Introduction
During our workout session at the workplace, I engaged my work colleagues in a funny conversation. I usually love cracking jokes to keep the session interesting. This time round there is this one colleague of mine I usually joke about that seemed more quiet than usual. I tried engaging my colleague by cracking jokes desiring that he would smile and keep the conversation going but it was all in vain. I felt concerned and asked my colleague why he was too quiet and wasn’t happy. And finally, he broke the silence by saying “Leave me alone, I have my problems”. So jokingly I asked, is it money? Did your girlfriend turn you down? Did you in pregnant someone? Are you thinking of stealing? Excetera. All my questions were intended to make my colleague lively and engage throughout the work session. Gladly, he picked up and started engaging in the conversation.
While the jokes kept flowing, I thought about the statement that my colleague had said. Quietly I asked myself, “who on earth doesn’t have problems?” “Is there anyone who is okay in all aspects of life, with everything moving on smoothly?” And of course, the instant answer was that it is unlikely that there is no person in this world without problems though these may be in varying degrees. I got curious and asked again. “If it is so that everyone has problems; what differentiate those who claim to have many problems and display them from those choose who cover up their problems and decide to live in a moment.” That is when I was drawn to the fact that it is “mindfulness”. People that claim problems always have their mind “full” and people who do not display their problems are mindful people. Let us see the difference.
The Difference Between “Mind Full” and “Mindful”
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Mind Full
A mind “full” is mental a state characterized by an excessive or overwhelming amount of thought, worry, or distraction. When your mind is full, it can make it hard for you to focus on what you’re doing, cause your attention to wander, and cause you to feel overwhelmed and anxious. Look at the photo above. Do you notice where the mind of the mind full gentleman is?
This gentleman instead of focusing on what is happening around him in the present, his mind is wondering over the future. He is worried about time moving so fast, worried about whether he would be able to accumulate wealth and attain materialistic items like a car. His mind is wondering if he will get a wife. If this wife won’t break his heart or reject him etcetera. Being in this state increases your stress levels, decreases your focus and productivity, making you unable to concentrate. It denies you the ability to make clear and rational decisions. Gives rise to poor quality sleep, diminishes your sense of well-being and life satisfaction.
A mind that is full can put your relationships at stake as people unlikely want to be around negative energy. Due to the constant busyness of your mind, this state can lead to mental fatigue and burnout. It becomes difficult for you to relax, even if you are engaging in leisure activities because the mind will be at tension and restlessness. And it can put a hindrance creative thinking and problem solving because these skills need a mental space and the ability to think beyond temporary worries.
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Mindful
Mindfulness, on the other hand, is a state of being aware and present. When you’re mindful, you’re fully present in the moment, paying attention to your thoughts and feelings, your body sensations, and the world around you. By being present you observe your experiences without feeling attached or being judgmental and distracted.
Being in this state clears your mind, improves mental clarity, lowers stress levels, and improves overall well-being. It leads to increased compassion to yourself and others, can boast your ability to bounce back from adversity and cope with challenging situations making you more resilient in the face of up and downs of life. This state improves your physical and mental well-being, it leads to better management of chronic pain because as you concentrate on the present you will experience reduced suffering. Practicing mindfulness improves the quality of your sleep, boosts your creativity and problem-solving skills by allowing for more open and imaginative thinking. Being mindful promotes self-reflection and self-awareness, practices that help you gain a deeper understanding of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Reflecting on myself in the past
I used to be a very “mind full” person with my “thoughts all over the place”. By thoughts all over the place I mean that I possessed a disorganized thinking, my thoughts were always scattered and most of the time I was unfocused. My mind was always in a state of disarray flowing with different ideas; mostly the bad ones, worries, and distractions. Due to the busyness of my mind, I could never concentrate or think clearly and lived in a state of chaos fighting mental battles I could not win. My situation was so alarming that I wanted to consult a mental doctor about my life, but I had no money for consultation.
