Is this considered New Age 'Mindfulness'?

[BenSinner]

I suffer from severe anxiety.

I have a grave fear of uncertainty about bad things that could ‘hypothetically’ happen to me.

One thing I was advised to do. And it works…is don’t try to fight anxious emotions/thoughts. Just perceive them in a neutral light. It’s a way to accept uncertainty. So when these anxious feelings of uncertainty pop up, I shouldn’t react to “This isn’t good! I need to solve this now!”…I am to react by…“I’m anxious. That’s fine.”

This has helped alot, but then I have read about something called Mindfulness, and alot of church officials seem to condemn it. This scares me, because this is the only way I know how to cope with certain fears because I have the ‘doubting disease’…and the only way to cure the doubting disease is to accept uncertainty and not try to fight it.

So my question is this. Is what I’m practicing here acceptable, or is it Mindfulness and to be avoided?

 

[exnihilo]

It is perfectly fine. Mindfulness can mean a lot of things. What is not recommended or dangerous is Eastern mindfulness meditation. I believe the mindfulness to avoid is more of an attempt at emptying the mind. The mindfulness recommended to you is one where you actually are paying attention to thoughts, feelings, and sensations.

 

[Cruciferi]

So when these anxious feelings of uncertainty pop up, I shouldn’t react to “This isn’t good! I need to solve this now!”…I am to react by…“I’m anxious. That’s fine.”

We’re not called to be complacent or apathetic. Instead, we put our concerns with God and say “Your will be done”.

Matthew 6:25-27

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I also suffer from anxiety from time to time. I used to be a frequent anxiety sufferer. It has diminished over the years for various reasons, but still pops up sometimes depending on the situation (work stress, family stress) and my physical condition (eating, sleeping habits, whether I remember to take my vitamins, etc.)

What you are describing is a perfectly rational coping mechanism for an anxiety sufferer. There is nothing immoral about controlling your reaction to a disturbing feeling; indeed, your reaction is the one thing you CAN control because you may not be able to control the stressful situation that is causing the anxiety (for example, a deadline at work, or someone else flying off the handle at you). I have used this technique myself for decades and I am certainly not going to stop using it because as you said, it works, and without requiring me to be taking a prescription, calling up a doctor, spending lots of money, or relying on food, booze, gambling or any other crutch.

As far as I’m concerned, this has nothing to do with New Age hooey and is simply a practical way to get a grip on your emotional response so you can think straight. It was not invented by some New Age counselor or by Eastern religion or any of that. It’s similar “take a deep breath and count ten”, which Christians and people of many backgrounds have been doing for hundreds of years in a crisis or anger situation to gain self-control. No church official with a brain working would tell you to stop doing this and just give in to your anxiety and feel horrible instead.

If you are still concerned about this, then immediately after you reach the “I’m anxious. That’s fine” point, follow up with a short invocation, “Lord, help me to cope and save me from all anxiety,” or just “Jesus, help me” or whatever works for you.