
The Concept
Eckhart Tolle's book, The Power of Now is clearly touted as "A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment", drawing on spiritual beliefs like Zen, Buddhism and even Christianity that impart the same core message of staying present. It encourages readers to embrace the present moment, where peace and enlightenment can be found. Tolle explains that we are often prisoners of our thoughts, either ruminating about the past or worrying about the future, both of which lead to stress and anxiety. He presents that we can conquer our ego and achieve a higher awareness by observing the present moment and stilling our persistent internal dialogue (or overthinking), which Tolle calls "a dreadful affliction".
"THE POWER OF NOW"Â CAN TRANSFORM YOUR THINKING. THE RESULT? MORE JOY, RIGHT NOW." (Oprah Winfrey)Â

The above quote from Oprah Winfrey appears on the cover of the 2005 edition I purchased in 2007 (though the book was first published in 1999). I loaned it to some people over the last seventeen years and reread it for this week's post. It's pretty tattered now, with yellowed pages and marked-up, probably more than any other book I have worked through. For good reason, though, The Power of Now has a lot of wisdom in it.
Though I wouldn't describe the work as esoteric, it's a complex text that touches on deep psychological and spiritual themes. To avoid getting into multiple posts, I will cover it in broad strokes, focusing only on the core mindfulness aspect of the book, which is why I singled out the Oprah Winfrey quote above.
While I love the spiritual aspects of the book, I am going to relate the concepts to my choice to use mindfulness as a means to confront anxiety and depression. As much as it is about spiritual enlightenment, The Power Of Now sits firmly in the self-help space, topping The Mindful Steward's list of the Best Mindfulness Books You Definitely Need To Read. This said, I think a book that deals with mindfulness is an excellent follow-up to one that deals with CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), which last week's book does. So, considering both methods, can I use thought to shift from depression to happiness, anxiety to peace? Is it possible to transform into a state of joy by changing how I think? Eckhart Tolle's book suggests that I can.
Once again, the similarities inherent in the best self-help books will become evident.
The Message Is (Almost) Always The Same
In my Spoiler Alert post on Dr Joe Dispenza's Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, I cited his reference to the "observer effect", the idea that observing a phenomenon or situation changes it.
"At the subatomic level, energy responds to your mindful attention and becomes matter." (Dr Joe Dispenza)
Eckhart Tolle refers to this slightly differently. He calls it "watching the thinker" or being mindful of your thoughts. He writes:
"Once you have understood the basic principle of being present as the watcher of what happens inside you - and you "understand" it by experiencing it - you have at your disposal the most potent transformational tool."

Time is a massive focus of The Power of Now, with the author suggesting that any identification with the mind (or our ego) traps us in time. He writes that we "live almost exclusively through memory or anticipation. This creates an endless preoccupation with past and future and an unwillingness to honor and acknowledge the present moment...". Now, if only I had a quote that perfectly encapsulates how this impacts our mental health. Oh, that's right, I do.
"If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present." (unknown)
Tolle writes that our compulsive habit of living in the past or future is because we identify with the past and think that the future may offer something different or better. He states firmly that in terms of both the past and the future, "Both are illusions", and the 'now' is all there is.
What I love about the self-help books I have covered so far is their connectedness. As much as I knew that I would cover The Power Of Now after last week's The Book Of Overthinking by Gwendoline Smith, I knew while rereading Tolle's book that I would reference Smith's.
Gwendoline Smith's use of the words "worry" and "rumination" (and their associated feelings) in relation to depression and anxiety is spot on, but the following quote from The Power of Now added an eye-opening dimension to it.
"Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry - all forms of fear - are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence."
The author challenges his readers to focus on the 'now' and then asks what problems exist at that moment. He maintains that by shifting our focus to the present moment, we can transcend the compulsion to either ruminate on the past or worry about the future and achieve a sense of calm and contentment.
The thing is, it is incredibly difficult. Even after years of exposure to self-help literature, meditation, therapy and countless positivity pages on social media, my journey is just beginning. From a personal perspective, I think the answers lie in Dr Joe Dispenza's Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself and Eckhart Tolle's The Power Of Now. Dr Dispenza wrote, "If you want a new outcome, you will have to break the habit of being yourself, and reinvent a new self." A synonym for the word "self" is "identity", and Eckhart Tolle writes:
"As long as you make an identity for yourself out of pain, you cannot become free of it. As long as part of your sense of self is invested in your emotional pain, you will unconsciously resist or sabotage every attempt you make to heal that pain."
I have an almost desperate need for mindfulness to work for me. I want to access that other version of myself that Dr Dispenza says is there if I can only break the habit of being myself - the current version of me: the overthinker who ruminates on the past or worries about the future. To quote my favourite TV series of all time, "I Want To Believe".

I was going to include this image in last week's post about The Book Of Overthinking. I liked the structure of Gwendoline Smith's book. She encourages the reader to take a break at specific points, encouraging them to return for another 'session'. This was well-suited to the book's purpose: to remind the reader that you don't have to take so much in. The approach reminded me of The Power of Now because Eckhart Tolle uses a 'pause symbol' in his book. It provides the reader with an opportunity to reflect, not only on the text but on the 'now'. I liked this so much that I had it tattooed on my wrist as a reminder of Tolle's intent: to be present and allow your whole being to experience that single, perfect moment. Over the years, I have looked at my tattoo and thought how superficial it is without faithful practice. Two months into my self-help journey and one month after my commitment to a twelve-week challenge, I am reminded of the purpose of this blog and the import of its meaning to me. By year's end, I want to confidently say that I have at least one foot in the 'Now'.

The Power Of Now inspired my social media pages. These platforms provide another outlet for sharing insights from my blog posts and other mindfulness and self-help content to support and inspire. Please head over to Presenceiatn on Facebook or presenceiatn on Instagram if you'd like to see more.
FOOTNOTE: Atomic Habit 4

Over the last month, I have avoided buying anything I don't need. Until I started to delve into this self-help journey, I wasn't aware that compulsive buying could be linked to depression (and suddenly, the term 'retail therapy' makes sense). The PsychCentral article Depression Shopping: Why Retail Therapy Does Not Heal, offers a lot of insight into this. Compulsive shopping is a coping mechanism. It offers temporary pleasure and reward, a burst of dopamine, which is not sustainable. I want better, longer-lasting coping mechanisms.
#MentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #Mindfulness #Anxiety #Depression #Wellness #ThereIsNoStigma #ThePowerOfNow #EckhartTolle #DrJoeDispenza #BreakingTheHabitOfBeingYourself
The Power Of Now is available to purchase at the link below.
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