Unraveled

Mind Fullness

Becca Thompson

May 11, 2023 — 4 min read

Has your brain, body, and spirit ever hit maximum capacity?

For me, it looks something like creating media, running media by my clients, trying to think outside the box, dogs, kids, husband, and long-term house guests. The list could go on.

Sometimes it feels as if my cup runneth over, but NOT in a good way. It’s the holy shit, water is all over the floor, and I’m drowning kind of way. The truth is, some days, it simply feels heavy. A calling to bigger and greater nags at every synapse of the mind or like a sliver in your heel. You can’t walk without feeling it deeply. And frankly, it can be annoying.

I run scenarios and strategies through my mind with relentless pursuit. They don’t stop or go away. The tabs don’t simply “close” when I shut down the work brain. They all keep running. Mom, wife, designer, creative, friend, overthinker, and all the things.

I hit a breaking point and know I am not alone in this arena. Hello, high achiever friends with a bigger calling…I see you out there. Welcome to the aspiring human club!

Let’s break this down like a story to see if we can dissect where the need for less mind-fullness is happening and more paying mind to reality comes into play.

Are you retelling the same old story?

When your mind is full, the best place to start is with the story you continue to relive again and again. Do you continually relive the “glory days” or go back to that person that hurt you and blame those past dialogues that are ancient history for the human you are today? Yes-our pasts one-hundred percent have formed us and molded the person we are today, but are we focusing on the parts of the past that formed capabilities, resilience, and a better professional? Or on the harmful parts? Those things are in the past, and you are in today. Take what is good, apply it, and move on. If your best memory or career highlight happened over a decade ago, it’s time for a new highlight reel. Let’s focus on the story we are telling today and now.

What is your “title” and headliner?

Like any good book, movie, or social media post, there is a title or headline that grabs and captures our attention. As you live out the best you, it’s pivotal to ask what your personal headline or title is that you create for yourself.

Is the title you’ve chosen optimistic and future-focused? Take, for example, the following horror movie titles: “Knock at The Cabin,” “Prey,” and “The Darkest Hour” versus the following “My Best Friend’s Wedding”, “Always Be My Maybe,” and “Silver Linings Playbook.” The two genres emit very different emotions and audiences based on the titles. They make us respond differently, and based on our personal preferences, make us click to watch the trailer or not.

We get to choose the headliners and titles we live out. What we choose will determine our actions and how our story plays out. Think about it, if you could choose any title that was your documentary, what would it be? Because if you’re reading or listening to this now, you’re still with us, and it can play out however you choose.

Are you writing a new version of yourself?

It’s pretty cool to think we can write the pages of our own story. So often, we feel as if someone else is writing the pages. Sure, our environments, workplaces, and relationships greatly influence how it plays out, but the truth is that you are the author. You can create a better environment, leave a toxic workplace, and nurture or ditch your relationships. Sure, it’s not always as easily said as it is done. Yet, your best pages and memories are waiting to be still written, and I am confident you don’t want to get to the end of this life and wish you had filled those pages with goodness. Maybe it’s your time to start writing this new dialogue and releasing some things holding you back.

What would the ideal ending look like?

For me, the ideal ending looks like creating words, lessons, and vulnerable states that make people think about where they are today. That helps them heal and step out of toxic situations and into flourishing ones. It looks like finishing my book and touching lives with it. It looks like a happy and healthy family that builds memories. It looks like a thriving business that I love deep at my core.

What does your perfect ending look like, my friend? Are you writing the story you love, or is your mind too full to acknowledge it?