If you follow us, or many other therapists on social media, you will see “mindfulness” mentioned with great regularity.

What does mindfulness really mean? What is it for? Basically, it is paying attention to your senses and feelings in a curious, non-reactive, still and compassionate way.

In some aspects, mindfulness is viewed as a method to become more self-assured, relaxed, focused, happy and healthy, and so on. All of this can be true. Is that all, though?

I’m not being dismissive of mindfulness, that would be terribly hypocritical in a post titled “Mindfulness Monday”! However - as part of our own mindful journey, we also have to examine if we only want to do it to benefit ourselves, or whether we want to also be more aware of ourselves in order to be more compassionate to others.

The western view of all things mindful (as of all things spiritual/emotional etc.) always walks the tightrope of COMMODITY. Turning a beneficial practice into a product or, can I say it, hipster. Just one more thing to add to the pile-on of “things I’m meant to be doing to keep up with others.”

At it’s heart, mindfulness aimed to achieve 3 things: wisdom, right-living, focus. As a whole, we can tend to view mindfulness as I’ve mentioned above, a concept for better health and happiness. If that’s what you get out of it, great. But this is a fringe benefit, not the purpose. Our cultural tendency is to do these things in a way that doesn’t disrupt our values or traditions, or make us question our feelings on personal rights, consumption, individuality, or if we want to be really honest, our selfishness.

“Mindfulness is not magical thinking.”

So yes, be mindful. Pay attention to what makes you tick, it’s important. Realise this: mindfulness is not magical thinking, a self-improvement cure-all pill. Don’t avoid being mindful, or pretend everything is fine, but acknowledge that it is warts ‘n’ all, hard and dirty work sometimes! It is not something that exists in a vacuum, because as human beings, WE don’t exist in isolation either. Life is about interconnection, relationship, a bigger thing than just us. Self-awareness needs to breed others-awareness.

Absolutely know yourself. But don’t stop there.