Yesterday I was reminded of the beauty of being present by a movie, 50 First Dates. For those who have not seen it, in the movie, the main female character played by Drew Barrymore has a memory problem. Her short-term memory is only good from the time she awakens until the time that she falls asleep. As a result, every day is a new day for her. Every day she wakes up and forgets about what happened yesterday. Of course, there is more to it in the movie, however, let's just focus on this aspect. How wonderful to just be in the present moment and to let go of the past. When we can learn to let go and be present, life takes on a new dimension.

Listen to Eckhart Tolle as he talks about letting go of the past. The following is a partial transcript: "…..and you get a sense of what life is like for the majority of people on our planet. What a heavy burden of past they carry around with them in their minds. The past lives in you as memories. But memories in themselves are not a problem. In fact, it is through memories that we learn from the past and from past mistakes. It is only when memories, that is to say, thoughts about the past, take you over completely that they turn in to a burden, turn problematic and become part of a sense of self. Your personality, which is conditioned by the past, then becomes your prison. Your memories are invested with a sense of self and your story becomes who you perceive yourself to be. This little me is an illusion......

A person who is experiencing anxiety has difficulty letting go of the past and/or difficulty letting go of worrying about the future. Either way the key to healing from anxiety is training your mind to stay present. This can be done with a regular meditation practice. Meditation is well established as a self-help mechanism for treating anxiety naturally.

The audio above is from Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club, Selection 61)