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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Lifestyle
Eleanor Gordon-Smith

I long to carpe diem! How can I be more present?

Eleanor GordonSmith
A woman with sewing on her lap looks out a window
‘Presence doesn’t have to look like meditation … it can just be a calm appreciation of whatever you cherish,’ Eleanor Gordon-Smith writes. Painting: A Young Farmer’s Wife at the Living Room Window by Ludwig Vollmar, 1884 Illustration: Alamy

I long to carpe diem! I have a busy life, a loving partner and good friends but, despite looking forward to holidays or events, when I am in them I feel unable to relax and enjoy.

I constantly think about work or my daughter or my elderly mum or, most dully, my pension. I know people notice. And it’s not just an obvious checking of my phone, I feel it’s a vacantness behind the eyes. How can I be more present?

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