What It Means To Be Human: Mindfulness
How would you describe the present state of your mind? When you consider the thoughts that have occupied your mind of late, how do they make you feel? Yesterday marked the beginning of Mental Health Month, therefore, it’s in that spirit that we look at Mindfulness. This is simply the state at which a person’s mind is operating. For example, you have a deadline that is fast approaching. You look at the workload and realize you have very little time left. At that moment, you begin to feel some pressure. At this moment, your mind leans toward an anxious state; your mindfulness becomes one of panic.
We undergo many episodes in our lives that are responsible for the different states of mind we are in. Oftentimes, we can place a finger on what has ignited a certain state of mind, and sometimes, we are not quite sure. Not being a morning person, I have woken up to certain mind frequencies that have me feeling like the day won’t be so good. Not because I’m clairvoyant, it’s just a feeling. At that moment, it’s up to me to either validate that feeling by maintaining that gloomy aura or diving into a workout and playlist that I know will elevate my mood.
Our mental states are responsible for how we relate to the world around us. If a child has been scolded by a teacher, he/she will be reluctant to participate in class activities. Not because the child doesn’t want to, but because their mindfulness has been rattled negatively and the environment becomes unfriendly. In adults, we see this manifest in our professional settings. An altercation with a client, colleague, or superior drives us into a downward spiral that has us feeling that we do not want to be in that space anymore. “Gosh, my day is ruined, just can’t wait to get home,” we say to ourselves or to that one trusted co-worker. Our mindfulness has been tainted by the negative energy of a confrontation.
This one time, I was on the receiving end of unkind words from someone I look up to. Admittedly, I was in error. I felt pressure rise in me to respond in defense, but I knew that it would only escalate the situation. After that moment, I returned to my desk and felt my mind go fuzzy. I could not concentrate anymore, my mindfulness was disturbed. The first instinct was to walk out and end my day; deal with the consequences later. However, I resorted to watching a music video on YouTube. While listening, I was going over every word that person had said and thought of the responses I would have given had I gotten the chance. Without noticing, my thoughts started drifting, slowly, from the chastising remarks to the melody and lyrics of the song. It was a mellow tune. My day got a whole lot better after that.
Mindfulness is a decision. Not an easy one in some cases. Some situations are a lot to bear and we let our minds dwell on that negative feeling. For some reason, our minds feel that if they dwell on that problem, it becomes more bearable once it comes to fruition. However, we do not notice the amount of energy we are dedicating to that fruitless endeavor. The state of our minds is responsible for so many functions of our body, be it our appetite, our quality of sleep, our concentration, our body language, among many other things. Wouldn’t it be more helpful to ourselves if we were to realign our minds towards more positive influences?
“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh-
Sometimes we feel we ought to embrace the negative thoughts because of something bad we are expecting. Well, that is justifiable. Except, we are causing double the trouble and it helps no one. This reminds me of an episode of the show “How I Met Your Mother” titled “Cupcake.” Ted’s girlfriend, Victoria, decides to go to Germany for a fellowship at a culinary institute. Instead of mopping about it, they decide to spend the last day together…Ummm, doing something amazing. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist says, “the present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” We get to choose the mood in which to endure the painful moments.
Life requires us to be present in every moment. Being present means acknowledging what is happening in the present and not being distracted by the past or future. Many times, we are blind to the beauty that surrounds us. We allow our minds to drift towards worries that are beyond our control. Why allocate so much thought towards inevitable evens? Why not use that moment to conjure the best state of mind we can? All this is within our reach; we need only condition our minds towards a more positive trajectory.
There is no easy fix. From a young age, we have taught our minds to prepare for the worst. This has been our way of cushioning the intensity of the blow once it comes. But we don’t have to suffer twice for one error. We can choose to live in the present before it slips away. We can learn to embrace the blissful moments as they unfold before us. We owe it to ourselves to maintain mindfulness that acknowledges the happiness lingering within our reach.
