Mindfulness basics

Mindfulness often starts by placing your attention on one thing, such as the breath, a sound or your feet on the floor. This gives your mind a home base to return to.

You can be mindful of what is happening inside you, like a tight chest or a worried thought. You can also be mindful of what is around you, like birdsong or the warmth of a mug.

Mindfulness includes acceptance. You notice thoughts and feelings without deciding there is a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in that moment.

Your mind will wander. That is normal. Each time you notice it has wandered and gently bring it back, you are practicing mindfulness.

Mindfulness is not about having no thoughts. It is about noticing thoughts and gently returning to the present when you get pulled away.

A Cleveland Clinic doctor explains that each time your brain brings up a new worry, your only task is to notice it, let it pass without judgment, and come back.

Calm can be a side effect, but it is not the goal. Some days you will stay with the breath easily, and other days you will feel very distracted. Both are practice.

Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist meditation. A secular form became widely known through Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, which began at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979.

People of any faith, or none, practice it today. To learn about its Buddhist roots, see Buddhist meditation basics: calm & insight.

Mindfulness is not about pushing hard feelings away or pretending everything is fine. The NHS suggests treating thoughts and feelings as passing events rather than trying to push them away.

Experts suggest starting with just a few minutes a day. A Cleveland Clinic doctor often recommends starting with a one-minute meditation.

Have you ever driven home and not remembered the drive? That is autopilot. It is useful for routine tasks, but it can also mean we stop noticing the world around us.

Mindfulness can help everyday experiences feel fresh again, so you notice things you had stopped seeing.

One depression researcher explains that with depression, “your attention can get hijacked into the past or future.” People may spend a lot of time going over painful past moments.

If this sounds familiar, see Overthinking & rumination.

The mind also loves to plan and worry. A Cleveland Clinic doctor puts it simply: if you spend all your time worrying about the future or regretting the past, “it’s almost like you’re missing your life.”

The NHS suggests that when you notice you have spent minutes replaying the past or worrying about the future, you gently bring your attention back to the present.

The NHS suggests silently naming thoughts and feelings. For example: “Here is worry,” or “This is a planning thought.”

Labels you could try

• “Judging”
• “Planning”
• “Remembering”
• “Worrying”
• “Here is sadness”

Mindfulness teachers point out that thoughts and emotions are fleeting and do not define you. Seeing this can free you from getting stuck in negative thought patterns.

The app’s Meditation activity has a guided session called “Let thoughts pass” to practice this.

The NHS says mindfulness lets us stand back from our thoughts and start to see their patterns. Over time, you may notice earlier when worry is starting to take over.

For skills to work with hard thoughts, see Working with hard thoughts.

Curiosity means asking “What is this like?” instead of “Why is this happening to me?” It turns a hard moment into something you can explore.

A Cleveland Clinic doctor says self-compassion is not just okay but “imperative.” Many people feel a little kick of “I failed” when they get distracted. Kindness helps you start again.

See Self-compassion & your inner critic for more.

Like any skill, mindfulness takes practice. As one researcher puts it, “Just because something is simple, doesn’t mean that it’s easy.”

Acceptance means paying attention to thoughts and feelings without judging them. It is not giving up. It often makes it easier to choose what to do next.

A review of 47 trials with 3,320 people found moderate evidence that mindfulness meditation programs improved anxiety, depression and pain.

A 2018 analysis of more than 12,000 people found mindfulness worked better than no treatment for anxiety and depression, and about as well as other proven therapies.

Across 9 trials, people who took MBCT were 31% less likely to have depression return over 60 weeks.

In the UK, the NHS notes that mindfulness-based therapies are recommended as a treatment for less severe depression.

In an eight-week Brown University program for people with high blood pressure, people chose a healthier diet after the course. Noticing how your body feels after something can help guide future choices.

Mindfulness is not right for everyone. The NHS notes that some people find it does not help, or that it makes them feel worse.

For a careful look at the research and its limits, see Mindfulness: what research says, its limits & combining it with therapy.

Formal practice means setting aside time to sit quietly and focus on your breathing, sounds or body sensations, coming back each time your mind wanders. Yoga and tai chi can also build awareness.

To get started, see Meditation for beginners. For gentle movement, see Yoga, stretching & tai chi.

Mindfulness teachers suggest finding “micro-moments” of mindfulness throughout the day, like feeling the water in the shower or how your body rests in a chair.

For ideas, see Mindful moments in everyday life.

Jon Kabat-Zinn says mindfulness is not really about sitting like a statue. He describes it as living your life as if it really mattered, moment by moment.

The NHS suggests gentle yoga or walking if your mind feels too busy to settle. Short practices, done often, can also help if focus is hard, for example with ADHD.

See Everyday ADHD strategies for more focus tools.

Walking practices can be adapted for wheelchair users, for example by noticing your hands on the rims and the rolling of the chair. Lying down or sitting in any comfortable way is fine.

Meditative practice appears in many traditions, including Buddhist meditation, Christian contemplation, Sufi practice in Islam, Taoist and yoga traditions. You do not have to be religious to practice.

See Meditation & spiritual practices for practices that fit any path, or none.

Turning attention inward can sometimes bring up hard memories or a sense of being far away. Choosing an anchor outside the body, like sounds, and keeping practice short can feel safer.

See Coping with dissociation and Healing from trauma, and consider practicing with a trauma-informed therapist.

Experts suggest looking for programs from medical schools and universities, and checking that they are evidence-based. NCCIH suggests asking about an instructor’s training and experience.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Mindfulness Coach app was made to help veterans, service members and others learn mindfulness, step by step.

If an app does not work for you, one Harvard researcher says not to take it personally or think you are bad at mindfulness.

• A mindful walk with a friend, with a few quiet minutes
• A one-minute pause together before dinner
• Asking each other “What did you notice today?”
• Sharing a guided session from the app’s Meditation activity

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) teaches mindfulness as a core skill. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) uses mindfulness and acceptance to help people live by their values.

See CBT, DBT & other talk therapies.