Can you have too much mindfulness?

Post here if you have been practising for a while, and you are starting to get your head around what this is all about. Also post here if you are a long-term practitioner with something to say about the practice.
mightywindr
Posts: 67
Practice Mindfulness Since: 10 Oct 2015

Tue Nov 24, 2020 12:04 am  

I actually made myself depressed badly depressed by doing it wrong, quality is an important thing to consider, more is better, but not if its low quality. Know when to stop, if you are not doing it well its better to stop and come back to it much later on.

JonW
Team Member
Posts: 2897
Practice Mindfulness Since: 08 Dec 2012
Location: In a field, somewhere

Tue Nov 24, 2020 6:26 am  

What do you mean by doing it wrong, mightywindr? There's no such thing as a 'bad' meditation. If you're paying attention, then you are paying attention. The same applies whether you are feeling relaxed or whether your mind is all over the place. That just happens to be where your mind is at. If you notice that your mind is wandering 100 times during a 30 minute meditation, that doesn't make it a 'bad meditation'. It just means that you noticed your wandering mind 100 times and brought your attention back to your anchor 100 times.
We can only be mindful in the moment.
Jon
Jon leads the Everyday Mindfulness group meditation on Zoom every Monday/Friday, 6pm London-time. FREE.
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mightywindr
Posts: 67
Practice Mindfulness Since: 10 Oct 2015

Tue Nov 24, 2020 12:24 pm  

JonW wrote:What do you mean by doing it wrong, mightywindr? There's no such thing as a 'bad' meditation. If you're paying attention, then you are paying attention. The same applies whether you are feeling relaxed or whether you mind is all over the place. That just happens to be where your mind is at. If you notice that your mind is wandering 100 times during a 30 minute meditation, that doesn't make it a 'bad meditation'. It just means that you noticed your wandering mind 100 times and brought your attention back to your anchor 100 times.
We can only be mindful in the moment.
Jon



I tried really hard in an unskillful way lots of mind use negative emotion and resistance so the opposite of what im meant to be doing which is the tendency , and usually I get happier but a few days ago all the extra mind use made me depressed lol, but its ok I am trying with more skill and much less mind use and im feeling better and making progress. When you want this bad and you dont apply good enough skill, you can make your emotional state worse than normal/natural, but its only temporary.

Dont worry its all fixed im at a beer level atm I can always keep my buzz going all day and I can get happy at will if I do a more concentrated effort , im well on my way prob wont need help much longer

Cheers brother!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mightywindr
Posts: 67
Practice Mindfulness Since: 10 Oct 2015

Tue Nov 24, 2020 1:06 pm  

A joke for you Jon W

Noob: "Im getting depressed"

Meditation teacher: "Thats good!" (In Homers voice)

https://youtu.be/Krbl911ZPBA

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