Is mindfulness for me?
If you’re thinking about trying a mindfulness course for the first time, perhaps because you’ve heard it can help with things like stress, anxiety, depression or your well-being more generally, you may be wondering if it’s right for you.
While our courses have been created for everyday use, rather than in a healthcare setting, there are some factors and situations which need to be considered to ensure you can benefit fully from them. We outline some of these here.
Here at Oxford Mindfulness, our courses – with the exception of MBCT for Depression – have been created for use in everyday life, rather than in a clinical or healthcare setting. The evidence around the benefits of our courses is based on research involving the general public. However, that doesn’t mean they’re always suitable for everyone.
The people who took part in the research were carefully selected to make sure there weren’t any factors which may have made it difficult, or even unsafe, for them to take part in the mindfulness course. Likewise, when you register for one of our courses, you’ll be asked some questions to make sure the course is likely to be beneficial for you at this time.
There may be some circumstances when we suggest that you consider waiting a while to take the course, or that you explore other options, including more specialist mindfulness-based programmes designed for people experiencing specific difficulties, or that you seek support from a doctor or mental health professional.
Of course, everyone’s situation is slightly different and we encourage you to contact us if, after reading the information below, you have any concerns or questions about the suitability of the course for you.
Factors which could limit or prevent you from benefitting from a mindfulness course
Current / recent depression
If you’re currently depressed, to such an extent that it’s difficult for you to manage your everyday life, it’s probably not the right time for you to do a mindfulness-based course for the general public.
We know from experience that people joining our courses need to be reasonably well. The course involves some taught practices and exercises as well as daily home practice that can be challenging if your mood, motivation and energy are low.
If you have previous experience of depression, or are currently experiencing an episode of mild-moderate low mood, a mindfulness-based course might be suitable for you, but we would welcome a discussion with you about this before joining the course.
Please note: We offer 8-week MBCT for Depression courses in collaboration with the Nottingham Centre for Mindfulness (located within the UK National Health Service), who have been providing MBCT to people accessing their clinical services since 2007. Their mindfulness teachers offer this intervention in a wide range of clinical settings.
The Nottingham Centre courses are suitable for those with a history of depression, or who are currently experiencing an episode of mild-moderate low mood and is open to residents living in the UK who are registered with a GP and who aren’t currently under the care of secondary care/specialist mental health services, e.g. referred by a GP psychological well-being services, community mental health teams (CMHTs), or other services.
Recent bereavement
If you’ve recently lost someone close to you, it’s helpful to give yourself some time before starting a mindfulness course.
While everyone’s experience of bereavement is different, the space that opens up when practising mindfulness may offer a chance for any strong emotions to ‘bubble up’, and even overwhelm. It can also be difficult to recognise and work with pre-existing and more longstanding habits of mind when grief or other emotions are present.
Please let us know about any recent bereavement on your application form, and we may be in touch to discuss this with you.
Current stressful life events
Taking a mindfulness course, strange though it may sound, can at times be quite challenging. In addition to the weekly sessions and, in some cases, a ‘Day of Practice’, you will be encouraged to do daily practices which take about an hour each day in total. These include using recordings of guided practices for you to follow, as well as bringing a mindful approach to everyday activities.
If you’re experiencing, or have recently experienced significant life events such as pregnancy or birth of a baby, job loss, moving home, relationship breakdown, bereavement etc., adding a mindfulness course to the mix may be an additional ‘stress’ to navigate, or create space for any stressful or challenging experiences to leave you feeling overwhelmed.
Please let us know about any life events you have recently experienced, or are currently experiencing on your application form so we can help you assess if this is the right time.
Insulin-dependent diabetes
During periods of meditation the body may become relaxed and, for some people, over time, meditation reduces stress. This may, in turn, have an effect on blood glucose and insulin requirements and may potentially result in a need for adjustments to patterns of insulin administration and dosage.
Please let your doctor or other healthcare professional know that you are doing the course and discuss this with them.
Alcohol and drug use
Taking part in mindfulness meditation practices and other activities is a fundamental part of any mindfulness-based course, and is a key factor in any change you might see as a result of joining a course.
These practices and exercises happen both within each taught session, and with up to an hour of ‘home practice’ per day. It’s essential that you engage in home practice when your physical and mental state is not impaired by recreational drugs or alcohol.
If you’re drinking a lot of alcohol or using other drugs, please consider carefully whether you’ll be able to fully engage with the exercises when you’re not under the influence of alcohol, drugs or their after-effects. If this is likely to be difficult for you then the course will not be suitable for you at this time.
Mania, suicidal thoughts and self-harm
Our mindfulness-based courses are not suitable for you if:
- You’ve experienced a manic or hypomanic episode in the past six months
- You’re currently self-harming
- You’re currently experiencing suicidal thoughts
It’s not that mindfulness will not be helpful for you if you are experiencing these challenges – in fact, we know it might very well be, but it would need to be delivered in a group led by a specialist who can fully support you.
If you’re feeling suicidal, we’d strongly recommend you speak to your doctor or another mental health professional as we’re unable to give specific advice or support to those with individual mental health problems.
Ongoing psychological treatment
Our mindfulness-based courses are intended to support you in developing skills, understanding and experience to manage life’s ups and downs. While this may feel ‘therapeutic’, they’re not ‘therapy’.
And while our courses aren’t therapy, it can be confusing or impractical to engage in a mindfulness course if you’re also receiving some form of psychological therapy or treatment at the same time.
If you’re receiving some form of therapy or other psychological intervention, we ask that you discuss with your therapist or therapeutic professional whether it is the right time for you to be joining a mindfulness-based course. We will also check in with you about this.
Other additional needs or requirements
If there’s anything else you believe would be useful for us to know about in terms of your previous experiences, psychological, emotional or physical restrictions or disabilities, please let us know when you apply.
If this is the right time for you to do a course, we can then explore any additional support or adjustments we might be able to make to ensure the learning is as accessible as possible for you.
We hope the above information is helpful. While we’d very much like to welcome you onto one of our courses and support you in exploring the potential benefits of mindfulness, we also want to make sure that this is the right time for you to join a course, and for you to be as open and honest as possible about your previous experiences to reduce any risk of negative effects.
We look forward to discussing this with you, where appropriate.
Mindfulness. Straight to your inbox
Get updates on mindfulness news, courses, events and more. Once a week.