Mind Full or Mindful?

In front of you is a stunning view of a huge forest, up to a mountain top, and you are listening to the sound of birds chirping, with sunshine warmly touching your face, and fresh air coming in through your lungs. Breathing in, you take in this moment fully, and breathing out, you cherish the peace this moment offers you from the chaos of your life.

Moments in nature, similar to what you have hopefully just experienced in your mind, sparked my interest in mindfulness several years ago. During a summer countryside trip back in Mongolia, looking at a sunset beside a small lake, I could not help but notice how my thoughts disappeared and how I was simply aware of all my surroundings and sensations: the orange, pink, and red colors of the sky and the fresh smell after rain. It was freeing and peaceful not to think for a time and simply observe my surroundings.

Intrigued by these sensations, I started studying meditation and stumbled upon the concept of mindfulness. Mindfulness is defined in many different ways but on the simplest level, it is to be fully present and aware of what is going on in and around you at a given moment. After spending a few years learning more about it and trying to practice it daily, I realized anyone can bring even small mindful moments to their lives to improve their mental health and experience both good and bad moments more fully.

Coming to Harvard, I felt and feel constant stress and pressure to achieve, to do more and be more, caused by my own thinking and the expectations I put on myself. Comparisons to other amazing students at Harvard certainly do not help, but intentionally bringing small mindful moments to my day-to-day life allowed me to be more grounded.

Mindfulness is usually connected to mindfulness meditation — a form of meditation in which the focus is on breathing and the present moment. There are even some studies that demonstrate the effects of mindfulness meditation on the brain. It would be redundant to list the benefits of mindfulness meditation, because of its increasing accessibility, so I wanted to expound more on what the distinct concept of mindfulness can mean at its very simplified core for busy and stressed-out college students.

The concept of being present sounds simple, but it is surprising how rarely we actually do it. With thousands of thoughts going through our minds a day, in our heads, we are usually daydreaming, worrying, or letting our mind wander even if we want to focus on something. Instead of having our “mind full” in this way, being mindful allows us to experience the moment, no matter how good or bad, without judgment or resistance. It starts from being aware of our thoughts, our surroundings, and accepting them as they come.

I believe it is especially important for Harvard or any college student to take care of their mental space amid all the pressure and stress they surely experience some time during their college career. Whether by pushing ourselves to meet the deadlines of various classes and activities, or constantly worrying about the future and if we are doing enough, we exert so much energy into thinking, overthinking, ruminating, and agonizing. It is tiring. We burn out. That is why it is critical to allow our mind and body to rest, not only when we are asleep, but also when we are going through our days. Mindfulness is not limited to meditation, and we can bring it into every aspect of our lives, little by little.

For me, it begins with something as simple as sitting down for five minutes on my bed in the morning, before the chaos of the day ensues, simply checking in on my body and taking a few deep breaths. Sometimes it is being aware of the morning sunshine and adorable dogs when walking through the Yard instead of ruminating on what I said or did earlier. Other times it is simply sitting with myself when I am stressed or sad and feeling the emotions and thoughts instead of resisting and suppressing them in my mind. Mindfulness is for anyone, and it can start from mindfulness meditation, or just noticing the patterns of the mind, paying more conscious attention to our surroundings, and consistently directing attention to our present reality.

Here, I also want to acknowledge that mindfulness is a broad concept, with a long and complex history, stemming from religious traditions, with differing definitions and practices. My definition has been simplified and covers only a small fraction of what mindfulness is.

That being said, I encourage my fellow students and those intending to improve their well-being to start practicing mindfulness in order to have more groundedness and experience both wonderful and painful times without getting caught up in their own minds.

Even though we might not find ourselves on top of a mountain, looking at a forest every day, there is still peace even in the chaos of things if we open ourselves more to the present and accept it without judgment through mindfulness.

Javhlan Amgalanbaatar ’23, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Canaday Hall. Her column appears on alternate Wednesdays.