As a coach, I’ve encountered my fair share of eccentric executive behaviors. But nothing prepared me for the moment when a CEO I was working with burst into my office with a gleam in his eye. He proudly recounted his latest “achievement. An eight-hour, transatlantic flight without a single sip of water, bite of food, or moment of distraction.

He called it “rawdogging,” a practice that has now become a viral social media trend. He described it as the ultimate test of mental toughness. The way he saw it, it was about focusing intensely with no distractions and no comforts. Just pure, unfiltered willpower.

But it didn’t stop there. He was seriously considering rolling out a company-wide rawdogging training program for his executive team. This CEO was convinced that this extreme practice would unlock new levels of resilience and focus among his colleagues.

I couldn’t help but wonder: had the pursuit of mental toughness gone too far? The answer, as it turned out, was more complex—and far more instructive—than I initially imagined.

The prevalence of mindfulness

In recent years, mindfulness has been the golden child of the wellness world. The concept has become synonymous with health, balance, and inner peace. Yet, as the trend has grown, so too has the backlash. Recent studies suggest that mindfulness may not be the unmitigated good it was once thought to be. Even more disturbing, the rise of a new trend, aptly named “rawdogging,” has brought with it a wave of extreme behavior. It makes one wonder: has the quest for mental clarity gone too far?

To understand where we are now, it’s important to take a brief detour into the once-untouchable realm of mindfulness. Initially, it became prominent in the West as a way to combat stress, increase focus, and elevate one’s emotional intelligence. Mindfulness was supposed to be the antidote to our fast-paced, hyper-distracted lives. Schools, corporations, and even governments jumped on the mindfulness bandwagon, integrating it into curricula, boardrooms, and wellness programs.

But recent reports have begun to show cracks in the foundation. The growing ubiquity of mindfulness in schools, for instance, has led to debates about whether we’re forcing young minds to navel-gaze rather than engage with the world around them. Critics argue that the overemphasis on mindfulness can create an unhealthy focus on self, promoting detachment rather than engagement.

Why self-imposed suffering isn’t the answer

The backlash to mindfulness’, however, pales in comparison to the reactions evoked by “rawdogging,” a new and extreme trend that has taken the notion of mental toughness to absurd levels. The idea, championed by a disturbingly growing number of mostly young men, is that by stripping away all distractions and comforts, one can cultivate an unbreakable will: rawdogging is about training the mind by imposing the harshest of conditions.

At first glance, rawdogging seems like the logical (although twisted) next step in the evolution of mindfulness. If mindfulness is about cultivating awareness and presence, why not take it to the extreme? Why not, indeed? The answer is simple: because it’s ridiculous.

While the pursuit of mental fortitude is admirable, rawdogging represents the worst kind of overcorrection. It’s a reactionary swing of the pendulum. The desire to overcome the perceived softness brought on by a culture of mindfulness has led to an equally absurd culture of self-imposed suffering. Ultimately, rawdogging isn’t about mental strength; it’s about self-flagellation.

What mindfulness and rawdogging has in common

The glorification of such extreme practices als risks alienating the very people who could benefit most from a more balanced approach to mental health. Instead of promoting resilience, rawdogging encourages a masochistic obsession with toughness that is as unhealthy as the stress it’s supposedly meant to counteract.

What both mindfulness and rawdogging have in common, aside from their over-the-top devotees, is a failure to recognize that the key to any successful practice lies in moderation. Mindfulness, when done to the exclusion of all else, can lead to a disconnection from reality—where a person focuses on nothing else but themselves. Rawdogging’s embrace of discomfort for discomfort’s sake is a misguided attempt to prove mental toughness at the expense of common sense and physical well-being.

The extreme practice of doing absolutely nothing is often a facade for insecurity and a misguided attempt at proving one’s mental strength by doing less, not more. This isn’t to say that mindfulness or the desire to push one’s limits is inherently bad. Far from it. The problem arises when any practice is taken to an extreme, divorced from its original purpose, and turned into an obsessive pursuit.

Why we should all strive for balance

The lesson here is clear: balance is essential. Mindfulness should help us engage more fully with the world, not retreat from it. Building mental toughness should involve pushing boundaries, but not at the cost of our well-being. The real challenge isn’t in finding the next extreme practice to follow, but in knowing when enough is enough.

In the end, whether you’re a devotee of mindfulness or tempted by the hardcore allure of rawdogging, the most important takeaway is to try and do everything in moderation. Extremes, whether in the form of excessive mindfulness or self-imposed deprivation, rarely lead to true well-being. The real wisdom lies in knowing when to stop, when to push forward, and when to simply enjoy the moment. After all, isn’t that what mindfulness was supposed to teach us in the first place?