What I did in January 2020, was to assume that I had visited the doctor and I wrote down the words I would tell him. I wrote down a heading that said, “Consultation with a Doctor about my health (Emotional and Mental Torture). Having gone back to my diary, I found out that I organized my conversation starting with a question; “How is my life standing?” My answer was it is sorrowful and lacks joy. The next question was, why? And here I wrote down my childhood experiences and family medical history. From there I listed all the illnesses I had ever experienced. As I reviewed my content, I was surprised that among the illnesses I wrote about was the lack of peace and joy inclusive. After the illnesses I said, the reason I have come to the hospital today is to learn more about my health. I said:
After experiencing pain for 2 weeks now, I have come to the hospital to consult about my life. I first experienced a weird coldness that I spent all day covering myself. Then from there, I encountered a severe headache. I started getting numb in my fingertips and developed nausea. Apart from these concerns, I generally want to be happy. I feel that I am tortured psychologically and mentally. I want to get I feel of joy in my heart. Most of the times I am depressed. Most of the time I find myself sorrowful and even when I am happy you may not realize it. I have a passion for learning, but I have a problem.
Each time I try to concentrate and read, I become restless and start feeling sick. This kind of feeling has limited my desire to develop my passion for reading. For example, if I am in a taxi and encounter a jam; I always want to pick up my phone and read a book but focusing makes my situation worse because of nausea. This continued feeling of sickness has always left me restless and I feel like it has snatched away my joy and peace. What do I do Doctor? Because the more I strain to do want I want to do the more I feel worse.
From my above record, it is evident that I lived a life of overwhelm, stress, and anxiousness. My anxiousness was so contiguous that I used to snatch away people’s joy unintentionally even though I knew the verse that says:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV).
I prayed and always gave thanks but, the peace of God had never located me. There was no peace in mind. Worry was my second name. No one ever had to ask if something was bothering me because my emotions were always all over me indicating the so many problems I had in life. Not only was I a negative person but really worried too much about life. I always wanted to display my emotions for other people to see them and in most cases I would cry for other people to empathize with me, which I later discovered was a sign of manipulation.
I used to worry when I had money and when I didn’t have. Worried when I was in a relationship and when I wasn’t. My mind was always stuck in the past or future forgetting the present. I wasted my energy worrying over situations that I knew were temporary and their seasons would end. Each time I went to work, I was worried about being laid off. Worries affected my life so much and got in my way of enjoying the present moments of my life until I discovered an amazing skill to develop – “Mindfulness”. I signed I habit contract with myself by the start of this year 2023 to cultivate mindfulness and people within my spaces that knew about me in the past and see how I am today can testify that I have grown into a better person.
Having discussed what Mind full and Mindful is. And having looked at the “mind full” state I used to live in, let us see some of the practices I embraced in order to cultivate a more desirable state of mind is which is the mindful state.
Mindfulness Practices that have helped my life
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Observing my thoughts and limiting overthinking
These days, whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed by my thoughts, I take a moment to just observe them without judging them and let them go. I also, whenever I find myself overthinking about the past or future, I try to bring my thoughts back to the present. I remind myself that I can’t control the past or future, but I can control the present moment. This helps me stay in the present and be happy, even if it’s not where I want to be.
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Breathing breaks
I incorporated short breathing breaks in my day where I pause, take a few deep breaths to bring my attention back to the present. Here are some of the breaths I practice from https://greatist.com/happiness/breathing-exercises-relax#5.-4-7-8-Breathing-or-relaxing-breath
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Gratitude
Gratitude has become part of my daily practice whereby each day I write down what I am grateful for. In my upcoming first book to be published in December this year, I discuss this in detail of how I engage in this practice.
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Self-compassion
I acknowledge that I used to be so hard on myself a lot, but now I’m learning to be kind to myself. I know it’ll take time to master mindfulness, and it’s okay to have my moments of worry, stress, and distraction.
