platforms like Instagram. Celebrities and social media influencers are payed to put out exciting content, such as travel photos and delcious meals.

What we need to remember, is that nothing is ever as it seems. Pictures can be altered and photoshopped, and people put on a show for their followers.

Instead of worrying about how much fun it looks like you're having in your social media photos, delete the apps off your phone and go actually have fun! 

You'll only see a positive outcome from going on a social media cleanse because instead of swiping and double tapping, you'll be going out and living. 

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3. Learn to meditate.

Meditation will not only calm you down, but it will also teach you how to live in the moment. Meditating trains your mind, body and soul to just be. Be where you are in this moment and don't think about anything else.

You'll gain a new appreciation for the earth and you'll start to feel more grounded and connected to it.

Meditation helped me through stressful situations immensly. I felt stuck because of my routine. It felt like I was living the same day over and over again, so I decided to switch things up by listening to different guided meditations on my phone daily. I saw a big difference in myself when I started meditating on a daily basis. I felt more calm and it got easier to let go of my stresses of the future.

Try it and I'm sure you'll see a big difference in yourself too! 

4. Take less pictures.

I'm definitely guilty of this one! Me and my friends take way too many pictures! Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have photos to look back on, but it's unnecessary to take too many meaningless photos.

For example, when my friends and I go out, they'll take videos of places we go to and they'll even take pictures of their food. Why is it that we can't enjoy a meal without getting a picture of it first? I feel like part of the reason is a fear of missing out (major FOMO). It's almost like there's this unspoken pressure to remeber everything that happened, so some people literally take a picture of everything. Maybe we feel like, the more pictures we have, the more memories we made — but that's not true.

This happens a lot at concerts too. Instead of enjoying the show, all you see is cellphones in the air recording the whole concert. I've even watched people take videos the whole time they're on a Disney ride that they waited an hour or more to get on. That's no way to live!

Stop viewing the world through an iphone camera and start experiencing it through your own eyes. You'll remeber more than you will by scrolling through hundreds of photos that you'll never print out off your phone. 

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Lauren Margolis is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture and relationship topics.