Is Meditation Self-Help Bullshit?

Are you wasting your time,
meditating monkey?

A recent article by Virginia Heffernan in the New York Time Magazine is excoriating the gradual westernization of mindfulness meditation, demonizing this trend as somehow running counter to the essence of this ancient practice.  I think at the heart of this article is a desire to protect people from self-help snake oil but there is a palpable vibe in the article of an anti-self-help bias that is unfortunate.

As I've discussed before, our attitudes about change influence our ability to change.  So, while I agree with Ms. Heffernan that self-help advice should be evaluated critically, binning the entire self-help movement as bullshit isn't helping anyone either.

In this context, I can't help but reevaluate the purpose of mindfulness meditation (and mindfulness, in general).  Is mindfulness mediation useful? 

As someone who has practiced mindfulness meditation as an attempt to manage stress, I have concluded that meditation is simply a concerted effort to implement a reappraisal of bad thoughts.  Specifically, it has been suggested that rumination, or the endless replay of negative thinking, may contribute to depression.  Cognitive reappraisal is a well-known approach for dealing with a number of negative or disruptive thoughts and meditation is just a practiced form of this.  In the mindfulness meditation style I have tried, namely Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction popularized by Jon Kabat-Zinn, one reappraises negative thoughts as "thoughts", taking a meta-level view of them and partitioning them as something distinct from our experiencing mind.

Personally, this makes sense to me.  Just as I wouldn't accept the self-help advice of some rando, I am not going to trust that my automatic catastrophizing about the world is based on fact.  During mindfulness meditation, I am taking a skeptical stance toward my own worries and recognizing them for what they are: worries, not reality.  Ultimately, the proof is in the pudding when it comes to the value of mindfulness meditation.  If it helps someone cope with the challenges of life, then great.  We should all be active participants in our own mental health, experimenting with approaches until we get results.

In this way, stress management is like exercise.  Is one form of exercise better than another?  Is meditation better than a book club?  The answer is: it depends.  It depends on who is doing it, whether they enjoy it and whether they stick with it.  If the answer to these questions is "yes", then the long term outcome is likely to be positive.

The Mental Reboot Script

Time to reboot.

There's no way around it - the grind has been grinding you down.  You're tired, you're stressed, your motivation is low.  Sometimes life can be really tough and, lately, life has been really tough.

But bad times ebb and flow, come and go.  Sometimes things are tough, other times things are great.  Perhaps the tough times seem to happen more than the good times, but it's hard to know for sure.  When you're stressed it's difficult to keep perspective.

Situations can change though, and situations change faster if you make an effort to move forward, to make progress.  Who cares if you only make a little change today for the better?  At least it's a step in the right direction.  One small change to make life better is all you need to feel some hope.  Who knows?  Maybe this is the beginning of a period of incredible success.  Until you get started, you'll never know.

So get focused.  Don't let all the nagging stressors creep into your mind all at once.  You can only do one thing at a time.  Just pick something to do that would make a difference in your life and start working on it.  Pick something small, manageable and doable and just get it done.  No more worrying about picking the perfect thing to do, just trust your instincts and make progress.  Block out all other intruding worries and attack that one thing that will make you feel the most accomplished.

Oh, and please? Give yourself a break when you're done?  In order to make real, lasting progress you're going to want to stick to your goals.  Most things that need to be done take some time to happen, so let's not burn out.  After a full day of focused effort, you deserve to relax, rest and recover.  Your brain is an organ and a day of hard work is like a mental workout: you need some recovery time to be ready for the next day.

And while we're on the topic, don't lose sight of all the good stuff you have going on.  There are things that bring you joy even if they are little, simple things like McDonald's breakfast sandwiches.  Look around and remind yourself about a few things that make life fun and enjoyable.

Feeling better?  Good.  But, don't beat yourself up about getting down in the dumps from time to time.  It happens to everyone.  The important thing is to keep an eye on those nasty thoughts and be sure to reboot when things get out of hand.

