Ahmadian Counselling

Mindfulness is currently a hot topic. A simple google search will probably provide you with a number of articles on the benefits of mindfulness. It might seem like there is nothing that mindfulness can’t cure. At the same time, I have found that regularly engaging in mindfulness exercises can be difficult. In today’s blog post, I’d like to provide a more realistic picture of mindfulness and talk about the launch of my new free virtual mindfulness program: Back to The Present.

While I generally value rebellion and non-conformity, I do have to say that mindfulness is a pretty powerful tool. Research has found that regular mindfulness practice can have amazing benefits for our mental and physical health. I have also personally experienced the power of mindfulness in improving my quality of life. However, I wasn’t always a big fan of mindfulness.

When I first heard about it, I was very resistant to giving it a try. The main reason was that mindfulness was sold as a cure-all solution to every problem. It is not unheard of to find well-meaning family members, friends, clinicians and the internet recommending mindfulness for every single obstacle in our lives. You want to quit smoking? try mindfulness. You want to manage your chronic pain? try mindfulness. You are struggling with eating healthy? try mindfulness.

When we sell mindfulness as a cure-all, it is normal that people would be skeptical. How can 10 minutes a day improve my quality of life when I have been struggling with depression for the past 5 months? I think that is a valid question. Similarly, if you are not skeptical and do end up trying mindfulness, you might be disappointed when you notice that the bright beautiful zen life that you were promised has not been achieved. I think we need to be way more realistic when selling the benefits of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is not beneficial to everyone. It is certainly not a cure-all solution. Furthermore, engaging with mindfulness doesn’t necessarily mean that you will lead a stress-free life. In fact, very few people ( or I dare even say no one) has a stress-free life. To live a truly stress-free life would mean that you don’t have any close connections with whom you’d experience conflict or worry about. It would mean that there is nothing important in your life that you would worry about losing. Furthermore, mindfulness is not going to cure your chronic pain or magically make your anxiety disappear.

So what’s the point of engaging with mindfulness? Mindfulness is similar to physical exercise. There is robust research literature pointing to the benefits of exercise, such as improved mood, improved cognition, improved cardiovascular functioning, improved lung functioning and etc. Now imagine that I go to the gym today. That single session at the gym is not going to improve my cognitive abilities or my cardiovascular functioning. Similarly, if I go to the gym every day but also smoke a pack of cigarettes every day, I won’t get the same benefits. Even if I exercise regularly, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will 100% prevent me from getting sick.

Mindfulness is similar. Doing a single session of mindfulness when you are stressed will not necessarily lead to relaxation. Sometimes it might but that is just the added bonus. Mindfulness is about engaging in a pattern of behaviour and developing healthy habits. This doesn’t mean that you won’t be faced with mental health struggles such as anxiety or depression. It just means that you might be better equipped at dealing with them when they do arise.

One of my favorite things about mindfulness is that when we engage with it regularly, it can provide us with a different view of the world. Mindfulness allows us to slow down, reflect on our experiences and get in touch with our inner world. That is why I find mindfulness to be an extremely powerful tool in therapy sessions and in life.

As you may have already realized, I love using metaphors when explaining concepts. I like to view our brain as a beautiful complex time machine. This is because it has the ability to transport us to the memories of the past or hopes/worries of the future. While this ability can be really helpful in allowing us to learn from our past and make plans for our future, it can also be challenging. Unfortunately, at times it can feel like we are the unwitting travellers on this journey. Have you ever found yourself in the middle of the night being transported to a time that you were hoping to forget? Or maybe you find yourself imagining the worst-case scenario? Or maybe you notice that your mind is cluttered with all your to-do lists and you can no longer find a way to quiet your mind? or maybe you are running on autopilot and unable to enjoy the little pleasures of life.

This automatic time travel can be draining. Mindfulness can allow us to get back to the present moment. Again, this doesn’t mean that we won’t experience any time travelling. It just means that we might have a better awareness of when it happens and the tools to bring ourselves to the present moment.

Word of caution: Remember how I said mindfulness is not beneficial for everyone. One thing that is rarely talked about is how mindfulness exercises such as guided meditations could worsen symptoms of some mental health conditions. For individuals who have a history of trauma or suffer from PTSD, some forms of mindfulness might not be helpful. In fact, it might worsen symptoms. For example, most guided mindfulness meditations encourage you to close your eyes and get in touch with your inner world. Sometimes when our inner world is chaotic, this type of exercise might amplify our experience. I remember that when I began mindfulness, I struggled a lot. As someone with chronic pain, focusing on my inner experience amplified my experience of pain. What I needed before engaging with mindfulness were tools to self-soothe. This is not to say that everyone with a history of trauma, PTSD or chronic medical conditions will be negatively impacted by mindfulness. In fact, mindfulness can be a powerful tool for those conditions when used appropriately. Therefore, I thought it was important to bring it up and normalize this experience.

While it is normal and expected for mindfulness to be uncomfortable at times, you want to find a balance. You can’t expect mindfulness to always be easy and relaxing but you also don’t want to experience extreme distress. If you notice that mindfulness is amplifying your symptoms and are interested in trying mindfulness, please make sure to reach out to a counsellor or a psychologist. A mental health professional could help you in finding a safe way to engage with mindfulness. I do offer counselling servies in British Columbia and you can click on this link to learn more about my services and to book a free 15 minute consultation.