What you need to understand about people who are against mindfulness.

As I’ve been online recently, I’ve noticed a couple articles that shocked me.  They degrade mindfulness as a practice.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying people aren’t entitled to their opinions.  I just think people need to back their opinions up with facts in order to truly sound credible.

What makes matters worse is that the sources spreading this information are some very well known sources.  Some of their information is very likely to highly influence viewers, and I just want to make sure everyone understands all sides of the issue.

Well I guess that’s enough of a disclaimer, I’d like to discuss some statements made in an article from the Washington Post.  Before I get in too deep, I’d like to say that their point made regarding mindfulness being more or less effective than antidepressants is valid.  They have done plenty of research to show that there isn’t enough evidence to make a clear correlation.  What I want everyone to keep in mind is that treatments for mental health issues should be approached in a very individualized manner.  If you prefer not taking medication, and would rather use a mindful approach, then you have every right to do so and vice versa.  The same concept applies to using both medication and mindfulness (which is what I do).  There’s nothing wrong with any of these options so long as they work for you.

Later on in the article there was a statement that I personally had a problem with.  I’d like to share it with you all, then discuss my personal take on (and rebuttal to) the statement.

“Is it the meditation itself that causes the positive effects, or is it more to do with learning to step back and become aware of our thoughts and feelings in a supportive group environment? And why does it only work for some?”

I’m going to break this statement down into parts.  Based on the beginning part of the first sentence, it seems that they are trying to claim that mindful mediation is separate from awareness.  If that’s the case then they couldn’t be more wrong.  The whole point of mindful meditation is to use the guidance to increase our awareness of our thoughts and feelings.  So I would say that both of those things are what cause the positive effects.  Another thing I want to make note of is that in this article they are discussing the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.  This is essentially set up like a group mindfulness class.  So in this quote they ask if the supportive group environment is actually more effective than the mindfulness itself.  I’d like to say that this isn’t necessarily true.  There are many people who practice mindfulness alone, with or without audio guidance.  And many of them find just as much success as the ones who take classes.  Therefore I think it just depends on what works best for the individual.  Also, they ask why it only works for some.  Well, as I said before everyone is different.  Many antidepressants don’t work for everyone, so it’s only natural that the same goes for mindfulness.  Treatments for mental illness are so individualized, and I think more people need to realize and accept this.

At the end of the article they even make note that mindfulness is not very individualized, however I think this is inaccurate.  Many meditations allow you to really take it however you want.  Also, they make the claim that mindfulness can be bad because it brings anxieties to the surface, but I think one of the first steps to getting over anxiety is recognizing it.  Now, I’m not a therapist, but I have been to therapy, and a lot of my initial sessions were about uncovering the roots of my anxiety.  A lot of times this was painful, but I can confidently say that it was extremely helpful.  A lot of these sessions involved mindfulness as well.  I personally feel that bringing up what scares and upsets us is super important, and that’s exactly what mindfulness allows us to do.

There you have it folks that’s my take on this article.  Again I’m not a licensed professional.  I feel that everyone is entitled to their opinion and I’m simply sharing mine with you.

What did you think of the article? What do you think of my interpretation?  I invite you to share your opinions with me in the comments.

 

Mindful Musings

A mental health journey through mindfulness

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Everyday Mindfulness or Mindfulness Everyday?

In a previous article, I discussed how to incorporate mindfulness into your day.  It’s great that we know how to do that, but I’ve found that brings on another question: Do we have to do it every day?  I’ll start off by saying yes, as hard as it can be to keep a consistent schedule, it’s really important to practice mindfulness every day.

I found another mindfulness blog that did a really clever play on words regarding this topic.  They explained that mindfulness is both every day and everyday.  This essentially means that not only should it mindfulness be practiced often, but it is also making the point that mindfulness is a common practice.  This is a really powerful message, but I think it’s also a hard one to grasp when you are just beginning your journey.

As I stated before it’s extremely important to practice mindfulness every day.  This is because in order to make the practice a habit, it needs to be repeated consistently.  According to an article in the Huffington Post, a behavior needs to be repeated for roughly two months before it becomes a habit.  Two months can feel like a really long time, and even the best of us struggle with keeping a habit like this consistent.

I’ve found that setting alarms can be really helpful with keeping a habit like this.  Some mindfulness apps even have built in reminders where you can choose the time when it goes off every day.  It can also help to pick a certain time of day to practice mindfulness, because eventually you will begin to associate that time with mindfulness.  Choosing one of the times I mentioned in the previous article can really help.  Another important thing to keep in mind is that there will be days when you slip up and that’s perfectly okay.  The important thing is to just get right back into your routine, and before you know it, it will become a habit.

