It is estimated that hundreds of millions of people around the world practice some form of mediation to enrich their lives. Some of the most common uses of meditation include reducing anxiety, falling asleep, and improving concentration. It is a little-known fact that meditation can be highly effective in reducing intense emotions such as sadness, loneliness, and self-criticism, which are strongly correlated with depression.
Misconceptions about meditation
1. “Meditation only helps with sleep, concentration, or anxiety relief.”
Correction: There is evidence that it is also effective in reducing symptoms of depression (Shapero et al., 2018). There are guided meditations specifically for relieving symptoms of depression. They may be used in addition to therapy or medication, or they may replace the need for therapy or medication in cases of short-term, mild depressive symptoms.
2. “All meditation requires concentration on a single word or phrase, or mantra.”
Correction: There are mantra meditations, including Transcendental Meditation (TM), but they are just one method of meditation. The use of TM by celebrities such as Oprah and Hugh Jackman may have led many people to believe that TM is the most common form of meditation (Schultz, 2020).
in guided meditation, concentration is directed or guided so that concentration is not required. You listen to your meditation guide and follow their suggestions on what to pay attention to.
3. “All meditation involves belief in a particular religion or culture, especially Buddhism and Hinduism.”
Correction: In my clinical experience, many people avoid meditation practices. This is because they incorrectly assume that meditation is contrary to one’s religious beliefs and practices. In reality, most meditation practices do not involve any particular religious beliefs or use religious elements. Many forms of meditation aim to improve mindfulness and concentration, but their content and themes vary widely. (Zen meditation is somewhat unique in that it focuses on emptying the mind to reach the mental state of Nirvana.)
4. “Meditation is a difficult and formal act.”
Correction: Meditation can be a formal practice, but it can also be practiced informally by anyone in a variety of settings (Schultz, 2020). Meditation is one of his ways to pay more attention to what he’s doing in the moment. For example, you can use meditation for mindful walking, mindful eating, or simply to be more present with family and friends.
5. “Meditation and mindfulness are the same thing. I’m already mindful, so I don’t get any benefit from meditating.”
Correction: Meditation is not the same as mindfulness.
Mindfulness was defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn as “the awareness that arises from paying attention intentionally, nonjudgmentally, to the present moment.” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994)
Meditation is a practice or method that can be used to increase mindfulness and presence, but also to focus on specific calming or uplifting thoughts. Focusing on these types of thoughts allows your mind to let go of self-critical, hopeless, or anxiety-provoking thoughts.
6. “Meditation doesn’t work for me.”
Correction: You probably haven’t found the type of meditation that’s right for you. Guided meditation is generally more helpful than unguided meditation, especially for beginners.
A meditation guide will walk you through the entire process, usually starting with breathing instructions and then moving on to the type of content you choose. This is where the options become diverse and allow you to customize the process.
In addition to being guided or unguided, meditation offers many different types of content. Some of the most popular content themes include body scans for relaxation, nature-inspired calming, self-acceptance for depression relief, gratitude for depression relief, and movement meditation. , spirituality/love/kindness, connection, etc.
meditation essentials
Take-out
Many people around the world now use meditation for a variety of purposes, and many more could benefit from one or more meditation practices. Most meditations do not require perfect concentration or large amounts of time. It can be used to increase mindfulness, but its potential goes far beyond that. It is calming for those who are feeling anxious and energizing for those who are depressed.
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References
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are. Mindfulness meditation in daily life. Hyperion.
NIH.gov (2020). Thinking mindfully: How mindfulness relates to rumination and contemplation in everyday life – PubMed (nih.gov)
Schultz, J. (2020). 5 differences between mindfulness and meditation. Source: https://positivepsychology.com/differences-between-mindfulness-meditation/
Shapero, B.G., Greenberg, J., Pedrelli, P., de Jong, M., and Desbordes, G. (2018). Mindfulness-based interventions in psychiatry. Focus (American Psychiatric Press), 16(1), 32-39.
