Eight Common Myths About Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a tool to become aware of our movement, our emotions and reactions. All these aspects are crucial in life and the moments that make up our everyday lives. That’s why it’s so useful to us: it helps us let go of the autopilot we let control our lives most of the time. Myths about mindfulness can lead to us losing an effective tool.

With that said, mindfulness has in many ways become the fashionable thing to do and the answer to all kinds of problems you may have. But its origins are far from what some may think.

There are many preconceived notions that prevent many people from enjoying the benefits of mindfulness. We will now go through eight myths about mindfulness – read on and find out the truth.

It’s not just about focusing your mind

The word mindfulness is often associated with meditation and breathing exercises. Its purpose, they say, is to control our scattered thoughts and keep our minds focused. However, this simplicity hides a not so simple background. If we go a little deeper, we see that mindfulness is much more than this.

It comes from the Tibetan word drenpa , which means to remember , keep or collect . Therefore, this does not consist solely of observing our consciousness, but actually teaches us how to be aware of every moment in our lives and thereby improve the quality of our thoughts.

Concentrating on a “here and now” is the way to do it. Is not a tennis player trying to improve his backhand by training for hours and hours on the tennis court? If so, why should we not also be able to teach our consciousness to be more effective by practicing it?

Mindfulness is not psychotherapy

Neither meditation nor mindfulness are psychotherapies. Under no circumstances should they replace psychological treatment or medication. So if you have been diagnosed with a mental health problem, you should always consult a doctor and follow his advice.

Relaxation and concentration exercises can complement treatment and medication, but not be a substitute. Therefore, it is wrong to believe that they have “therapeutic effects”. A better term would be regulatory effects, as it does not eliminate the need for other treatment but complements it.

Myths about mindfulness say you need to clear your mind

One of the great myths about mindfulness is the idea that you have to clear your mind to exercise it. Nothing is further from the truth. In fact, emptying our minds is exactly what we should not do. We should instead direct them where we want them to go. In other words, master them. It is about controlling our mind and not letting external stimuli do it for us.

Our brain is designed to think. Because of this, so the more we try to ward off negative thoughts, the more intense they will become. Blocking is a verb that is completely contrary to the philosophy of the practitioner of mindfulness. On the contrary, what they are trying to do is let everything flow: they release their thoughts.

Joy and optimism come from you

This is one of many myths about mindfulness. The purpose is to help you live in the present. But mindfulness is not synonymous with joy or optimism. These exercises will not necessarily make you have a smile on your face all the time, or that you see everything through pink glasses. Accept everything that comes to you, whether it is good or bad. It all depends on you.

Mindfulness can help you go through these moments more intensely. Both the good and the bad. It helps you to better experience the things that happen to you. You will be able to channel and manage your emotions better. It helps you reduce your prejudices and instead be more objective in your daily life.

Change your habits

Experts say that in 21 days, anyone can change or start a new habit. Unfortunately, this is not the case with mindfulness attention. One good thing is that you do not have to practice it every day or every week, as its benefits are immediate.

If you do it once a year, you will notice the same results as if you did it twice a day. You just need willpower. Of course, you need to know the right technology to perform it properly. It’s not just about going to a secluded place and breathing.

Myths about mindfulness say it takes too much time

Another of our myths about mindfulness is easier to argue against: lack of time. There is always time, but there are also many excuses. It is often the case that it takes you longer to think about why you can not do one thing than to actually just do it.

You only need 10 or 15 minutes a day, plus the desire to focus. You may be walking, cooking, reading… but you can still be focused on what is happening in your life at any given moment. If you do this continuously, you will gradually notice that you can meditate without even realizing it.

It is a way to escape reality

Many people believe that this meditation technique tries to isolate you from your life and help you get rid of the stress of everyday life. But this is not really true. What you are trying to do is reflect and try to find the source of the stress.

By giving it your undivided attention, you will be able to observe it and be aware of it. You should not try to shut yourself in a bubble and get away from reality. You should do the opposite: try to highlight your problem and focus all your attention on it.

Myths about mindfulness say it’s boring

Of all the myths about mindfulness on our list today, this is the most common. People say it’s boring. But it really is not. There are many ways to do this. Do you really think that self-discovery can be called boring?

Maybe we should talk about fear rather than boredom. A fear of discovering what we would see if we only saw within ourselves. The unknown scares us. But it can be even more frightening if it is about something that has caused us pain at some point in our lives. It’s time for you to finally free yourself from all this. This is your moment!