Mind-FULL Versus Mindful

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by your own thoughts? Worried all the time about things that aren’t under your control? Unable to enjoy the moment, because although you’re physically present…mentally you’re not?

Do you tend to get so focused on a goal that you want to achieve that you lose touch with what you are doing right now to get there? Do you rush through activities without being really attentive, to the point that you never quite reach your goal? Do you feel like you’re living life on auto-pilot – just existing and reacting to your surroundings? Like you’re not really living life…

Well, that was how I felt for such a long time. But last year was the worst – I felt I was drowning in a sea of disarray. Suffocating. I realized that I was so unhappy with myself and practically everything around me. I had been struggling with juggling my work, studies, family and social life – trying to create a balance. But failing miserably at this act. I had been suffering from severe anxiety. Fortunately, a dear friend and brilliant psychologist introduced the concept of ‘mindfulness’ to me. She guided me to great resources to look into it. Keep in mind, I am in no way an expert in this field – in fact I’m still just exploring it. With that said, in the past couple of months, I’ve tried to incorporate mindfulness practice into my daily life and I’ve noticed tremendous improvement in my overall mental health and happiness.

I actually heard about mindfulness a while back before I started to formally explore it. However, I hadn’t taken it too seriously because I had viewed it as this hippie “peace & love” trend sweeping the world like a popular viral meme on the internet. So, being the very “scientific” or “evidence-based” kind of person I am, I ignored it. (Pretty ignorant of me, I know.) But it still kept popping up everywhere. When I finally started reading about it and studying the field, I was fascinated by the amount of scientific backing it already had. It truly gave me a different perspective on mental health and life in general.

In this modern day world of ever advancing science and technology, it’s easy to get caught up in the bombardment of stresses from every aspect of our busy lives. We end up neglecting our own mental health and wellbeing. Significant stress and poor coping mechanisms can lead to many issues like anxiety, depression, and even physical ailments like pain disorders.

What is mindfulness?

Jon Kabat-Zinn, one of the pioneers in modern practice, describes ‘mindfulness” as the non-judgemental awareness, a direct knowing of what’s going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment.

In contrast to my primary notions, mindfulness is not just some new hippie trend – it actually dates back to ancient times. Formal mindfulness practices include meditation, yoga, and Tai Chi. At first, mindfulness can seem like a vague concept. But practicing mindfulness is basically the act of concentrating on your breathing, being aware of your breath and what’s going on around you in the present moment. The more you do it, the more the simplicity of it becomes evident and its benefits immeasurable. It lightens the mind and the spirit. Practicing mindfulness, creating a mental environment that is pleasant and peaceful, is conducive to clarity of thought. One of the most instant mood changers and calming exercises is simply to take a deep breath. It’s free, its instantly available and gets oxygen to your brain.

It's known that physical training makes our body stronger, fitter and more flexible. Neuroscience research has shown that mindfulness training promotes the inherent capacities of the mind to be present, step out of automatic pilot and create a space so we can be clearer, calmer, more focused, more creative, even more compassionate. By practicing awareness each day and exercising that muscle of attention, it can gradually become part of a new way of life.

Mindfulness and all its benefits will not become apparent until you’ve really engaged with it. And like everything, it gets better with practice. Even the first time you do the simple breathing technique, the result is immediate. It will empower and encourage you to take another step and then another, until you are being mindful in other activities.

Personally, I feel like my spark has returned. I’ve found new enjoyment in simple activities again. I feel more relaxed yet mentally more alert and enthusiastic. My relationships and communications with people have changed. Mindfulness has improved and brightened my whole life and outlook.

Mindfulness helps you:

·      See with greater clarity how to approach your moment-by-moment experience skillfully

·      Take more pleasure in the good things that often go unnoticed or unappreciated

·      Deal more effectively with the difficulties you encounter, both real and imagined.

·      Become aware of the workings of your mind

·      Get in touch with a different way of knowing yourself and the world

·      Notice small beauties and pleasures in the world around you, instead of living in your head

·      Be kind to yourself instead of wishing things were different all the time, or driving yourself to meet impossible goals

·      Accept yourself as you are, rather than judging yourself all the time

·      Avoid negative and harmful emotions

·      Cultivate happiness

When you are mindful, you become a relaxed witness to your inner life, and you are freed from being constantly affected by all your judgements about the world and everything that taking place within it. You consciously observe your thoughts and feelings, rather than allowing yourself to swim around in them. The moment you become aware and conscious in this way, you are living in the moment, and not on autopilot. At first this feels like you are creating a sense of space within yourself. With time and practice it opens up a whole new dimension of freedom, relaxation and stillness. Mindfulness has truly been life changing for me. I believe it would be incredibly selfish of me to not share this with you. I highly encourage you to (always) be curious and look into it further for yourself.

“Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.” 
-William James