The mindfulness fad seems to be losing steam.
I am always happy to see a fad die, especially when it takes something that requires practice and discipline and turns it into a few pithy words and practices that a counselor or life coach or television host can sell to you.
Don’t get me wrong, I like that so many people became accustomed with the idea of slowing down and being in the moment, but I think the fad nature of the presentation taught a shallow, temporary version of a long-term lifestyle that didn’t stick, and many people have likely moved on because mindfulness “doesn’t work”.
I encourage people to invest in a mindful life, to see mindfulness and mediation as lifestyles rather than simple practices or “life hacks”.
Being mindful isn’t some trick to escape anxiety and not be bored in class, it’s an engagement with reality that we often miss because our brains are so busy filling all empty space with thoughts and opinions and random music. A mindful lifestyle is more than simply taking note of what’s going on around us with acceptance every time a little alarm goes off on our phone, it about coming into who we really are and engaging life as it really is.
There aren’t apps that can do this for you, there is not a video on YouTube that can make it happen and anyone who promises to “give” it to you is full of shit.
Living a more mindful life is a daily and hourly and every second process. It’s a discipline, but I am not sure it is fair to call it work. It is allowing yourself to settle into what is real, without all the judgments and expectations that our mind brings to the table. It is allowing yourself to lean into every moment, no matter what it is offering, with acceptance.
It is about embracing what comes your way simply because it is coming your way.
Sometimes it is about stopping your blog where it is because Max is awake and wants to hang out.
Take a moment today and explore the difference between the situations you are in and your judgments about them.
What would things look like without the story in your head?
How would you feel without your expectations?
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