2025: Mindfulness, Mind Fullness, and Being Present

It's that time of year again! January 1st: the day when we all simultaneously get our lives together. It's a fresh start, a blank page, and an opportunity to do everything right… aka the best and worst day to be a perfectionist:) If you're like me, you've probably already thought about New Year's resolutions or how you want to be a better version of yourself in 2025.

January is a great reset from December’s gluttony and chaos (haha). And at first, we can see the results of our well-intentioned resolutions: moving our bodies, reading, limiting procrastination, eating healthy foods, etc. The busyness of our productivity is almost electric. Every moment is filled with self-help and self-love and self-improvement and yet...

As we usually learn by January 20th ish—or whenever our resolutions fade—being “on” all of the time is exhausting. Well-intentioned or not, resolutions and perfectionism can quickly become toxic. After all, there's a difference between mindfulness and "mind fullness," and how we choose to live can greatly impact our well-being/spiritual journey.

Mindfulness vs. Mind Fullness

"Mind fullness" is a not-so-scientific term my freshman year psychology professor used to describe the state of being when our brains are so chaotically full that we become overstimulated, overwhelmed, and may even lose sight of the reasons we were doing those “important” things in the first place. Mind fullness looks like a busy, rigid schedule with little time for rest, mistakes, or authenticity. Mindfulness, on the other hand, is all about being present (as seen in my very artistic drawing).

According to the Oxford Language Dictionary, mindfulness is “a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings." Let’s break that down:

The Importance of Being Present

I am a future-oriented person. My to-do lists are full—my 10-year plan is perfected (I say sarcastically). But, honestly, if I think about the future too much, I become unhappy. Stressed. Unsatisfied. The same thing goes for dwelling on the past. Living in the future is not really living, and living in the past isn't living either. Being mindful is being present.

Just for a moment, I want you to think about a time when you felt God. It doesn't have to be recently. It doesn't have to be in a "religious space." It can be completely random:)

If you're struggling to think of a time, shift your thinking. When was a time you felt Love? Or a rush of unexplainable peace?

Sit with this memory for a moment. And then ask yourself... what made that moment special?

A lot of the time, I feel God through happy tears. Watching my sister become the person she is meant to be, accomplishing hard things, watching kids find their voices during camp, and shedding a few tears of joy through it all.

Or... I feel God through sad tears. When I go through a breakup. When I feel like I am not enough. When I lose a close friend. On my greatest highs and on my crying-on-the-bathroom-floor-lows, I find a way to feel God.

And finally, I feel God when my eyes are closed. Or open:) When I can feel the breeze on my face and the ground beneath my feet. When I'm surrounded by beauty (nature! music!). When I am being real and in the moment. When I let go of the past and future... that is when I feel God. That is when I feel at peace (Maybe you can relate).

And that why my number one New Year's resolution for 2025 is this: be present.

Being Present, Feeling Peace

A few years ago, I listened to a sermon about peace... on a day when I was feeling anything but. The pastor explained that peace is when everything was as it should be. He didn't say that peace is knowing things will be better in the future (that’s hope) or remembering how they were in the past (that’s nostalgia, and it's usually lying to us). Instead, he said that peace is when everything was as it should be—the good and bad and all of it—right now.

Sometimes, I still think about that sermon and what it means for our walks with God. It's been several weeks since churches around the world lit the Advent Peace candle, but even though it's no longer December, the peace and presence of God still remains. But, usually, we can only feel it when we are being present. Being mindful.

As we enter into another year, we have to ask ourselves, "What is our goal?" If our goal is to be in relationship with God or feel the peace of Christ, we have to let go of the pressures January brings (I say this to myself too!). How might 2025 be different if our New Year's resolution was to be present? How might 2025 be different if we focus on being mindful of God with us—Immanuel—in every moment?

Mindfulness is the first step of advent living.

Advent Living

When I was trying to name this blog (over two years ago!!!), I was drawn to Advent for several reasons: (1) it's a season of waiting, and (2) it's so much more than that. Advent is intentional. Advent is love, hope, joy, and peace.

Advent asks us, what are we doing to keep the hope candle burning in times of darkness? What are we willing to do to spread peace? How are we facing the complexity of joy? How are we loving other people? How are we loving ourselves? How are we loving God?

And how does doing all of this make us ready for the impossible things God is doing in our lives?

This year, I hope we continue to ask ourselves these questions. I hope we let go of perfection and chase holiness—paying attention to what we should let go of as much as we focus on what we can carry. This year, I hope we can choose mindfulness over mind fulness. And most of all, I hope we can be Advent People, anticipating God with us in every moment!

Happy New Year! I hope it's a good one:)