Mindfulness has become a buzzword both in world of mental health & performance psychology. There are a lot of resources out there that can get overwhelming and confuse rather than teach. To bring some clarity on how to become more mindful, we’ve debunked a few of the more well-tread myths of mindfulness:

Myth 1: Mindfulness is about always staying in the present.

Always being the present is not really possible given the nature of our minds. Our brains are naturally wired to always be on the lookout for, and detect, threat. Rather than always attending to the present, the practice of mindfulness is more about noticing. It is about building the awareness to notice when our minds are ruminating on worry or wandering into a spiral, catching yourself, and bringing it back to the present moment.

Myth 2: Mindfulness is about being able to change a thought or feeling.

One of the key foundations of mindfulness is acceptance. Rather than trying to change a thought or feeling, if we can accept it as it is, we can create the sense of being able to look at it in a different way. When we judge a thought or emotion and become connected to it or resist it, we actually can cause more suffering. When it comes to mindfulness and acceptance, stick to the quote, “If you can name it, you can tame it.”

Myth 3: Meditation and mindfulness are the same thing.

This is a big one that gets brought up A LOT in conversations about mindfulness. While meditation is a great way to practice mindfulness, it is more of a cousin than one in the same. In order to practice mindfulness, you do not need to be a meditator. Mindfulness practice really is just about returning to the present moment. That can happen when you’re walking outside. It can happen when you’re scrolling through the news. It’s just noticing what you’re doing in the present moment without judgment.