7 Free Guided Relaxation Sessions

Just relax.

When work and life stress increases, I tend to get into a state of feeling like I always have to be "on".  It's at these times, when things get really complicated, that I find it hard to know when it's O.K. to relax, unwind and let go of all the worries.

When I'm "on", the last thing I can do is relax.  I'm just too jacked up on an adrenaline-laced need to get shit done that when I sit down and try to unwind, I end up getting more frustrated because I just can't come down.  More frustration and I'm even less likely to relax: the stress goes through the roof.

For me, I've found that relying on guided meditations increases the likelihood that I'll be able to relax successfully, because it takes the pressure off of me to think about how to relax: someone has done all the work for me.  I highly recommend using guided relaxation sessions, especially when you're really having a hard time calming down.

I've personally listened to the following free, guided meditations and can vouch for the quality.  I also selected the following because they promote many of the concepts outlined in The Relaxation Response, a classic in the science of relaxation, especially passiveness and a focus on breathing.

Try them out!  I always feel so relaxed after doing any of these.  Hopefully you'll find they work for you.

From Diana Winston of the UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center:
1. 19 minutes - Mindful meditation with instructions
2. 12 minutes - Body, breath and sound mindfulness
3. 7 minutes - Meditation for working with difficulties
4. 10 minutes - Empathy and compassion

From Duke University's Student Health Resources:
1. 19 minutes - Progressive deep muscle relaxation
2. 20 minutes - Basic meditation exercise
3. 10 minutes - Quick, relaxing meditation

On again, off again

Smug monkey?

I've been all meta-focused: you know, focused on focusing?  And, I've come up with a little hypothesis.  Specifically, if I want to be as awesome as possible at my job, focus isn't just a matter of more is better.  Oh no, no, no, web-buddy. The name of the game is to attain an intensity of focus that is just right for the task: the Goldilocks Zone.... I couldn't come up with a better name.

I mean, sometimes we want to be a laser: when we're doing fine-motor work, or reading, for example.  During these activities, we want to pay some serious attention, because a wandering mind is a liability.  I've already talked about my experience with a wandering mind during fine-motor work, but I think more of us can relate to the effects of a wandering mind when we're reading: that sort of weird, absent-minded state where we "read" a whole lot of material, and then realize that we actually processed zero information.  I've had a similar thing happen to me when I'm driving where I won't remember much of the drive... What is up with that?!

However, at other times, we want our minds to wander.  A wandering mind is the kindling of the creative process.  (Nice metaphor, huh?) When we're trying to deal with complex decisions, or come up with new and inspired ideas, it's time to get our day-dream on.  It's in this state-of-mind where we incorporate all information at our disposal and we stumble on new ways of thinking about big-picture stuff.

Passive

I can't sleep!

OK, today's the day: we've dedicated a whole week to crafting the ultimate pre-sleep routine.  We've got all the elements we need to get to sleep faster and stay asleep longer.  However, we actually haven't talked about the most critical step of all: falling asleep.  Our routine prepares us to sleep, but what do we do in that final, critical moment when it's just us and our thoughts?  Well, we actually want to do nothing at all; but that can sometimes be very hard.

Previously on The Happy Homunculus, we tried a series of relaxation challenges during the Week of Relaxation.  On the second day, we went through the exercise of being as "Passive" as possible.  In that post, I argued that the last thing we should try to do when we're trying to relax is to, well, try at all. Phew.  Trying is the most counter-productive thing we can do during relaxation.  Similarly, trying to sleep is a contradiction - trying requires energy, effort and focus.  To sleep, we must let go.

So, today, let's revisit the Passive challenge and apply that mindset in the minutes leading up to sleep.

Passive

Task: Lie passively in bed in the moments leading up to sleep.

