Mindfulness: Finding a Doorway Into the Present Moment

By Abigail Hunter, LCSW

How does one become more mindful? In a fast-paced, demanding world, it can feel almost impossible to slow down or make room for one more thing.

I like to think of mindfulness the same way you would entering any new space: through a doorway. Finding a doorway into the present moment, through which you begin slowing things down.

Start simply. Choose one task and slow it down. It may feel silly at first. Stay with yourself anyway. Notice what it feels like to focus a little longer than usual.

When we slow things down, we begin to notice what we may have otherwise overlooked while rushing or being preoccupied somewhere else entirely. Noticing creates awareness, a reference point, and often a sense of safety. We don’t get swept away as easily by fear or overwhelm. We can gently return to the present moment, and to the breath.

Mindfulness is really the practice of becoming more attuned to what is happening right here, right now, and the spaciousness that can exist within that moment.

Accessing that doorway inward can feel difficult when we are stretched to capacity: shoulders clenched, gripping the steering wheel, moving through traffic and through life on autopilot. That’s why we keep it simple and begin where we are.

It doesn’t have to look elaborate. It doesn’t require incense burning beside a scenic mountain view. It can be as simple as sitting in your car and slowing down your breath. Mindfulness can begin with becoming curious enough to follow one inhale and one exhale all the way through. Slow and steady.

One of my favorite grounding practices is also one I find accessible: turning on a song that signals warmth, comfort, or familiarity in your body. This is where mindfulness begins: not in perfection, but in paying attention.

Find a song that cradles you. One that gently gets your hips swaying without even realizing it.

Soothe yourself. Breathe.

Notice small ways your body wants to soften or move. Keep breathing.

Stay long enough to notice yourself unclenching in three spots: maybe in your jaw, your shoulders, or your hands. Stay until you recognize the feeling of arriving, unclenched.

Here, you may begin to discover something important: you can create calm in any moment.

Often, when we take a little more time, solutions and clarity reveal themselves in ways they couldn’t while we were rushing past them.

All it takes is a choice to step through the doorway, slowly, into the present moment, right here.