Mindfulness Meditation: Challenges + Myths
By Dr. Anna Enright, DNP, PCNS-BC
“I know it’s supposed to be good for me, but I just can’t meditate.
My brain is too busy.
I get too restless.
How can I quiet my mind when there is so much noise around me?
I fall asleep every time!
I need that anxious energy to get things done…to perform…to not lose my edge…”
If you have had these thoughts when you tried to start a meditation practice, you are not alone. The truth is most people do. Let’s unpack the challenges and myths of starting a meditation practice.
What We Know about the Benefits of Meditation in Athletes
Incorporating mindfulness meditation into daily life can lead to profound benefits for both mental and physical health. A mindfulness practice promotes greater overall well-being and quality of life.
For athletes, mindfulness has numerous benefits. A mindfulness approach and practice can:
Improve Stress: Athletes face immense pressure to perform. This can lead to stress and anxiety. Mindfulness practices can help athletes manage stress more effectively by cultivating present-moment awareness and promoting relaxation. Mindfulness meditation helps reduce stress by increasing resilience to stressors. It allows individuals to respond to stressful situations with greater calmness and clarity.
Improve Focus and Concentration: Regular meditation practice enhances attention and concentration by training the mind to stay present and focused on the task at hand (next climb, next sequence etc.). These skills are crucial for optimal performance in sports. By training the mind to remain present and attentive, athletes can better respond to the demands of competition.
Enhanced Mental Resilience: Building mental resilience is essential for athletes to navigate challenges, setbacks, and injuries. Mindfulness practices can strengthen mental resilience by promoting acceptance, adaptability, and the ability to bounce back from adversity (an example of this might be letting go of a mistake and refocusing on the next climb).
Injury Prevention: Mindfulness practices can heighten body awareness, enabling athletes to detect subtle signals of fatigue or discomfort that may precede injuries. By tuning into their bodies, athletes can take proactive measures to prevent injuries and optimize recovery.
Better Decision Making: Mindfulness cultivates clarity of mind and emotional regulation, which can improve athletes' decision-making abilities under pressure. By making more deliberate and strategic choices, athletes can optimize their performance and outcomes.
Improve Sleep: Practicing mindfulness meditation can improve sleep quality by enhancing relaxation and promoting a sense of inner peace and calmness before bedtime.
The Challenges of Starting a Mindfulness Practice
Starting a mindfulness meditation practice can be rewarding, but like any new habit, it comes with its challenges and misconceptions. Two big roadblocks include managing our expectations and finding a time that works in our busy schedules. For some, sitting even for a few minutes feels impossible.
Making it a Habit
The research around habit formation recommends attaching a new habit to something you are already doing. What I often encourage people to do is to find a few minutes before bed. Shutting down electronics and taking 5-10 minutes to settle the body and the mind is a great routine to establish before sleep. Most people think you need to set aside lots of time to meditate. The truth is that even a few minutes a day can be helpful. Consistency is more important than how long you sit.
Integrating Small Mindfulness Pauses with your Athletes
Coaches can integrate a few minutes of mindfulness practice by instructing the athletes to turn the focus inward and do a quick check in on the state of the mind, the body, and the heart at the beginning, middle or end of practice. Try a minute at each juncture and have athletes notice what has changed. Remind the athletes that whatever they notice is fine.
Often there is a belief of “doing it wrong”. “I can’t shut my thoughts down. My brain is too busy” There is no way to practice mindfulness and do it wrong. The practice is simply showing up, noticing what’s going on in the moment and noting it without judging ourselves . Building this skill can have a deep impact on increasing awareness, strengthening focus, and cultivating a kinder inner coach. (Check out a script at the end of the article).
My Mind is Too Busy. I Can’t Sit Still.
Another challenge as one begins to sit in meditation is noticing a restlessness and impatience with the self. The mind may seem to be way busier than one expected. This is all normal. One common myth is that meditation involves completely emptying the mind. Good luck with that!! Our mind thinks just like our heart beats. That is what it does. We can’t fight biology! What we can do is learn to notice the thoughts and not get caught up in the stories of the mind. An analogy that I find helpful is walking behind a big waterfall and watching the water cascading down. You are not in the water getting pummeled by it, you are noticing the water, how it falls, the droplets, the power etc. Now think of your thoughts as the water. Can you notice them just come and go without getting owned by them? In meditation we notice what the mind is up to but instead of getting caught, we gently redirect our attention back to the point of focus we chose to practice with. This is typically our breath, but it can be the physical sensations in the body, sounds or repeating some kind words to ourselves.
Athlete Concerns about Losing their Edge
A common concern I hear from athletes is that they will lose their edge if they meditate.
Many athletes thrive on intense training and competitions. They may worry that meditation could make them too mellow, leading to a decrease in the intensity necessary for peak performance. Some may view meditation as a non-traditional practice and worry that embracing it could put them at a disadvantage. Other athletes associate meditation with relaxation and worry that it might diminish their competitive drive or killer instinct. They may fear becoming too laid-back or passive.
I Don’t Want to Start Something New in the Middle of the Season
Like any new training method, there may be concerns about how long it will take to adapt to meditation and whether there will be a temporary dip in performance during this adjustment period. Athletes are often focused on tangible outcomes and results. They may be hesitant to invest time and energy in mindfulness practices if they are uncertain about the direct impact on their performance or competitive edge.
Striking a Balance
It's essential for athletes to strike a balance between their physical training and mental well-being. Incorporating mindfulness practices into their routines doesn't necessarily mean sacrificing their competitive edge. Instead, it complements the physical training by enhancing mental resilience, focus, and overall performance.
Athletes can experiment with different mindfulness techniques to find what works best for them, whether it's meditation, deep breathing exercises, visualization, or mindful movement. Ultimately, the key lies in recognizing that mental and physical aspects of performance are intertwined. Embracing mindfulness can empower athletes to cultivate a holistic approach to their training and competition, thereby maximizing their potential in sport and other areas of their lives.
3 Minute Breathing Space Script
The 3-minute breathing space provides a way to step out of automatic pilot mode and connect with the present moment. The thing to remember is to maintain awareness in the present moment. Nothing else.
1. “WHAT IS HAPPENING?” - AWARENESS
Bring yourself into the present moment by deliberately adopting an attentive posture. If possible, closing your eyes, then asking:
What is my experience right now?
in thoughts...
in feelings...
body sensations...
(What are you saying to yourself)
(Like, don’t like, neutral, upset, excited, etc.)
(What sensations, tightness, holding is happening in your body)
Acknowledging and registering your experience, even if it is unwanted.
2. BREATH - DIRECTING ATTENTION
Then, gently redirecting full attention to breathing, to each inbreath and to each outbreath as they follow, one after the other.
Your breath can function as an anchor to bring you into the present and help you tune into a state of awareness and stillness.
3. BODY - EXPANDING ATTENTION
Expanding the field of your awareness around and beyond your breathing, so that it includes a sense of the body as a whole, your posture, and facial expression. As best you can, bringing this expanded awareness to the next moments of your day.
Adapted from Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy by Segal, Williams, Teasdale (2002)
