Navigating the present: The importance of the experiencing self in your life

The experiencing self is a term used in psychology to refer to the part of you directly experiencing the present moment. It focuses on the sensations, feelings, and thoughts occurring moment by moment. It does not bother with memories of the past or expectations of the future. The experiencing self is happy when you do activities that give instant pleasure. It prioritizes short-term joy over long-term satisfaction. Unsurprisingly, the experiencing self can often sabotage your future happiness. For example, it will choose to spend one more hour watching TV at night even if it means you will feel sleepy and tired tomorrow morning. It does not care about the future. It leaves such concerns to the remembering self, which is responsible for the overall narrative of your life. Some people argue that you should not focus on making the experiencing self happy. Instead of chasing fleeting pleasures, you should do the things that give you long-term joy. In this view, a person should always delay present happiness for future satisfaction when possible. They should place the experiencing self in the back seat of their lives. However, it is still in your best interest to care about the enjoyment your experiencing self gets. After all, the only moment you repeatedly experience in this life is the present. Now is all you have. And if you are not happy now, when will you be?