Letting go of a rigid self-image might be the secret to meditation’s mental health benefits

Source and reference

journal Mindfulness . Depression involves rigid and negative ways of thinking about oneself and the world. A major factor in depression is feeling an identity threat, which refers to the perception that a person’s self-concept or self-esteem is being attacked or devalued by others. Individuals who hold dysfunctional attitudes tend to view these perceived threats through a highly negative filter. Dysfunctional attitudes are maladaptive beliefs that people hold about themselves, such as thinking they are a complete failure if they make a single mistake at work. These rigid beliefs reinforce feelings of distress and worsen depressive symptoms over time. The study was conducted as part of doctoral research by first author Céline Stinus , a psychology researcher at the University of Navarra in Spain. The research was completed under the supervision of her co-author, Professor Sophie...