The part of the other mindfulness blog that I found particularly intriguing was the concept that mindfulness is everyday, or as the other blog likes to put it “nothing special”.  What they’re saying is true, it’s not like you have to have a certain special qualification to be good at mindfulness.  No fancy degrees, no expensive equipment to buy; you just need to be yourself, and be willing to learn more about yourself.

This can be harder for beginners to grasp than you might think.  Many people, myself included, have felt like they have to rely on special “signs from the universe” in order to understand mindfulness.  For example, I remember when I first tried meditating I expected to feel like a changed person after I was done.  Of course, I didn’t notice any big change right away, but that’s totally normal.  It’s really just an everyday action.  It’s just like working out.  After you’re first work out do you have a six pack? Of course not! Mindfulness is the same way.  You won’t notice a change right away, but give it some time and you’ll start to notice the little things.  I can speak from experience and say that now whenever I meditate I really do notice a difference.  There have been days where I’ve been extremely stressed and meditation has helped me return my heart rate and breathing to normal.  Now don’t get me wrong everyone’s different, but it’s definitely true that everyone can reap some form of positive benefit through mindfulness.

All in all, I’ve discovered that these ideas really go hand in hand.  Mindfulness is an everyday practice for everyone.  However, just because it’s an everyday practice, that doesn’t mean you should expect to see change right away.  That’s why mindfulness needs to be practiced every day in order to form the habit of being mindful.  Once that habit is built then you may begin to notice some really positive changes in your life.

I hope you have enjoyed this interpretation of mindfulness, and I hope it has helped you better understand mindfulness and the importance of practicing it every day!  Be sure to share this article with your friends so that they can be inspired to practice everyday mindfulness every day!

What did you think of this article? Have you struggled with any of these issues before? Any questions? Any suggestions? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

 

Mindful Musings

A mental health journey through mindfulness

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Comparison of Mindfulness Apps

In my past posts you’ve probably noticed I’ve mentioned that I used apps from time to time.  While using apps is not the only way to practice mindfulness, it can be very helpful for beginners.  They allow you to learn the basic techniques of mindfulness.  What’s even better is that a lot of these apps (or at least some of the features of these apps) can be used for free.

Now sure using apps is all fine and good, but then your next question arises: Which one do you get?

It’s true there are many different options to choose from.  I have tried many of these different options, and each has their own unique qualities to offer.  Obviously trying out each of these apps can be a lot of work, and many of them just may not be the right one for you.  So to save you the trouble of having to try out all these apps, I’ve already done so and took the time to outline the features of each of these apps.  It’s important to note that while I will give my personal opinion, I will also do my best to be unbiased while explaining the details of these apps.

 

Centered

This is a simple app but it’s really great if you’re also into fitness.  The idea of the app is to balance your physical well being with your mental well being.  The app tracks your steps everyday for the physical health portion.  For the mental health portion, it provides a short list of meditations that you can choose from.  This app also allows you to track your mood throughout the day.  You can also set goals for daily steps and weekly meditation minutes.  The one thing thats kind of cool about this app is that the mental and physical portions are each represented by two circles.  The closer you are to meeting your goals the more the circles will overlap.  The goal is to get the circles to completely overlap and be “centered”.  This is a great app if you’re a goal oriented person and like seeing those goals come to life.  This app even has a watch app which makes it even easier to track your steps.

The best part of this app? All the content is completely free!

Simple Habit

This app is divided into different sections, and each can be used for a different purpose.  The section the app opens with is titled “Series.”  It gives suggestions of series of guided meditations that can be used for a variety of purposes.  There are a variety of meditations with topics ranging from morning, to work breaks, to students, to improving sleep.  The next section is titled “on the go.”  This is probably my favorite part of this app.  In this section, the app asks, “What are you doing?”  It gives you a list of options including: morning, commute, at work, tough day, sleep, and SOS.  From here it asks more specific questions about your situation to come up with a single meditation that fits your situation.  You can also choose how long you want the meditation to be.  There is also another section called “teachers” where you can search for meditations based on who’s guiding you.  The app also keeps track of your sessions and allows you to challenge your friends to be mindful as well.

Some of the meditations are only available with the pro subscription, however a lot of the content is available for free.

 

Stop, Breathe & Think

This is actually the first mindfulness app that I used.  This one really focuses on being aware of how you’re feeling.  Before doing a meditation, it has you dim the screen for ten-seconds and think about how you’re feeling.  Then you are asked how you are feeling both physically and mentally, and it asks you to select up to five emotions to describe how you’re feeling.  From there it selects specific meditations to fit your needs.  This app also offers a tutorial on how to meditate so I would certainly recommend it for beginners.  Of course, if you have a favorite meditation you can also go straight to it in the “explore” section.  The app even keeps track of how you’re feeling, your meditation streak, and gives you stickers for achieving different goals.  They even have a special app for kids which includes special shorter meditations.

The only downside is that this app has a much smaller selection of meditations that are available for free.

