Mindfulness. One of the biggest buzz words within the world of Mental Health. You go to a doctor to talk to them about Mental Health and they will hit you with the medication/mindfulness combination. Its the art of being “mindful” of your current situation and calmly reminding yourself that it’s not all bad and using meditation to figure out an answer for your problems. It’s become quite the phenomenon with Mindfulness groups, apps, and websites. All different ways to consume this seemingly in-fashion remedy for the brain.

However the people I have spoken to, whether it be in focus groups or just personally - the Mindfulness suggestion has become quite the irritant. The thought of meditation and training your brain isn't something that appeals to everyone - but it is one of the most advised methods by doctors on how to deal with mental health issues. However, it did work for me, well in a way... let me explain...

Back in my early 20's, I was in a very bad way mentally. I couldn't see a way out and I was stuck in this huge rut. One of my close friends was finding luck in Buddhism and that sort of Eastern philosophy. So I gave it a go. I found an e-book called Buddhism for Bros (yup) and I gave it a go. Don't let the hilarious name fool you, this book explained the mantras and philosophies of Buddhism in a very westernised and relatable way. It taught me how Buddhists meditate and that they see the vibrations in every single object. I went down quite the spiritual rabbit hole for at least a year.

I delved more into Buddhism, read a lot of books about Taoism and took all the teachings from these religions that resonated with me - and transformed it into new thought processes and a whole new way of seeing the world. These are still thought processes that I use every day. I now looked at the world in a completely different way. Not just the way I handled bad mental health - but I also now had a high level of patience, a bigger interest in other people, and most importantly a major understanding of keeping calm.

Even though I stumbled through this process by picking pieces from different teachings and squashing it into something that worked for me, this is basically what Mindfulness or CBT is. Mindfulness is basically a westernised Buddhism streamlined into a neat little product that can make money.

Well, that’s how I feel about it anyway. The process works, but   find the whole MINDFULNESS branding to be a bit extreme and I know it puts people off. But then again, I don’t think “The Art Of Relaxing Your Mind And Thinking Your Problem Over With Common Sense” is as catchy...