Info: Close your eyes and let go. Thoughts will come in and out of your mind - this is fine! But, whenever you find yourself wandering, gently return to a more passive state. The key is to not try but to let go.  If your problem is too much thinking, gently label the process "thinking" and move slowly to observing your breathing or the smoothness of the sheets.  Be mindful of your surroundings as an alternative to thought.  If thoughts keep creeping in, be patient and continue to return to a more passive state.  Finally, if you start to get frustrated with your lack of sleepiness, get up and start your bedtime routine again.  Return to bed when you feel sleepy again.

Goal: Maximize the feeling of passivity.

I find that practicing mindfulness meditations help me develop the state of mind needed to let go.  Check out these great guided meditations from UCLA's Mindfulness Education Program for some tips on how to approach passivity.  Good luck!

Further Reading
- Who needs The Happy Homunculus when we have Yahoo Answers' guide to sleep?
- Listen to the Mayo Clinic: Don't try too hard!
- It's not just me: other people think thinking is over-rated.
- Finally, thinking: bad for sleep and feeling good!

Stream of Consciousness

Feeling the Flow. 

The Week of Flow is coming to a close, and to celebrate another productive Week of Metacognition, we're going to get a bit philosophical.  We've been slowly challenging our assumptions about the types of activities that can get us into the zone.  Today, we're going to look within, and turn the very act of introspection into a Flow Experience.  It's time to open a can of Flow on your Homunculus.

I know I've been like a broken record this week, each day rehashing the three critical components that produce flow.  But I'm going to do it one last time.  The requirements for a flow-experience are: a well-defined goal, feedback, skill-appropriate challenge.  I also know that I've been a broken record this week for another reason, pushing the notion that any activity can be a flow activity.  We've progressed from squeezing flow from a chore, to wringing flow from our to-do list, to crafting an entire day as one, long flow-experience.  Let's push this point even more, shall we?

I'm not trying to be clever here, I really believe that any task can be thought of as a "game" and, in this way, can be magically transformed into a flow experience.  All we need to do is be creative about setting some clear, skill-appropriate goals and paying attention to our progress.  We can do it with chores, we can do it with work, and... 

...dramatic pause...

...We can do it with our own thinking.  You read me right: the act of metacognition itself can be a flow experience.  If you can convince yourself of this, and actually apply the principles of flow to your thinking, you will never be bored again!  Really, this is what meditation is all about - looking at the act of sitting and thinking as a new challenge.  But, it doesn't stop with meditation.  We can set metacognitive goals for ourselves each day (which is what The Happy Homunculus is all about *wink) and we can self-monitor to get a sense of our progress.  Instant flow!

That is your challenge for today.  Craft a "thinking goal" for yourself today and get after it!

Stream of Consciousness

Task: Decide on a metacognitive goal for today.

Info: Don't forget the critical requirements for flow!  The most important thing to do is pick an appropriate goal. If you are a chronic worrier, then it probably isn't a reasonable goal to not worry at all for the entire day.  Instead, make your goal something you can achieve: "Monitor my own thinking and recognize times when I am worrying automatically."  You have the best sense of what an appropriate thinking goal is for yourself.  Be honest with yourself about the state of your thinking-patterns and pick something fun but challenging to change about your thinking today.

Goal: Feel the flow during thought.

Good luck - post your reaction in the comments!

Timeless

Congratulations mental athletes - we have almost completed the Week of Relaxation here at The Happy Homunculus.  Isn't it sad?  But, don't fret yet.  Before we move on to a new weekly theme, we have one more challenge that will truly test our ability to get relaxed and stay relaxed.  Consider this our relaxing final exam.  Wait, that's not a good metaphor at all...

Down

Shhh!  Don't wake my homunculus...

Shhh!  My homunculus is sleeping and I don't want to wake him...  I don't think I've ever seen him this relaxed, but this Week of Relaxation is really working!  Let's keep pushing this relaxation thing, though, shall we?  I'm going to see just how docile I can make the little guy.

This week we've been trying some meditation-inspired challenges pulled from the pages of The Relaxation Response.  So far we've found a meditation spot, done nothing, adopted a mantra, and loosened up.  Today, we're going to continue with a visualization-based challenge.  We're going to visualize sinking.

