Myths of Mindfulness [Finding Mindfulness Part 1]

Have you ever thought, ‘Mindfulness, I don’t have time for that’?

If yes (or anything similar) keep reading, I’m here for you!

One of my biggest desires is to reframe and retell the story of mindfulness making it practical, accessible, and simple.

By integrating mindfulness and practices of Pause into your daily life you’ll see how it is possible to reset, rewire, and revitalize life even when it feels chaotic, overwhelming, and ever-changing.

This is the kickoff of a four-part Finding Mindfulness series dedicated to our pesky brains and how you can use mindfulness to combat anxiety, overwhelm, and lack of focus. Oh, and boost your well-being, strengthen relationships, and improve your work performance.

While our brains are powerful and incredible they’re wired for survival, negativity, and reactivity, not necessarily happiness. Perhaps shocking, but true. I’ve found that normalizing why we do what we do and seeing that sometimes it’s just the way the brain is wired to function helps to feel a little less crazy or alone on this journey of life.

Let’s first start with some mindfulness myth-busting!

I begin here because when you define or look at mindfulness with a narrow scope you miss out on the powerful results that are possible. Trust me, I thought all of these or some version of them before I realized that mindfulness was actually accessible and practical for everyday life. All the tenets of The Linger Movement and my obsession with preaching Pause are in fact forms of mindfulness!

Myth 1: Mindfulness is one size fits all

Truth: Several years ago I would have probably said mindfulness was solely meditation and I certainly don’t have time for that. Why would I ever sit in silence for 45 minutes?

However, meditation is one form of mindfulness and today I see mindfulness as a lifestyle and a tool kit.

The truth is that many different practices and tools are available depending on the situation, the desired result, and your personal experience. Mindfulness is not intended to be prescriptive but rather for you to play with, experience, and see what works best for you.

If you decide to begin a workout routine you probably won’t jump into the advanced class or program when you’re a beginner. That’s just setting you up for a letdown or overwhelm and you may not return the next day. Building muscle over time and choosing the right practice that meets your needs yields the best results.

The same is true of adding mindfulness into your life. There are specific practices you can do that are most effective for desired outcomes and you don’t have to jump into 45 minutes of silent meditation, you can start small and build.

Myth 2: Mindfulness is meditating monks

Truth: Mindfulness is available to everyone everywhere, even you. Various forms of mindfulness across a spectrum of practices are used by athletes at the top of their sport, Navy SEALs and military teams, CEOs and employees, and those navigating everyday life. It can be spiritual or completely secular, that’s up to you.

To be a meditating monk is one end of the mindfulness spectrum but if you’re like me that feels incredibly unrelatable and, not to mention, unattainable. The truth is that short in the moment practices of mindfulness are on the spectrum too. For example, bringing awareness to the present moment to notice your breath or that your mind is ruminating and wandering is mindfulness; training to be a monk is not required.

Myth 3: Mindfulness is only accessible on a retreat, in a yoga class, or in a Zen setting

Truth: Mindfulness is available and possible in any setting. When you think of it as a way of paying attention and a state of awareness the limits on when and where mindfulness is available dissolve.

As a tool kit, mindfulness has both formal and informal practices. These are all part of the spectrum of mindfulness allowing you to choose how and when you utilize them. This makes it possible to bring mindfulness into the chaos, busyness, and overstimulation of everyday life - when it matters most.

Formal practices are like a dedicated meditation session where you carve out time, perhaps have a specific quiet space, and do it once a day. It might be 5 minutes or 45 minutes.

Informal practices are in the moment and naturally weave into your day. They don’t require an allotted amount of time, space, or even silence. These practices are intended to resolve discomfort and restore awareness.

Myth 4: Mindfulness is for people with a lot of free time on their hands

Truth: There are a whole host of practices and ways to add mindfulness into your day that take very little time and better yet can be done in the moment.

Beginning with a short formal practice and having a few informal ones on hand can show you the benefits of mindfulness and how it can easily integrate into your life.

For example, Awareness of Breath is an informal practice that you can do in under a minute when you feel stress rising or you want to calm and get grounded before going into a meeting.

To begin, Pause.
Bring awareness to your inhale and your exhale.
Sense your belly expand and contract with each breath.
Repeat for a few cycles of breath.

To make this a formal practice select a specific time each day, perhaps while you make your coffee, and set a timer for 2 or 3 minutes. Breathe with awareness, focus on the breath, if you get distracted simply notice and return to the breath.

Myth 5: Mindfulness is a waste of time, it doesn’t work

Truth: The science continues to show us the profound impact of mindfulness in numerous areas including wellbeing, stress reduction, performance, relationships, and emotional regulation.

A few moments of breathing such as the Awareness of Breath mentioned above has shown to be one of the quickest ways to regulate the nervous system, calm the body and mind, and send queues to the body that it’s safe.

The key to mindfulness, as with any practice, is that it isn’t a one-time thing. One single meditation or pausing to notice your mind wandering doesn’t create long-term lasting change. You may feel some immediate relief but it’s building the skills, strengthening the muscles, and creating new pathways in the brain that provide long-lasting transformation and impact.

Like training to run a marathon you’re going to be hard pressed to simply go out for one run and then be able to run 26.2 miles. But if you build up your endurance over time and commit to the practice it is possible. The change will be noticeable. Same with practicing mindfulness. Science can tell you certain things but putting it into practice allows you to experience it for yourself.

Now that we’ve busted a few myths and cleared the air on how accessible mindfulness truly is I hope you’re ready to experience some practices yourself.

Whether peak performance for you is making it through the day without losing it with your kids, partner, coworkers, or pets, delivering an incredible pitch at work, or juggling all the responsibilities in life with a little more ease, mindfulness can support you.

To get you started I’ve created a free Simple Mindfulness guide that gives you ten practices that can each be done in less than five minutes. No need to be a monk in training or have hours of free time in your schedule!

Download Your Copy Now

Stay tuned for the next installment in this four-part series, ‘Why the heck is change so hard?’

And if you’re eager to dive into more of how mindfulness and Pause can support you, or your team, let’s connect.

Find Your Pause. Find Mindfulness.