Kathrin Fischer critiques the mindfulness boom as a neoliberal tool

In her recent book, author Kathrin Fischer critiques the modern mindfulness boom, arguing that the trend serves as a neoliberal tool that depoliticizes stress and exhaustion. Fischer suggests that by framing systemic issues—such as workplace pressure, housing shortages, or educational struggles—as individual spiritual tasks, mindfulness shifts the responsibility for well-being entirely onto the individual.

Fischer posits that instead of attempting to change the external world or social structures, society has focused on changing the self. She describes mindfulness as having become a universal lifestyle label that aligns with the individualistic and capitalist nature of current economic systems. The critique highlights how collective, political problems are often ignored in favor of individualistic solutions like mindfulness apps or personal coping mechanisms.