 When Diane Van Deren was in her 20s, the epilepsy that she experienced as a child came back with a vengeance. Though she tried various treatments and interventions, she found only one thing stopped the seizures. Running. Whenever she felt the sense that a seizure was coming on, she'd lace up her shoes and take off for a long-distance run through the national park near her house. At 37, Diane had brain surgery to remove a golf ball-sized portion of her brain, which left her entirely seizure-free. However, it came with a strange side effect. She no longer has any short-term memory. It causes struggles in her daily life and it makes it difficult for her to follow trails, but there's an upside. In distance running, where obstacles are both physiological and psychological, having no short-term memory is a gift. It's better than big lungs or strong calves. Because she has always focused on the present moment. Diane is never dragged down by the thoughts about where she is, how far she's come, or where she's going. She can run farther and longer than anyone else because she has a superpower that very few have. She's always focused on the present moment. Be where your feet are. It's so simple yet increasingly difficult in our modern world and it is the first step to reducing stress in your life. This is becoming increasingly more challenging, giving the constant bombardment of distractions we face nearly every moment of every day. If I had to pick one fundamental strategy to help manage stress, it's to live in the present moment. Even if the present moment is stressful, A, you'll be able to handle it better when you focus on it, and B, there's only so much stress one present moment can offer. Stop getting upset over events from your past and getting anxious about a future that hasn't happened yet and may not happen at all. That's time travel and it actually increases stress. Stay where you can have an impact, right here, right now.