The Forgotten and Challenging Component of Mindfulness: Non-Judgment
You have probably heard many times how practicing mindfulness can benefit your life and well-being. Maybe you have seen a social media post, heard it from a friend, or been told to try in counselling. Mindfulness has been proven to help with many conditions such as stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, burnout, substance use, and addiction. Mindfulness is also one of the main components of many therapeutic interventions used in counselling and psychological sciences today. But what 'really' is mindfulness and how can the struggle of properly participating nonjudgmentally hinder your success?
To begin with, what is mindfulness? Mindfulness is a type of meditation that focuses on bringing awareness to what you are sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Mindfulness is rooted in Buddhist culture has more recently made its way in our Western world. In today’s society mindfulness is seen in the treatment of a variety of conditions in both healthy and unhealthy people, as well as in the everyday practice of yoga, meditation, and mindful movement. Mindfulness is considered a cognitive skill in that everyone is innate to and born with but, not everyone knows how to access it. One of the biggest challenges for individuals who try to incorporate mindfulness is the ability to be non-judgmental of their thoughts and feelings. Practicing mindfulness non- judgmentally is one of the key components of mindfulness. Which means observing your experiences without labeling them as good or bad, right or wrong, positive and negative. Non- judgment is instead of reacting to your thoughts and feelings with criticism or judgment, you simply acknowledge them and let them be.
Why is non-judgment so crucial?
1. Reduces Self-Criticism: As we judge our thoughts and feelings, we often judge ourselves as our own worst critic which can lead to increased perfectionism The increased self-criticism can usually lead to feelings of inadequacy, non-acceptance, and invalidation. As we learn to approach ourselves with kindness and compassion, we learn to recognize that it's okay to have negative thoughts and emotions; they are a natural part of the human experience.
2. Increases Self-Compassion: As we practice mindfulness, we begin to recognize that we are all deserving of experiencing pain, sadness, defeat, and other negative emotions and that we can learn to acknowledge these emotions without exaggerating or dismissing it.
3. Enhances Emotional Regulation: Judging our emotions can amplify their intensity and increase any negative emotional or behaviours response. For example, acknowledging a feeling of frustration would help one break a cycle of frustration coming from being frustrated about one thing, leading to being frustrated about being frustrated, and so on.
4. Encourages Acceptance: Non-judgmental mindfulness promotes acceptance of our current state, emotions, and feelings. Unfortunately, we are all going to experience negative emotions and feelings and might find ourselves asking “But what is difficult about that mindset is that often when we fall into not accepting our feelings and emotions it becomes difficult to fully let go. As we allow ourselves permission to feel non- judgmentally and accept the feelings and ourselves as we are, we validate ourselves to move through and let go of these moments.
The two most effective ways to improve practicing mindfulness non-judgmentally is to remind yourself to practice regularly and be kind to yourself through the learning process. With most skills, learning to do something comes with practice. Try aiming to set aside time each day for mindfulness exercises, such as meditation, mindful breathing, or mindful movement. Remember that your practice does not have to be perfect or the same. Allow yourself to learn through your practice and try new mindfulness activities and exercises to see what works best for you. Lastly, remember that it is completely natural for the mind to wander, judge, and even go blank. When it happens, gently bring your focus back to the present moment without self-criticism, or judgment, focus on acknowledging this, and then bring yourself back to the present moment with breath