Mindfulness vs. Mind Full: Which One Are You Living?

Let’s do a quick check-in.
Right now, are you mindful… or just mind full?

Be honest. No shame either way.

As educators and higher ed professionals, we move through our days wearing a dozen hats: teacher, advisor, therapist, mentor, meeting magician, email responder, everything-er. Somewhere in all that movement, we often lose the one person who holds it all together—ourselves.

So what’s the difference between mindfulness and being mind full?

Mind Full: When Everything’s Running and Nothing’s Landing

Being mind full feels like you’ve got 27 tabs open in your brain—plus music playing in one, a fire drill in another, and a video call about to start in five minutes. You’re moving, but you’re not grounded. You're doing everything but feeling nothing.

Symptoms of being "mind full" might sound like:

• “What did I even do today?”

• “I’m here, but I’m not really here.”

• “I forgot to eat lunch again.”

• “I’m tired, but my mind won’t stop racing.”

It’s that state of constant motion where you’re checking off boxes but still feel behind. You’re in your head, your body’s on autopilot, and your spirit is begging for rest.

This is where burnout starts to plant seeds.

Mindful: Presence Over Performance

Being mindful doesn’t mean you’re calm all the time or floating through life like a monk. It means you’re paying attention. It means you notice the tension in your shoulders before it turns into a migraine. It means you give yourself permission to pause—on purpose.

It might sound like:

• “I feel overwhelmed—let me breathe before I respond.”

• “I’m going to eat lunch away from my desk today.”

• “That meeting drained me. Let me take 3 minutes to reset before the next.”

• “I’m proud of how I showed up today, even if it wasn’t perfect.”

Mindfulness is a habit of checking in instead of checking out. It’s presence over performance.
And let me tell you—it changes everything.

Educators Deserve More Than Survival Mode

This profession will keep taking from you if you let it.
You’ll always be able to find something to grade, fix, or finesse. But mindfulness is how you say, “I choose me, too.”

For my K-12 teachers: mindfulness might be closing your eyes and taking a deep breath between periods or giving your students a mindful moment during transition time (bonus: they probably need it, too).

For my higher ed leaders: it might look like blocking off five minutes on your calendar to stretch, reflect, or just be between Zooms. You are not a machine—and you don’t need to pretend to be one.

The real question is: Are you surviving your role, or are you showing up for your life while in it?

Want to Start Showing Up with More Intention?

If you're ready to shift from mind full to mindful, the Mindful or Mind Full Journal was made for you.

It’s filled with reflective prompts, real talk, and practical tools to help educators and higher ed professionals reset, recharge, and reclaim their presence—one page at a time.

You don’t have to wait for summer break to find peace. You can start creating it right now.

🌿 Let this journal be your pause button in a world that won’t stop moving.

Get your copy of Mindful or Mind Full here: https://square.link/u/KFQR8w3I