Mindfulness involves paying full attention to what is happening around you in a purposeful, open-minded, and non-judgemental way. It’s a great way to support your mental and emotional health.
The aim of mindfulness isn’t to change or control your experience but to help you stay in the present moment and feel connected.
By focusing on the present, mindfulness can help you:
- Focus better on tasks
- Improve your memory by helping you remember what is happening around you
- Physically relax from distress or overwhelm
How can I practice mindfulness?
To practice mindfulness, you can help yourself stay in the present moment by:
Focusing on Yourself:
- Asking yourself questions: “What is going on with me at the moment?”
- Labeling your thoughts and feelings: “That’s an anxious feeling.”
- Grounding: focusing on things you can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste.
Listening:
- If you are distracted or overwhelmed, think about what is going on around you.
- If someone is speaking to you, focus on what they are saying rather than background sounds.
Meditation:
- Breathing Exercises: sit with your back straight but relaxed. For the next minute, give your entire attention to breathing in and out. Focus on:
- How air passes in and out of your nostrils
- How your abdomen (tummy) rises and falls with each breath
- Body Scan: in a comfortable space, think about how your body feels in the moment. Focus on one part of your body at a time, from your head to the tips of your toes. This can help you feel grounded, calm, and focused.
- Walking Meditation: take time to notice the details of the things around you. Note what you:
- See
- Feel
- Hear
- Smell
- Taste
Try a 5-minute mindfulness meditation here.