Mindfulness can help improve mental health. It is a form of meditation that can be practiced alone or with guidance from a therapist.
Practice mindfulness by slowing down and actively experiencing your thoughts, emotions, and sensations. Integrate this mindfulness into daily activities such as walking, eating, or chores to create more lasting change.
1. Focus on the present
Mindfulness involves being fully immersed in the present moment, allowing you to notice and experience all your feelings. Mindfulness can help you connect with your emotions and improve relationships by encouraging self-compassion, an optimistic outlook on life, and an appreciation of oneself.
One way to practice mindfulness is through meditation; however, if you’re new to this or don’t have enough time for lengthy sessions, mindfulness exercises are an excellent way to become more present during everyday activities. One such exercise is known as Body Scan: you focus on each sensation that’s happening within your body at that particular time, such as the tingling in your hands or clothing against skin; if your attention wanders, simply notice it and gently redirect it onto other sensations.
Accepting the present can also help you distance yourself from overwhelming worries and fears, relieving anxiety and depression symptoms. Furthermore, accepting what’s happening now allows you to understand why certain situations and people provoke certain responses, so you can make better decisions in the future.
Mindfulness practice also involves paying attention to sights, sounds, and scents around you—whether that means appreciating the fresh laundry scent when folding it or how a song makes you feel.
2. Let go of the past.
Mindfulness can help you let go of the past by helping you experience your present-moment reality and connecting to a deeper self that’s not affected by emotions like anger and fear. Therapists use mindfulness in their practice for treating borderline personality disorder; however, its practice can also benefit people without such conditions.
Mindfulness can be practiced in many different ways, from simple body scans and meditation sessions to five-sense awareness practices like Yoga Nidra or Mindful Movement Practice (MMP), so the key is finding one that suits your daily routine—for instance, doing brief mindfulness exercises before checking your phone each morning or making a commitment to practicing each day for six months and watching how your perspective, interactions, and responses evolve over time.
When beginning mindfulness practice, begin by simply being aware of what’s going on around you in the present—such as feeling warm soapy water on your hands or hearing your favorite tune—without planning, daydreaming, or criticizing thoughts that come into your head. Redirect it back towards sensorial sensations present now when your thoughts go into planning, daydreaming, or criticism mode; this can be done anywhere and at any time. Walking down the street or having lunch with friends are both great times and places to practice mindfulness! For an additional structured mindfulness activity, try body scan or sitting meditation techniques.
3. Be kind to yourself.
Mindfulness can help you be more compassionate with yourself. Self-compassion means accepting and acknowledging feelings like discomfort rather than trying to push them away or push through. Caring for your physical body by getting a massage, taking a hot bath, eating well-balanced meals, etc., is also part of self-compassion—as is listening patiently before responding directly or responding in another manner to someone else.
As part of your mindfulness practice, take note of all of the little moments in your day that provide opportunities for reflection. For instance, while washing dishes or walking the dog, fully experience your sense of touch as you hold plates or feel heat from a dishwasher on your hands. When listening to music, really focus on its sounds and rhythms as well as any feelings it brings up or other in-the-moment sensations that arise.
Mindfulness practice can help you become more present in daily life and less likely to react automatically with frustration or anger when something upsets you. But remembering mindfulness as an ongoing practice rather than an event can help, too—set an alarm on your phone so you can remember to notice colors and shapes around you when leaving home, or use our Body Scan meditation from our mindfulness library as part of small mindful practices throughout the day.
4. Be present in the moment.
Practice mindfulness to live more fully in the present moment and reduce stress, strengthen relationships, and boost overall happiness. Being mindful also allows you to increase effectiveness in daily tasks by improving quality of thought, actions, and responses as well as help notice small pleasures more readily while cultivating gratitude in daily living.
Meditation is one of the most well-known mindfulness practices, providing focused attention in a comfortable position while tuning in with one’s body. Mindfulness techniques have become part of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (or DBT), an evidence-based treatment for borderline personality disorder; however, you can use mindfulness techniques even without an official diagnosis of mental illness.
As an example of a mindfulness exercise, try sitting quietly and focusing on the colors in your surroundings. If your thoughts wander off topic, return your focus back onto noticing these sights and any sensory experiences they bring forth. Engage in physical activities as mindfulness exercises—such as riding a bicycle, lifting weights, or dancing the tango—can all serve as activities designed to engage all five senses and relieve worries and concerns.
Being in the moment can be challenging when feeling anxious or overwhelmed, but with practice it becomes much simpler to stay present. Mindfulness practices make this easier to achieve.
