How would you live if there was no tomorrow but only today?
A popular hymn gives this advice:
Today while the sun shines, work with a will
Today all your duties fulfill
Today, today work with a will
There is no tomorrow but only today.
The phrase, only today, describes a skill called “present moment orientation.” Using this tool, you are in the moment of NOW, instead of living in the future or the “Land of What If?”
In the “Land of What If” you are always thinking about the worst possible future outcome of any situation. What if I fail my test? What if I never marry? What if my child dies in an accident? What if my team loses? The “What Ifs” always produce anxiety and usually there is very little evidence your worst fears will happen.
Anxiety occurs when you look to into your tomorrows before they arrive. It is looking at the future and borrowing trouble. Unless you are in an Armageddon or extreme crisis, which is unlikely, you can control your life in the present, minute by minute. Avoid thoughts of the future which is largely uncontrollable and daunting.
Allan Houston
When you are fully in the present moment, without any distractions, you are completely absorbed. Activities such as playing the piano or playing sports require this skill. You can’t get very far ahead in the music, or you lose your place. While kicking a field goal, you can’t think about missing the football or you will likely miss.
Allan Houston, a professional shooting guard (1993-2005) who made the NBA All-Star Team twice and won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. men’s basketball team at the 2000 Summer Olympics once said, “I have done enough reps, (repetition) I don’t think about anything when shooting free throws. I am in the Zen.” (Zen is a Chinese word which comes from a Sanskrit root and means “thought”, “absorption,” or “mediation.”)
Practice staying in the present or Zen by “grounding” yourself. This simple exercise will ground you. Notice in your surroundings, name them out loud and then count backwards. For example, “I see a picture- 5, I see carpet- 4, I see a couch -3, I see a desk- 2, I see a vase-1.” Take a deep breath and you will be present.
A temperature change will also work to keep you present. Try holding ice cubes in your hands or taking a cold shower. A local club is organized for sharing the experience of jumping together into ice cold rivers or lakes just to achieve mood shifts. Sound crazy? More on the concept here.
My wise Aunt Beulah, who survived the Japanese prison camps in the Philippians of WWII, was a tremendous example of coping with extreme stress. At the end of the war, while the Americans were trying to recapture the islands, there was heavy bombing. As the airplanes were overhead and dropping their artillery, Beulah taught her two young boys how to stay calm. Her son, Lee, wrote, “We hid under the mattress pads, prayed, sang and listened to stories. It was under the bed that mother told us about our country and our family and taught us to sing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” and the “Star Spangled Banner.”
(Singing, praying and telling stories are all good activities to keep you in the present moment.)
After the war, Aunt Beulah would offer this practice advice, “If it won’t matter in a year, don’t worry about it now.” My youthful trials didn’t include surviving the war, but I took her advice. If something didn’t matter in my immediate life, I let it go. For example, I told myself a prom date wouldn’t matter to me a year from now so I didn’t worry about it now.
My aunt was describing the “manna principle.” 
Manna was the food God provided for the children of Israel while they wandered in the wilderness. In the Bible, the book of Numbers describes the Israelites grounding manna into a flour and baking it like a cake. Exodus states that raw manna tasted like wafers that had been made with honey. Manna was provided free but there was a catch, it had to be eaten in a day.
Stored manna “bred worms and stank”, the exception being that stored the day before the Sabbath Day when twice the amount was gather in preparation for the day of rest. (Exodus 16:23–24) Manna had to be eaten in the moment or it would not last.
The manna principle is helpful as we travel through our personal wilderness and difficulties.
Corrie ten Boom summed it up perfectly when she said, “Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength—carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows; it empties day of its strength.
For stress management and peace of mind, “live for only today”, is a good mantra.
CAMILLE CURTIS FOSTER LCSW
Additional Posts on Anxiety:
Don’t Hit The Trees–Look For The Spaces; Rethinking Anxiety
17 Tips On Dealing With Anxiety
Mom Was Right, Manage Stress By Staying Outside
Additional Reading;
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment is a book by Eckhart Tolle
Katy Perry wrote her song, “This Moment” after reading the Tolle’s book.
“Today, Today” hymn by Evan Stephens, words from poet Luella Clark (1832-1915) * In 1985, Clark’s poem’s wording was changed. Instead of reading, “there is no tomorrow but only today, it says, “prepare for tomorrow by working today.” A slight shift in meaning, but I like the original words and intent so I am using the old version. I think Luella agrees with me.
Allen Houston quote from Travis Hansen, BYU Sports Nation 2/23
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