**Why Authentic Mindfulness Can Be Uncomfortable at Times**
**What is your mind’s greatest deception? Making you believe you’re mindful when you’re not.**
You sit in silence, eyes shut, breathing deeply.
You feel serene, concentrated.
But are you genuinely in the moment, or merely tricking yourself into thinking so?
Mindfulness isn’t about proving something to yourself — it’s about experiencing the moment as it truly is.
Yet, your mind may be fooling you into believing you’ve mastered it.
The irony is that the more you focus on being mindful, the less mindful you truly are.
Your mind enjoys narratives, and it might be delivering a persuasive tale: that you’ve attained a level of awareness that others haven’t. But real mindfulness isn’t about achieving a status — it’s about persistently returning to presence, repeatedly.
**The Performance Trap: When Mindfulness Becomes a Display**
Envision this: You sit down to meditate, determined to remain present. But rather than simply observing your breath, your mind begins to assess:
Am I doing this correctly? Am I more mindful than I was before?
Then, another thought creeps in: I’ve really gotten skilled at this. I’m likely more mindful than the majority.
See the snare? Instead of being mindful, you’re putting on a performance.
You’ve transformed mindfulness into a contest, a method to measure yourself. But true mindfulness isn’t about being “good” at it — it’s about being in the moment, without judgment.
Consider a musician who becomes so fixated on their performance that they lose touch with the music itself.
Or a speaker who is so worried about appearing confident that they cease to genuinely engage with their audience.
Mindfulness operates similarly — the instant you concentrate on your performance, you are no longer genuinely experiencing it.
Ask Yourself: Have you ever felt pleased with how mindful you are? What impact does that sensation have on your awareness?
**False Calm: Evading Emotions in the Name of Mindfulness**
Recall a time when you faced a tough day — perhaps an argument or a pressing deadline. You tell yourself, “Remain calm. Be mindful. Let it go.” But are you genuinely confronting your emotions, or merely setting them aside?
Visualize this:
You settle down to meditate after a heated quarrel. Instead of acknowledging your anger, you instruct yourself, “I’m too mindful for this. I shouldn’t feel this way.”
Disregarding an emotion isn’t mindfulness — it’s avoidance.
Authentic mindfulness doesn’t mean eliminating tough feelings. It involves recognizing them, allowing them to exist, and understanding them without reacting.
If mindfulness is rendering you numb rather than aware, you’re not truly practicing it — you’re using it as a means of escape.
Imagine mindfulness as enduring a storm instead of seeking refuge. If you shut your eyes and convince yourself it’s not raining, you may find temporary relief, but it doesn’t alter reality. True mindfulness entails recognizing the storm, feeling the rain on your skin, and accepting that storms dissipate in their own time.
Something to Reflect On: When was the last time you utilized mindfulness to sidestep discomfort instead of confronting it? What emotions were you evading?
**The “Mindful Person” Persona: A New Ego Trap**
Do you know someone who constantly encourages others to “stay present”? Perhaps that person is you.
You’ve absorbed the literature, practiced meditation, and maybe even started advising others on mindfulness. Gradually, you begin to identify yourself as the mindful individual.
It feels rewarding. However, here lies the issue: once mindfulness integrates into your identity, it ceases to be genuine.
If you perceive yourself as mindful, you stop examining your actions. You assume you’re always self-aware. Perhaps you begin to correct others — advising a frazzled friend, “Just be mindful and let it go.” But in that instance, are you truly present, or showcasing your mindfulness proficiency?
Mindfulness is not about how you appear or sound to others. It is not about how many books you’ve read or how many hours you’ve meditated. It’s about whether, right now, in this moment, you are entirely present. And that is something that cannot be claimed or possessed — it must be experienced, moment by moment.
Analogy to Ponder: Mindfulness is akin to holding water. The moment you grip it too tightly — attempting to possess it — it slips away.
**The Unrestrained Path of Genuine Mindfulness**
So how do you remain authentically mindful? Not by enforcing it, but by recognizing when you’re being deceived.
If you find yourself thinking, “I am very mindful,” pause. Ask yourself: “Is this awareness, or is this my ego?” Just acknowledging that thought is already a step towards genuine mindfulness.
Mindfulness isn’t about feeling calm all the time. It’s about being present even when your mind is racing, even when emotions are difficult. Imagine meditating, but instead of