Is Meditation or Mindfulness Making You Lazy? Debunking Myths and Finding Balance
I have often heard people say that while meditation helps them achieve mental peace and emotional control, they feel it negatively impacts their work. They describe becoming less driven or even a bit lazy after practicing mindfulness or other meditation techniques. While I understand that such experiences can happen, it’s essential to delve deeper to uncover the reasons behind these feelings.
Sometimes, people feel that meditation makes them less socially interactive or that they’re no longer as “fun” to be around. Others might even worry that these practices are making them less interesting as individuals.
The first thing to understand here is that the truth is not always what we perceive, we often judge ourselves too much when we are around others and begin to think thoughts that are not really relevant to the actual situation. It is like working out for a few days and feeling that you have not achieved any good results whereas any remark from others or even the slightest hint that you are not fit will make you think negatively about the activity altogether.
However, the key factor at play here is your “ego” or “psyche”—or what I prefer to call your “self-image.” I use this term frequently and delve into it extensively throughout my blog. There’s something within us—a kind of protective mechanism—that resists major changes in our lives. It works to maintain the status quo, as any change is often perceived as a potential threat to our sense of stability and familiarity.
The Real Culprit
I have written extensively on this subject in many of my posts, where I have discussed ways to build a healthy self-image and shared tools, such as the mirror meditation method, for transforming one’s self-perception. Here, I will provide a brief explanation of it.
We all have a set of thoughts that forms a blueprint of how we perceive ourselves in our inner mind—essentially, how we truly view ourselves. This blueprint shapes our habitual patterns and behaviors. Every aspect of our life is influenced by this self-image, which is shaped by various past experiences and the beliefs we’ve formed about ourselves as a result. Any tweak in this self-image will lead to a corresponding change in our lives because we will act differently in a life situation.
This also means that we often use our self-image as an excuse for our shortcomings. For instance, an angry person might validate their behavior by saying and believing, ‘That’s just how I am,’ while a sad person may find countless reasons to justify how terrible their life is without taking any steps to change it.
Any effort to alter your self-image will inevitably face strong resistance from your own mind. This resistance arises because the self-image has been an integral part of your identity for so long. For example, when you engage in activities like meditation—which can profoundly impact your self-image—your mind may begin to generate thoughts that distract or deter you, pulling you in another direction.
Being passionate or an interesting person is certainly valuable, but these are often labels or images you project to others. This is why taking a break from ‘being something’ for the sake of your social circle can feel unsettling. However, this doesn’t mean you are becoming unintresting or boring. It might simply be your mind resisting spiritual growth, or it could be a message from your higher self about your current life situation.
So, what could your higher self be trying to tell you? And what exactly is your higher self? Let’s explore this now.
What Is Your Higher Self Telling You?
The thoughts we have and the decisions we make based on them are just a small part of who we truly are. The ego, which we mistakenly identify as our true self, believes it is in control of everything. In reality, it only exists within an illusion. To avoid making this too complicated, I will simplify it and adjust it to fit the context.
There is a higher intelligence at work, available to all of us. Sometimes, it helps us by guiding us to realize things intuitively in our lives—those are the moments when we experience epiphanies. We can think of it as our inner guide, one that knows what we truly want, unlike the ego. The ego, on the other hand, only cares about achieving things we mistakenly believe we want, such as proving ourselves to others, gaining approval from people we think are better than us, or seeking validation from society.
Have you ever stopped yourself from doing something that disturbed your inner peace? Or did you feel a sense of fulfillment after giving something to someone in greater need than you? It could be something as simple as taking leave from work to attend your child’s school event, or as significant as leaving your job to follow your passion. That inner voice guiding you in such moments is your higher self.
Often when you practice meditation, your mind becomes quiet, and what you earlier thought as something that mattered a lot to you may start to seem insignificant, this sense of detachment from something around which your whole life revolved is not easy for everyone. In fact, people begin to fear that they are becoming someone else, and it really drives them crazy despite becoming calmer and achieving inner peace, they get too scared that they will lose something very precious.
