Mindfulness as an escape?

[MiM]

My mind has started to tell me that I am using mindfulness and meditation as a kind of cop-out, to get away from the things in life I "should really be doing and working on". That this i completely ludicrous (for me, here and now), is something I can clearly see e.g. when I consciously look at all the the things I do and realize that I am actually getting those other things done and spending a lot more time and effort on them than on mindfulness. And that most of the time I spend on meditation is only away from idling on the internet, or sleepless ruminating in bed at night. So this is just another way my inner judge tries to hinder me from doing a thing I really enjoy and is good for me.

But the basic question still tickles my mind. When and how might mindfulness and meditation turn into an escape from reality and something that is not completely healthy anymore? Are there any telltale signs one should be aware of?

[Peter]

So this is just another way my inner judge tries to hinder me from doing a thing I really enjoy and is good for me.

Great that you've noticed it! That's your ego. Your 'awakening' threatens it's existence, so to speak.

But the basic question still tickles my mind. When and how might mindfulness and meditation turn into an escape from reality and something that is not completely healthy anymore? Are there any telltale signs one should be aware of?

I think that it isn't healthy anymore, basically when it raises pressure. If one constantly feels like one isn't doing it enough, or not good enough. When it becomes a bit obsessive. It's also a problem when one focuses too much on (tries to be aware of) a certain problem in the wrong way. One can become more identified with the problem instead of less.
I think a certain 'lightness' is very important in mindfulness (and life for that matter). Don't take anything too seriously.

[Gareth]

But the basic question still tickles my mind. When and how might mindfulness and meditation turn into an escape from reality and something that is not completely healthy anymore? Are there any telltale signs one should be aware of?

My experience has been that whenever reality is so important that it needs to be attended to, it makes itself known to me in my meditation as a nagging thought that never disappears.

I once began a program of measures that was meant to give me the best possible chance living with MS. One of the measures was (what I considered to be) a strict dietary regime. Throughout my meditations, there would be a little voice telling me that life was too short, that happiness was more important and that I should eat what I want to. Eventually (eventually!) I figured out that it was the true me that was doing the talking, and I listened to him. The relief that I felt when I finally reverted to my old way of eating was gargantuan.

[Peter]

That's a great anecdote, Gareth!