I don't know about the universality of this, but the phrase "falling asleep" is interesting, isn't it?  Why does sleeping carry with it a sense of falling?  For me, I frequently experience the distinct sensation of falling when I'm about to sleep.  Has that happened to you?  Isn't it weird?!  Today, we're going to exploit this "falling down" imagery to switch our brains into an even deeper state of relaxation.

Down

Task: Visualize sinking during 15min of meditation.

Info: The rules are the same as before: let's hit up our meditation spot, adopt a passive mentality, and start focusing in on our mantra.  Now, each time the mantra comes to mind, let's visualize sinking down into a dark, relaxing space.  I try to really picture the surfaces moving around me in a way that maximizes the effect of slow descent.  Also, I frequently cannot maintain the effort of visualization for a full 15min.  This is ok, I'll often just return to a standard meditation or open my eyes and chill out for awhile.  Remember, this should be relaxing, Okie-dokie?

Goal: Maximize the perception of descent during the meditation.

Dear Readers, writing a daily mental workout is a real mental workout!  Please show your appreciation by clicking one of the social sharing buttons at the bottom of the page... Thanks!

Heavy

My homunculus is getting so relaxed.  He has been in and out of consciousness for the past two days, which is great because I can finally get some work done!  But, I'm not finished yet: it's time to kick this Week of Relaxation into another gear.  Today we're going to add some progressive relaxation techniques to our meditation in a sort of odd, metacognitive thought sandwich.  Yum!

Mantra

During this Week of Relaxation, we're applying meditation techniques inspired by The Relaxation Response to achieve a deep state of relaxation.  Yesterday, we attempted to achieve a state of pure passiveness.  Today, we will use an age-old trick of self-distraction in order to foster an even more passive mindset: the mantra.

Passive

Doing nothing: easier said than done.

This week at The Happy Homunculus, we're trying some meditation-inspired challenges in order to foster a more relaxed mindset.  Yesterday, we picked a spot for doing meditation and lounged-about.  Today, we're going to try to trigger a solid relaxation response by adopting a particular mental attitude during meditation.  The goal?  Do nothing.

More specifically, we're going to be as passive as possible during our brief meditation.  This does not just apply to movement - of course, we will sit still during the meditation - it extends to our thinking: the goal is to reduce our mental activity as well.  Easy, right?  Wrong.  Where this gets especially hard is when we include the thought "don't think" as something to avoid. Yikes!

Let me put it this way: if our goal is to relax, "trying" to relax is likely to have the opposite effect.  I mean, we're trying!  That's different from relaxing.  The goal for today is to achieve pure passivity.  I recommend letting thoughts come and go, but gently nudging your homunculus into a state of tranquility.  Personally, I find this very, very hard.  I always feel like I should be doing something, even during meditation.  Truly letting go is something I continue to work on.  I hope you find it easier!

Passive

Task: Sit passively in your meditation spot for 15min.

Info: Close your eyes and let go.  Thoughts will come in and out of your mind - this is fine! But, whenever you find yourself wandering, gently return to a more passive state.  During the meditation, feel free to check a clock to know when you're done but try to avoid feeling like you're watching the clock.

Goal: Maximize the feeling of passivity.

Did you try this?  Share your experience with other readers in the comments!

Peace and Quiet

Some go to great lengths
to find peace and quiet.

Meditation isn't just for hippies anymore, so don't be so judgmental.  Meditation is increasingly becoming recognized as a strategy for training our minds and initiating the relaxation response.  It must be in vogue since neurojournalist-extraordinaire Jonah Leher has picked up the scent, right?  So, being the open-minded cognitive superstars that we are, we're going to be meditating this week to relax.  Are you excited to relax?  Me too: I just high-fived my homunculus...

This whole week, we're going to be applying meditation-inspired techniques to initiate a relaxation response.  For this reason, it is very important that we decide on a place where we can meditate without being disturbed.  Finding your special place is today's challenge.  Simple, right?  Then do it!