Your higher self might be trying to tell you that the ‘identity’ you’ve created based on your actions or behavior is not your true self. If life feels boring because of meditation, it could be a sign that what you’re currently doing is not your true calling. This might indicate it’s time to discover what you truly love—whether that’s pursuing a more fulfilling job or letting go of actions driven solely by the need to maintain an ‘image’ in front of others.
When you stop dwelling on the thoughts of your past and worries of the future by developing a greater present-moment awareness, your ego or the former self starts to lose its power and when this happens it starts to use every weapon at its disposal to keep itself alive with the help of fearful thoughts, so whatever happens, you should trust the process and have faith that it is all happening for good.
The Facade
The truth is, whatever we feel like we’re losing while practicing mindfulness or meditation is merely an illusion—we never actually lose anything. The ego itself is an illusion, constantly changing with time and experiences. Likewise, everything that seems so important based on your current self-image is just as impermanent and ever-changing.
This experience may initially feel unsettling because the voice in your mind—the constant self-talk that labels and judges everything in your life like a toxic friend—suddenly begins to fade. This void might feel like losing a close companion, but in reality, that voice is what has been blocking you from achieving the clarity needed for true joy, peace, and the emotional well-being you deserve.
Whether you believe people perceive you as ‘passionate,’ ‘interesting,’ or any other image you try to project, it’s ultimately a delusion. While others may occasionally validate or relate to those qualities, they are not truly relevant to your essence. Your mind tends to amplify such insignificant aspects, turning them into something bigger than they are, and using them to lure you into false conceptions. In truth, if a quality or skill is natural, it remains a part of you no matter what—even if the ego tries to convince you that you’re losing it.
It’s important to understand that our mind loves to complicate things because this gives it the opportunity to keep you engaged in excessive thinking. The more entangled you become in your thoughts, the harder it is to focus on the present moment. By its very nature, the mind tends to avoid the ‘now’ by dwelling in the past or projecting into the future. However, as you become more aware of the present moment, the incessant flow of thoughts begins to subside. This shift might initially feel like laziness, but in reality, it’s freeing you from relentless overthinking, which often leads to unfocused and reactive actions.
How good can your actions be if you are just making decision based on the every random thought that comes to you? Can being passionate or highly active be of any use if your actions are being least productive or of what use your hard work could be if you are putting excessive force for getting something that requires minimal efforts?
When you shift your focus to the spiritual aspects of life, unnecessary thoughts and actions reveal their true nature as ‘worthless.’ You begin to understand what truly matters and where your efforts are genuinely needed—whether in work or life. This isn’t laziness; it’s actually a form of wisdom, allowing you to prioritize what’s truly important.
At times, you may find yourself ignoring emotional or physical issues by immersing too deeply in worldly matters. One of the benefits of spiritual practices like mindfulness is that they bring such issues to your awareness. For instance, as I mentioned in a previous post about why some people feel sleepy while meditating, this could be your body’s way of signaling that you’re not getting enough rest. What seems like laziness could actually be your body’s need for much-needed rest, and what appears to be boredom might reflect an inner call for solitude. In our busy day-to-day lives, we often become so caught up in external demands that we neglect self-care. Reconnecting with your true self can help illuminate these needs.
In conclusion, it is crucial for anyone new to meditation to understand that whatever happens during the process is an integral part of the journey. The only true obstacle to spiritual progress is attachment to your current thought patterns and beliefs. It’s essential to let go of clinging to your past self and to embrace changes in your life or within yourself that are ultimately for your highest good. Above all, trust that you are on the right path.
I hope you enjoyed this article and found it insightful. What are your thoughts on this topic? Have you had any experiences related to the ideas discussed here? I’d love to hear from you—feel free to share your views in the comments below. Your feedback and opinions are invaluable, as they inspire me to delve deeper into meaningful topics and create more content like this.
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