The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly of Mindfulness
A holistic look at the apps and services bringing mindfulness to the masses.
Recently I’ve taken steps to improve my self-awareness to better understand myself and those around me. I ventured into the mindfulness space during the last year to better manage the daily stressors of everyday living. While I’ve never been one to meditate, pray, or preach to others around me mindfulness felt like a more approachable transition into the larger arena of mental health.
As I started to dive deeper into mindfulness through research (books, online, conversation) and using the Headspace app, I started to understand that this concept was much more than completing a simple breathing or meditation exercise in a time of need. Rather, it’s about building the right long-term habits to better understand when and where to use these practices in dealing with the daily ebbs and flows of life. While apps like and have made mindfulness more accessible for the masses (the good) they fail to truly understand the user to create a feeling of personalization (the bad) and in turn, continue to push mindfulness as a menu of options without actually educating us around what this journey looks like and why these habits can benefit you in the long run (the ugly). This is concerning to think about especially when you consider the importance of mental health, the different lives we all lead, and the companies tasked with bringing mindfulness into our lives.
When I first started using Headspace I really didn’t know where to start. It was a late night after a stressful day at work and so I dove head first into one of their Wind Down exercises. For 10 minutes I listened to a soothing voice walk me through breathing exercises, the practice of letting go, and the idea of being present. I finished feeling rested, relaxed and ready for the next day. (spoiler alert: relaxation and mindfulness are not synonymous (Lumma, Kok, & Singer, 2015). Psychologists often erroneously assume that an explicit goal of mindfulness is relaxation (Z.E. Moore, 2016). Rather, relaxation exercises generally are change focused, with the goal of reducing tension, whereas mindfulness exercises do not aim to decrease arousal or promote relaxation (Kaufman, Glass & Pineau, 2018). “Rather, mindfulness training seeks to develop an openness and acceptance of all internal states as normal and transient” (Z.E. Moore, 2016, p. 41). I continued to use Headspace for the next few months anywhere from 10–45 minutes a night and while I started see a positive effect in my day to day I had to dive much deeper to truly understand how to use these exercises to practice correctly.
Fast forward 6 months and I’m having a hard time finding new and engaging content where I don’t have to listen to Andy Puddicombe’s same damn voice over and over again telling me to get comfortable and be present. Fortunately for Headspace, the app uses its seamless UX and pretty colors to keep pushing you down the rabbit hole, but any novice mindfulness coach or product manager knows the tools themselves are missing a key factor: “the why”.
For me “the why” for VC backed apps like Headspace and Calm is clear: The more people we can get on our app the better our bottom line looks and the more money we make. While this approach makes sense for the TikToks or DoorDashs of the world, I don’t think it’s the right approach when dealing with a very personal issue. Telling you these things shouldn’t sway you one way or another, but it should make you more mindful (no pun intended) of where this article is going. I do think there’s value in practicing mindfulness and using apps likes those mentioned above, but how many of us turn to these apps in a time of need instead of turning to them to build long-term habits? With that, I believe there’s an underlying issue here that’s not being addressed: You.
As I started to have these thoughts, I had the chance to speak with a colleague at Headspace. For purposes of this post, I’ll call her Mary Jane. After learning more about Mary Jane, her interests, and her work with Headspace a few things started to become very, very clear. Other than the fact that the company has been around since 2010, gone through a number of leadership changes, and raised over $140M over the last 12 months, I’m curious to see if they’ll prioritize individual needs and the education of mindfulness or focus more on user acquisition. My guess is the latter, but only time will tell.
As a digital product manager who always tries to understand user sentiment first and develop features or functionality second, it became clear to me that this product will only be as good as the intentions and leadership behind it. I’m a true believer in a personal mantra of mine: “Good products add value, but great products add meaning.” Unfortunately, in the world of tech, we have a lot of good products out there, but not a lot of great ones. It’s easy to slap something together and claim to be backed by data and “” (a conversation for another time), but don’t be fooled by the sexiness of these consumer facing apps. Do the research, understand the business, and know what you want to get out of them before diving in.
While my journey with mindfulness is only just beginning, I’ve started to uncover the harsh realities of the world we live in. As I continue down this path, learn more, and educate myself on aspects of sports psychology, mindfulness, and mental health, I hope to one day demystify mental wellness for the people and create something that delivers value and meaning.
If you’re reading this article and afraid of these tools, don’t be. These apps can add value, you just need to know where to look and how to use them. If you are thinking about venturing into this space, I’d highly recommend a book written by my cousin called The Everyday Gita (it’s super short). She breaks down many of life’s challenges and draws inspiration from the scriptures that serve as the basis for meditation, yoga, and spirituality. In her own words, “the text pushes us to search deep within us to find our true purpose…but it’s not an overly optimistic fairytale that simply shares the beauty of life. It acknowledges life in a blunt, realistic manner: as a journey filled with pain and suffering.”
This type of honesty, openness, and transparency in needed more in the world. I believe if you lead with empathy and focus on inspiring, educating, and informing your followers, good things will follow.
Originally published at https://www.trdadventures.com on January 14, 2021.
