Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to the present moment on purpose and without judgment. It’s a way of training your mind to be more aware and less reactive.
Mindfulness meditationFind a quiet space, sit comfortably, and focus on your breath. When your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your breathing.Body scanLie down or sit comfortably. Gradually focus your attention on different parts of your body, from your toes to your head, noticing any sensations without judgment.Mindful breathingTake a moment to notice your natural breath without changing it. Pay attention to the sensations of breathing in and out.Mindful movementDuring a walk, focus on the sensation of each step. Notice the movement of your legs, feet touching the ground, and your body moving through space.3-minute breathing spaceTake 1 minute to notice your thoughts and feelings, 1 minute to focus on your breath, and 1 minute to expand awareness to your whole body.Loving-kindnessSilently repeat phrases like “May I be happy, healthy, and peaceful” to yourself, then extend these wishes to others, including loved ones and even difficult people.
Mindfulness meditationFind a quiet space, sit comfortably, and focus on your breath. When your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your breathing.
Mindfulness meditation
Find a quiet space, sit comfortably, and focus on your breath. When your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your breathing.
Body scanLie down or sit comfortably. Gradually focus your attention on different parts of your body, from your toes to your head, noticing any sensations without judgment.
Body scan
Lie down or sit comfortably. Gradually focus your attention on different parts of your body, from your toes to your head, noticing any sensations without judgment.
Mindful breathingTake a moment to notice your natural breath without changing it. Pay attention to the sensations of breathing in and out.
Mindful breathing
Take a moment to notice your natural breath without changing it. Pay attention to the sensations of breathing in and out.
Mindful movementDuring a walk, focus on the sensation of each step. Notice the movement of your legs, feet touching the ground, and your body moving through space.
Mindful movement
During a walk, focus on the sensation of each step. Notice the movement of your legs, feet touching the ground, and your body moving through space.
3-minute breathing spaceTake 1 minute to notice your thoughts and feelings, 1 minute to focus on your breath, and 1 minute to expand awareness to your whole body.
3-minute breathing space
Take 1 minute to notice your thoughts and feelings, 1 minute to focus on your breath, and 1 minute to expand awareness to your whole body.
Loving-kindnessSilently repeat phrases like “May I be happy, healthy, and peaceful” to yourself, then extend these wishes to others, including loved ones and even difficult people.
Loving-kindness
Silently repeat phrases like “May I be happy, healthy, and peaceful” to yourself, then extend these wishes to others, including loved ones and even difficult people.
Mindfulness offers a diverse range of practices, from formal meditation to everyday mindful activities, allowing individuals to explore and find the techniques that resonate best with their preferences, lifestyles, and personal goals for cultivating present-moment awareness and well-being.
These practices help you step back from automatic reactions and see your experiences more clearly. It’s like developing a “mental muscle” that allows you to return to a state of calm, even when faced with difficult situations.
Mindfulness is originally based on Buddhist philosophy. The Buddhist rationale behind mindfulness is that cultivating positive qualities diminishes the strength of negative attitudes and forms the basis of a more compassionate and loving heart toward oneself and others.
Elements of Mindfulness
There are thought to befive core aspects of mindfulnessthat anyone can develop:
Mindfulness exercises
There are many ways in which mindfulness can be practiced. Below are some techniques that can be incorporated into daily life:
Mindfulness meditation is a formal practice of mindfulness, and ultimately a formal practice of presence. The key principles of mindfulness meditation are non-judgment, patience, having a beginner’s mind, trusting oneself, being non-striving, letting go, and acceptance.
Tips for mindful meditation:
To start:
Begin with short sessions, like 5 minutes daily. Gradually increase duration as you feel comfortable. You can practice anywhere, anytime. Remember, it’s normal for thoughts to arise – the practice is about noticing and returning to the breath without judgment.
Mindful movement includes practices directed at moving the body in an intentional way to cultivate present-moment awareness.
One example is walking meditation where the focus is on walking with the intention of cultivating present-moment awareness and a sense of compassion.
To practice mindful walking, walk at a slow pace to become aware of the nuance of each step. As the mind wanders, use the awareness of each aspect of the foot touching and lifting from the ground to bring attention back to the moment.
Mindfulness in everyday life
Therapeutic presence can also be cultivated through informal mindfulness practices, such as non-judgmental awareness of aspects of daily life.
Start with one activity daily. Gradually expand to more moments throughout your day. The goal is to be present and engaged, rather than operating on autopilot.
The Body Scan is a mindfulness technique that involves systematically focusing attention on different parts of the body.
Here’s a brief overview:
The primary purpose of the Body Scan technique is to cultivate a deep awareness of physical sensations throughout the body, helping to ground you in the present moment and develop a non-judgmental acceptance of your physical state.
Loving-kindness meditation, also known as Metta, is a practice that cultivates goodwill towards oneself and others. It is considered the basic underlying attitude of all mindfulness practices in some Buddhist traditions.
This practice is all about cultivating a genuine feeling of goodwill, rather than forcing emotions.
Visualization
Visualization uses mental imagery to promote relaxation and positive emotions.
Here’s a brief guide:
The purpose of visualization is to create a mental refuge, reduce stress, and cultivate positive emotions. It can be particularly helpful for managing anxiety, improving mood, and enhancing overall well-being.
The 3-minute breathing space is a mindfulness technique taught in MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive therapy) designed toincrease present-moment awareness.
Here’s how it works:
This practice serves as a “mini-meditation,” helping to pause, reset, and respond more skillfully to life’s challenges. It can be especially useful during times of immediate stress.
Mindfulness in therapy
Mindfulness can be incorporated into therapeutic methods to help a variety of conditions.
A mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) is a structured program or therapy that uses mindfulness practices to address specific mental health, physical health, or wellness goals.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) integrates mindfulness techniques into cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to prevent relapse in individuals with chronic depression.
MBCT utilizes mindfulness exercises like sitting meditation, informal meditation, and body scans, originally developed for managing chronic pain in MBSR, and applies them to address the experience of chronic psychological distress.
The goal is to help individuals develop a mindful awareness of their thoughts and feelings without judgment, enabling them to disengage from ruminative patterns associated with depression.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
It involves approximately 90 hours of assigned time, including eight sessions (mostly 2.5 hours long with one full-day silent retreat) and daily 45-minute homework assignments.
Key practices taught in MBSR, which often serve as foundational techniques in other mindfulness-based interventions, include mindful eating, body scan meditations, and yoga.
Benefits of Mindfulness
Below are some of the areas in which mindfulness can be helpful:
Mental health
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs)can be helpful for a range of mental health concerns, including anxiety (e.g.,social anxiety, generalized anxiety), depression, and stress.
Studies have shown thatMBIs can be as effective as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a widely used psychotherapy.
Research on MBIsfor attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has shown promising results, but further research is needed.
Stress
There is overall support for a moderate effect of MBIs on reducing stress6.A meta-analysisof randomized controlled trials found that online MBIs had a significant and moderate effect size for stress.
One study found thatafter an 8-week mindfulness intervention, students had significantly lower distress scores during an examination period compared to controls who received the usual support.
MBIs have also been shownto be beneficial to employees in reducing stress, burnout, mental distress and somatic complaints, while improving mindfulness, well-being, compassion and job satisfaction.
Chronic pain
Mindfulness may also be beneficial for those with chronic pain6.A review of 30 randomized controlled trialsfound that mindfulness meditation interventions led to improvements in chronic pain management.
There is also some evidenceto suggest that MBIs can reduce blood pressure and improve cancer-related fatigue. However, more research is needed to determine the effectiveness of MBIs for other physical health conditions.
Relationships
Although mindfulness has traditionally been an intrapersonal practice focused on individual internal experiences,interpersonal mindfulness recognizes the value of practicing mindfulness with others.
Mindfulness may enhance present-moment awareness during interactions, improve active listening skills, reduce reactive behaviors, and can foster non-judgmental attitudes towards others.
Research suggests thatmindfulness is positively associated with interpersonal relations in the workplace.
Getting started with mindfulness
If you are considering a mindfulness-based intervention, it can be helpful to think about the following:
If you are looking to incorporate mindfulness on your own, try following these steps:
Resources
Headspace app – meditation and sleep made simple
The Mindfulness App – meditation and sleep to improve health
Calm – app for meditation and sleep
Mind – mindfulness PDF for further information
References
Abbasi, F., Shariati, K., & Tajikzadeh, F. (2018). Comparison of the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR): reducing anxiety symptoms.Women’s Health Bulletin,5(4), 1-5.
Ferguson, A., Dinh-Williams, L.-A., & Segal, Z. (2021). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. In A. Wenzel (Ed.),Handbook of cognitive behavioral therapy: Overview and approaches(pp. 595–615). American Psychological Association.https://doi.org/10.1037/0000218-020
Galante, J., Dufour, G., Vainre, M., Wagner, A. P., Stochl, J., Benton, A., … & Jones, P. B. (2018). A mindfulness-based intervention to increase resilience to stress in university students (the Mindful Student Study): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial.The Lancet Public Health,3(2), e72-e81.https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(17)30231-1
Geller, S. M., & Greenberg, L. S. (2023). Mindfulness and self-compassion: Ways to enhance therapeutic presence. In S. M. Geller & L. S. Greenberg,Therapeutic presence: A mindful approach to effective therapeutic relationships(2nd ed., pp. 213–235). American Psychological Association.https://doi.org/10.1037/0000315-012
Hilton, L., Hempel, S., Ewing, B. A., Apaydin, E., Xenakis, L., Newberry, S., … & Maglione, M. A. (2017). Mindfulness meditation for chronic pain: systematic review and meta-analysis.Annals of behavioral medicine,51(2), 199-213.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-016-9844-2
Juozelskyte, G., & Catling, J. (2024). Assessing the mindfulness predictors of mental health: does mindfulness practise or dispositional mindfulness better protect young peoples’ mental health?.Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine,12(1), 2305723.https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2024.2305723
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1982). An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: Theoretical considerations and preliminary results.General hospital psychiatry,4(1), 33-47.https://doi.org/10.1016/0163-8343(82)90026-3
Mesmer-Magnus, J., Manapragada, A., Viswesvaran, C., & Allen, J. W. (2017). Trait mindfulness at work: A meta-analysis of the personal and professional correlates of trait mindfulness.Human Performance,30(2-3), 79-98.https://doi.org/10.1080/08959285.2017.1307842
Ngamkham, S., Holden, J. E., & Smith, E. L. (2019). A systematic review: mindfulness intervention for cancer-related pain.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing,6(2), 161-169.https://doi.org/10.4103/apjon.apjon_67_18
Vonderlin, R., Biermann, M., Bohus, M., & Lyssenko, L. (2020). Mindfulness-based programs in the workplace: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Mindfulness,11, 1579-1598. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01328-3
Zhang, J., Díaz-Román, A., & Cortese, S. (2018). Meditation-based therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children, adolescents and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ Ment Health,21(3), 87-94.
Zhang, D., Lee, E. K., Mak, E. C., Ho, C. Y., & Wong, S. Y. (2021). Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review.British medical bulletin,138(1), 41-57.https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldab005
Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