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Slowing down
Sometimes I feel like I’m in such a rush that I don’t really pay attention to the little things. But I’m learning to slow down and focus on one thing at a time.
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Acceptance of imperfections
I found peace when I discovered that no one is perfect. So I decided to embrace my flaws and I see them as part of who I am right now as I go ahead to look for means of how I can address these flaws without putting myself under pressure.
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Spending time in nature
I enjoy solitude in the natural environment due to its ability to calm my mind. Visualizing various landscapes, plants and animals, geological formations, and the beauty and aesthetics of nature, such as sunset, bodies of water, ecosystems, etcetera, enables me to return to the present.
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Engaging Senses
I use my senses to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. I use my eyes to see and be aware of what’s going on around me, allowing my thoughts to flow freely. When I’m listening to someone, I attentively listen to their voice. But also pay attention to what they’re saying so I don’t miss out on something that could help me. I usually pay attention to the smells around me and how they affect my mood. For tasting, I pay attention to what I’m eating and the flavors and sensations that come with it. Finally, when I’m touching, I focus on the sensations that come with whatever I’m touching. Being mindful of my senses helps me focus on what’s going on and distracts me from the worries of the world.
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Limiting distraction and put my effort into a single task
I strive to limit distractions, embracing proper smartphone usage in order to concentrate on my important tasks. In addition, I strive to work in a quiet environment that helps me focus. I am also learning to get away, from multitasking and focus on giving my full attention to one task at a time.
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Spending time with children
I love being in the counsel of children. And I enjoy observing their actions, reactions, emotions without judgement. Where possible I play with them. Engage in their conversations when they are talking. And enjoy learning from their wisdom through the questions they ask. There is this child aged 4, who happens to be my friend that amazed me recently.
I sat quietly thinking about something while she played in the house. And out of the blue, she approached me and asked in Luganda “why are you quiet”? I pretended that I had not heard, and she tapped me and told me the same statement. And at that point, I said in my heart this child isn’t worried about anything because she knows that her parents would provide everything. But I paid attention to her which helped me get back to the present moment and experienced simple joys by smiling with her.
Conclusion
In a world full of inevitable difficulties and challenges, it is very easy to label ourselves as “problematic human beings”. These are human beings that are hard to understand, that are full of problems and not certain of being successful. When I look back on the days I used to worry so much, I realize that what we call “problems” might not even be problems sometimes, but ourselves; maybe we’re the problem. That’s because we let our minds get too full and start thinking about things that haven’t happened yet. Now that I’m on a conscious path from a “mind full” to a “mindful state”, I’ve noticed a huge difference. My life has changed, but it didn’t happen overnight. When I look lack, it’s all thanks to the practice of mindfulness.
Mindfulness has become part of my day-to-day life. And as I progress in my practice of mindfulness, I am continually reminded that it takes patience and intentional practice. However, the results are worth it. I have moved from a state of anxiety and stress to a state of peace and serenity. No longer a prisoner of my thoughts, but a conscious observer of my life, accepting each moment gracefully and with a growth mindset. Mindfulness, I discovered that is not just a practice, but a way of living. And that it is filled with the power to transform our way of experiencing the world. Train your mind to become more “mindful” and less “mind full” applying the practices shared here in your life. In so doing, you will uncover the depths of beauty that exist in every moment and unlock the true nature of your life.
Reflection
When was a time you found yourself in a “mind full” state? How did this state affect your mind functionality? Having known the difference between being “mind full” and mindful. Can you identify moments in your life when you were mindful? Did you notice how that state made you feel? Looking at the practices shared herein, do you find any practice to resonate with you? Do you think you could benefit from adopting them into your daily routine? The answer lies deep inside your spirit and soul. And where you choose to remain “mind full” or embrace mindfulness; the choice is yours.
**********Thank you for sparing your time to read*********
