{"id":12366,"date":"2021-03-01T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-01T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/study-excessive-mindfulness-may-backfire\/"},"modified":"2022-10-20T04:46:55","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T08:46:55","slug":"study-excessive-mindfulness-may-backfire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/study-excessive-mindfulness-may-backfire\/","title":{"rendered":"Study: Excessive Mindfulness May Backfire"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As the stigma around mental conditions continues to decrease and holistic health approaches grow in popularity, employees demand benefits focused on decreasing stress and supporting their mental and emotional well-being. This has led many companies to include meditation and mindfulness resources in their employee wellness programs. Especially now\u2014after a stressful year full of economic and public health worries\u2014the benefits that these tools can provide may end up playing a crucial role in restoring happiness, inner peace, and focus for many individuals.<\/p>\n<p>Popular mindfulness strategies\u2014like breathing exercises, body scans (focusing on physical sensations passing from the head down to the toes), and meditation\u2014have been studied mostly for their short-term benefits. Research on some of these activities suggests that they can bring people more in touch with their emotions, expand their capacity for emotional regulation, lower levels of stress and anxiety, and improve productivity. However, knowledge about mindfulness practices is somewhat limited in scope, especially when it comes to long-term effects. In fact, a growing body of research suggests that, in some cases, mindfulness and meditation practices can actually have a negative effect on health.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/worklife\/article\/20210202-how-mindfulness-can-blunt-your-feelings-and-spike-anxiety\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recent article<\/a> for the BBC, author David Robson goes over some of the ways in which more mindfulness can actually backfire. About a quarter of regular meditators in a 2019 study reported \u201cadverse events,\u201d such as panic attacks, depression, or a sense of disassociation. The non-profit organization Cheetah House specifically offers help to \u201cmeditators in distress,\u201d and in 2020 alone over 20,000 people contacted them for their services. Willoughby Britton, a professor of psychiatry and author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S2352250X18301453\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a study<\/a> on the negative consequences of mindfulness, explains that a portion of meditators might become \u201coverly sensitized\u201d to their emotions due to an enhanced attentiveness. This results in some experiencing panic attacks. Additionally, Britton\u2019s data show that too much meditation can even negatively affect sleep quality.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSimilar to attention-enhancing drugs like coffee, Ritalin, and cocaine, meditation can increase focus and alertness,\u201d Brittan explains. \u201cBut when taken too far that can lead to anxiety, panic, and insomnia, because there is both neuroanatomical and neurochemical overlap between attention and arousal systems in the brain. You can only crank up your attention dial so far before you start feeling anxious or stop sleeping.\u201d Interestingly, Britton\u2019s studies have also shown that the same mindfulness practices can produce the exact opposite result in some individuals. By improving focus and lessening emotional reactivity, other people can become too emotionally numb and even blunt positive feelings of happiness or fulfillment.<\/p>\n<p><!--space--><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"balance-wellness-activities-in-a-holistic-program\">Balance Wellness Activities In A Holistic Program<\/h2>\n<p>Of course, this is all not to suggest that mindfulness is actually inherently bad. Like any other health or wellness practice, balance and moderation must be kept in mind as well as how you personally react\u2014mentally and physically\u2014to the practice. Consider the health crisis of physical inactivity: most people do not get enough exercise, but this problem is not solved by throwing everyone into an intensive physical fitness program. That would likely result in a lot of physical strain and injuries for anyone not at a certain fitness level. Similarly, excessive efforts to be \u201cmore aware\u201d can result in a kind of emotional strain (anxiety, insomnia, disassociation, and beyond).<\/p>\n<p>While mindfulness and meditation are trending, employers should keep in mind that they are most effective as one part of a balanced, comprehensive wellness program. Meditation and mindfulness could very well be the missing link for some people, but it is not a \u201cmagic pill\u201d to solve any and all wellness and productivity concerns. Employees should be made aware that this balance is necessary; if one doesn\u2019t encounter success when attempting mindfulness activities, that could make someone\u2019s anxiety or depression worse. It can be more discouraging if they are not aware it is perfectly normal to experience opposite outcomes in their emotional and mental wellness. Instead of \u201ctrying harder,\u201d these employees need to know that they may be doing too much and may need to try something else entirely.<\/p>\n<p><!--space--><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"consider-alternative-personalized-approaches\">Consider Alternative, Personalized Approaches<\/h2>\n<p>Much like the way different diets and exercise programs result in different impacts for different people, mindfulness techniques also require an individualized approach. Traditional practices like meditation, body scans, journaling, and breathing exercises might not work for someone\u2014and that\u2019s okay. When it comes to improving awareness, lessening emotional reactivity, and boosting focus, sometimes these techniques just do not help; for some, other activities (like exercising) are what ultimately improve their mental and emotional health.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, there are also plenty of alternative methods for employees to practice being mindful or contemplative. These include activities that focus on things outside of the body (like keeping fresh flowers or reading), avoiding self-criticism, and cultivating compassion for others. While not traditional or as popular, these techniques may work better for certain individuals. By providing a variety of ideas and information on ways to be mindful, employers can easily encourage employees to find the strategy that best suits them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a stressful year full of economic and public health worries, employees are seeking benefits focused on decreasing stress and supporting mental well-being. While mindfulness techniques are trending, employers should keep in mind that they are most effective as one part of a balanced, comprehensive wellness program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12367,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holistic-workplace-wellness"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.6 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Study: Excessive Mindfulness May Backfire | Wellable<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After a stressful year full of economic and public health worries, employees are seeking benefits focused on decreasing stress and supporting mental well-being. 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