Today as I quieted myself and sat still, I looked around the room and felt myself in present time. I realized that right now nothing bad is happening and that what I've been doing as I fall into daydreaming of the past, is scaring myself. When I wake up into the present, I discover that no one is causing fear in me right at this moment, except me.

I then said to myself the words that have been said to me many times … "it's over" … I felt the completeness of that statement and a longer time/space between present reality and past events. I felt more physical space around me; room to maneuver in present time; breath came easier. 

I think we all need to be reminded, often, that we are in charge of our lives and bodies…on a deeper level than anyone other than us can be. Yet that only happens in the present moment . . . not in the past being brought to mind … not in an imagined future. That's a sleep state…a daydream. It's not true in the present. When we pause and look around us in reality right now, 99% of the time, nothing is going wrong; we're not actually afraid of what is going on around ourselves right now. From here we can make really good decisions for ourselves and act in ways that serve us. 

I am realizing that scaring myself with what could happen is not helpful, and being awake and present right now feels much more authentic, strong and helpful. 

We may feel the residual of the past in us, but we bring ourselves into our present reality and act from there. We must have ourselves firmly in the present in order for our actions to be empowered. Acting from the past has no leverage in the present. 

So when you find yourself in the past, or future, scaring the heck out of yourself, remember that's the dream state and it's not real. Look around your immediate vicinity and bring yourself back to present reality. Step into the next moment of your day from here.