Peace and Quiet

Task: Decide on a mediation spot and sit there for 20 minutes.

Info: Finding a great place to have peace and quiet is so important.  You want to feel like you can have the privacy to zone-out and relax without being bothered.  Find a place that maximizes solitude and quiet.  I appreciate that this can be difficult for some people (city-dwellers, particular jobs) but do your best.  I used to work in a warehouse and I remember seeing some coworkers heading out to their cars for peace and quiet.  Try to be creative, but decide on a place to meditate and stick with it for the week.  And, one final thing: think about when you'll be meditating.  The challenges this week will require 20-30 minutes, so consider where and when makes the most sense to meditate.

Goal: Enjoy your meditation spot for 20min.  Don't do any fancy meditating yet.  Just sit and relax.

Also, help other readers come up with ideas by posting your where you meditate in the comments. The more creative, the better!

I hope you are enjoying The Happy Homunculus.  If you are, please show your support by subscribing to our feed or by email.  Thank you!

One Object

For the today's Daily Mind Game, we will continue our focus on focusing (meta-focusing, if you will) from yesterday.  The challenge today is entitled "One Object" and the goal is simple (but not easy): maintain focus on a single object for 15 minutes.

100 Breaths

Breath normally.

The other day, I was in the gym pumping iron, doing rep after rep of curls with the hope of trying to make my biceps as large as possible (likely a futile activity for me), when a thought occurred to me...  "Methinks," I thought, "A lot of people exercise day-in and day-out trying to be health-conscious."  My biceps were on fire, but I kept performing curls, 38... 39.... 40... 41... I also kept thinking: "But, I can't help but think about all of the minds out there that aren't getting some daily exercise.  What about our minds? We should be exercising our minds!"  A light-bulb appeared over my head, I dropped the dumbbells, and ran out of the gym.

With that thought, the Daily Mind Game was born.

Normal, physical exercise is great for our bodies and our brains.  However, normal exercise doesn't necessarily train our MIND: the software that runs on our brains.  The Daily Mind Game (DMG) will hope to fill that void by providing a small, daily mental work-out designed to test and improve some aspect of our thinking.  These fun challenges won't be traditional brain-teasers, instead they will be meta-cognitive exercises designed to target some aspect of our higher-order thinking with the goal of improving that type of thought.  Meditation-like challenges will be a frequent component of the DMG, but the sessions will include any task that develops our meta-cognitive-ninja-skillz: self-control, relaxation, empathy, motivation, etc.  The DMG will always be science-inspired and I will provide some "additional reading" if you are interested in learning more about why the DMG of the day is useful.  Should be fun!

Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I introduce the first Daily Mind Game...

100 Breaths:

The goal: count 100 breaths.

Info:  Find a quiet spot where you will have some privacy.  Just breath normally and easily.  Don't try to slow down or speed up your breathing (although, I found myself speeding up my breathing out of impatience!).  Instead, just try to observe your breathing, don't change it.  At the conclusion of each breath, increase your count.  Don't lose count, or you must start over!

Estimated time: 5-10minutes

Purpose: Build self-control, patience and control over our attention.

More and more, meditation is being recognized as a form of mental training that can lead to improvement in attention.  In this DMG, we work on focus, patience, and self-control (i.e. not giving in to boredom!).  If you want to learn more about the brain-benefits of meditation, check out these links:

http://www.pnas.org/content/104/43/17152.abstract
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100714121737.htm
http://www.spring.org.uk/2009/05/how-meditation-improves-attention.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/08/health/psychology/08medi.html

On a side note, my wife pointed out that in pilates, a session will often open with a count to 100 (called "the hundred" actually) while holding your legs in the air and pumping your arms up and down. SOOO, if someone can do that, we should be able to sit in a chair and count to 100, albeit slowly.

Links: Return to the Week of Empathy - Move to the next Daily Mind Game