 

There are many other apps out there, but these are three that I’ve tried and currently have on my phone.  I encourage you to try out one of these apps today.  Also, be sure to share this article with your friends so that they can learn about these great apps.

 

Have you tried these apps? What did you think of them?  Have you tried other apps that you really liked? If so, what were they?  Let me know in the comments!

 

Mindful Musings

A mental health journey through mindfulness

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5 Ways to Incorporate mindfulness into Your Day

When starting your mindfulness journey, figuring out how to make time for mindfulness can be a struggle.  You realize what a benefit it will be to your health, but you don’t necessarily think you can put in a full thirty minute meditation session.  Honestly, you might even still be hesitant about the whole concept of meditation.

This is especially true if you don’t always have time for a full blown meditation, or maybe we just don’t think we do.  An article in the Huffington Post about finding time to meditate states that most of the time we just don’t think we have the time, even though many of us spend plenty of time scrolling through social media.  Honestly, this is something that even the seasoned pros of mindfulness struggle with.

So, today I’m going to give you five different ways to make that time.  Some of them would allow time for meditation, others would allow you to simply have time to be mindful of the present moment.  Don’t worry if you’re confused about how to be mindful without meditation.  I’ll explain this in more detail later in the article.

1. First thing in the Morning

This has to be one of my favorite times to meditate.  Just think of it, what better way to greet the day than meditating and enjoying the present moment?  I personally enjoy using guided meditations, many of which can be found on various apps and websites.  There are even specific morning meditations, but you don’t necessarily have to use them.  Another way to meditate in the morning is to simply set a timer and just be still.  Notice how your body is feeling that day, without being judgmental, and just let your thoughts be as they are.  I have found that it’s best to do this meditation in the same place every day.  I find that doing this puts me in a better place throughout the day.

2. When you Brush your Teeth

Alright, I know this probably sounds weird, but this is a great example of a mindfulness moment that really doesn’t need guidance.  The first time I’d heard of this meditation was from a mindfulness class that I took.  The premise revolves around preventing your mind from wandering.  What are you usually thinking about when you brush your teeth? Probably everything but brushing your teeth, right?  Well, for this exercise, when you go to brush your teeth try to actually focus on what you’re doing.  Notice what you feel, taste, hear, etc., and just let thoughts come and go without judgement.  It’s a great way to train your mind to stop racing, even if it’s only for a few minutes.  Those few minutes can train your brain to be more mindful throughout the day.

3. When you take a Work Break

This is also a very simple way to incorporate mindfulness into your day.  I’m sure when many of us take a work break, we tend to reach for our phone so that we can mindlessly scroll through social media for a few minutes.  Well, instead of doing that, practicing mindfulness is a great way to use your time when taking a break.  There are plenty of guided meditations for work breaks.  I know I’ve found a few that I like on the app, Simple Habit.  Again, if you’d rather do an unguided meditation, that’s perfectly okay too.  I recommend simply checking in with how you’re feeling in that moment, noticing the breath, while not making an effort to change or judge anything.  As I mentioned before it’s also important to just let thoughts come and go during the mindfulness practice.

4. When you’re on a Commute

This is another one of my favorite times to be mindful.  You can approach this a number of different ways.  If you’re walking, you can try a walking meditation (Simple Habit has these too).  You can also just take the time to notice your surroundings.  Focus on what you see, hear, smell, etc.   I Personally love doing this while I’m walking to class.  It really gives me an opportunity to clear my head throughout the day.  You can also do a similar practice while driving.  Of course, it is important to make sure that you remain aware while driving, you wouldn’t want to lose yourself in your thoughts and risk hurting yourself or others.

5. Before you go to Bed

I also really like practicing a mindfulness meditation at this point in the day.  The concept is very similar to meditating in the morning.  There are many different kinds of meditations that can even help you fall asleep (Simple Habit has these too, can you tell I like that app?).  Many professionals say it’s bad to fall asleep while meditating but personally I think it’s a great way to fall asleep.  Even if you don’t use a guided meditation, you can simply focus on your breath.  You know the old expression of counting sheep?  Well, they might’ve been on to something.  Many mindfulness professionals recommend counting breaths to relax you.  This is of course also a great way to fall asleep.

I hope at least one of these ways to be mindful has resonated with you today.  It’s also important to note, that you don’t have to do all of these in one day (although if you do more power to you, I can assure you that it’s worth it).  Maybe just start out by dipping your metaphorical mindfulness toe in the water by trying one of these exercises.  I can say from experience that even just one of them can make a difference.

So what do you think about the ideas I’ve given? Have any of you tried them? What did you like or dislike about it? Do you have any other ways to incorporate mindfulness into your day?  Let me know in the comments!

 

Mindful Musings

A Mental Health Journey through Mindfulness

 

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