Mindfulness and Why You Should Try It

A common concern I receive from new clients is that they do not want to be given mindfulness exercises and be sent home after a session. While I agree that mindfulness may not be for everyone, I usually tell people I can’t promise I won’t give them these types of exercises to practice at home. This is because there are good reasons why mindfulness is useful, and why it has a place in treating a variety of mental health concerns. I wanted to demystify some of the common beliefs about mindfulness, and explain how and why it may be helpful.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is an ancient practice with roots in Buddhism. In the 1990s, researchers began to discover its usefulness in therapy when working with clients with very intense emotions. More recently, different therapy modalities have begun to include mindfulness practice as a way of helping clients cope with a variety of difficulties. As a result, the word mindfulness has increasingly become part of our everyday vocabulary. Unfortunately, there is sometimes a misconception about what mindfulness actually means, which is important to clear up.

Being mindful does not mean that one needs to meditate for hours in a quiet room, and it does not require any special skills or equipment. Germer (2004) defined mindfulness as the ability to recognize what is happening in the present moment, and to fully relate to our experiences, whether they are positive, negative, or neutral. In order to practice mindfulness, there are three important components:

1. awareness,
2. of present experience,
3. with acceptance.

With this definition in mind, there are many different exercises that would be considered “mindful.” While our Western idea of formal meditation may be one mindful activity, we can also find time to be mindful in small moments throughout our day. For example, it’s easy to find ourselves being mindless as we drive home from work. Rather than being grounded and mindful of the present moment, we could be thinking about the endless to-do list awaiting us at home, or replaying a negative event that happened at work. An example of being mindful while driving would be to focus on what we are doing — how the steering wheel feels in our hands, and what we are feeling in that moment — without judging the experience.

What mindfulness is not

I have found that part of the reason some clients are hesitant to try mindfulness exercises is that there are many misconceptions about what it entails, as well as its purpose. Below are some of the most common concerns I hear.

1. Mindfulness does not mean having a blank mind.

   Instead, mindfulness is about training our minds to become aware of what we think about and when. I tell my clients that it’s okay to have thoughts pop into their minds as they do any mindfulness exercise. The key aspect of being mindful is becoming aware of these thoughts without judging them.

2. Mindfulness does not mean we stop feeling emotions.

   This is a common misconception — the idea that being mindful allows us not to feel any difficult emotions. In fact, the purpose of mindfulness is to become open to the experience of any emotions that come up, to welcome them, and to accept them as they are. The ability to be aware of our emotions allows us to learn how to cope, rather than distracting ourselves through other means such as social media or TV.

3. The purpose of mindfulness is not to take our minds off our pain or difficulties.

   Rather, it is to openly turn toward these experiences and accept them. When we do this consistently, our capacity to deal with painful thoughts and emotions increases. A consistent mindfulness practice also helps us understand how reacting to pain with resistance, avoidance, and protest is what causes much of our suffering — and that acceptance can actually bring us relief.

How does mindfulness help?

The effectiveness of mindfulness practice has been studied across a number of psychological concerns. For example, studies have shown that engaging in a mindfulness practice can help reduce stress, depression, anxiety, and rumination, and can help with emotional regulation. Researchers believe that mindfulness helps by increasing people’s metacognition, which increases their ability to disengage from negative experiences.

Furthermore, mindfulness can change the way we react to negative experiences at the brain level. MRI studies have found that, when confronted with a negative experience, the brains of participants who had engaged in a mindfulness program activated areas associated with more positive coping. It also took these participants less time to return to a calmer emotional baseline after a negative, emotionally arousing experience. Researchers argue that mindfulness allows us to disengage from emotionally upsetting events more quickly, and refocus our attention on coping with the situation.

This is only a small portion of the research that supports the usefulness of mindfulness in therapy. Many studies show its effectiveness with specific disorders or concerns, such as ADHD, borderline personality disorder, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and chronic pain, among others. Mindfulness can be a central tool in lessening the effect of very intense emotions or psychological pain, which is why many therapists recommend it to their clients.

Mindfulness techniques you can try at home

Now that you know a little about how mindfulness can help you feel better, here are a few things you can try at home. I have listed them from the simplest exercises to the more complex ones.

1. Notice your current activity

This is perhaps the simplest way to ground yourself and become mindful throughout the day. I’ll go through it using the example of brushing your teeth, but this can be done with any activity.

Bring your attention to the present moment. First, notice your body. Bring your attention to the feeling of your feet making contact with the floor; feel the texture of the floor beneath them. Then bring your attention to the rest of your body — are there any particular sensations present?

Perhaps you are feeling worried about all the things you need to do tomorrow, or feeling accomplished about what you achieved today. Whatever the sensation, welcome it and accept it; simply notice what it feels like in your body and where.

Then turn your attention to the toothbrush in your hand. Is it a smaller toothbrush, or a bigger one that occupies most of your palm? What colour is it? Does the handle have any textures you can notice? As you bring the toothbrush to your mouth, notice the feeling of the toothpaste as it makes contact with your teeth. As you begin to brush, notice what that feels like. If any thoughts about the day ahead come to mind, accept them without judging them, and then return your attention to the feeling of brushing your teeth. Keep going through this exercise until you are done.

2. Notice your hand

It may help to set a timer for five minutes before you begin. Sit in a comfortable position and hold up one of your hands, palm upward, at a comfortable distance from your face. Spend a couple of minutes observing your hand with curiosity, as if it were the first time you have seen it. Notice the shape of it, the colour of your skin and how it changes from spot to spot, and the lines and patterns they make.

Notice your thoughts while you do this. Are any of them judgments? If they are, simply acknowledge them and then continue to notice your hand. Flip your hand over; notice how the skin is different, notice your fingernails and the cuticles surrounding them. Close your hand into a fist and notice how the texture of the skin changes, along with any colour changes. If any judgments come into your mind about blemishes or scars, again, notice them, remain curious about them, and then go back to noticing your hand. Keep doing this until your timer ends.

3. Try a meditation video, podcast, or app

You may have to search around for a type of meditation that you like. Some people enjoy guided meditations, while others prefer simply setting a timer and sitting in silence. If you are a beginner, a short guided meditation may help. You can increase the length of your meditation as you become more comfortable. A couple of short guided meditations I like for beginners are widely available on YouTube — for example, a five-minute meditation to reset your day, and the ten-minute “Daily Calm” mindfulness meditation.

In terms of podcasts, I like Guided Meditations by The Yoga Bunny, which includes a ten-day mindfulness program as well as other guided meditations such as “Mindful Eating.” I also liked the 21 Day Positive Mindfulness Meditation Challenge by Kendal Maxwell. You can find either of these on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Mindfulness apps are also becoming increasingly popular. Some of the most well known are Headspace and Calm. I also enjoy Insight Timer.

Although mindfulness is not a silver bullet for curing all mental health concerns, it can be an important tool to lessen the suffering associated with negative experiences. It is also a tool that does not require a big time commitment or any specific skills or equipment. All that is needed is your willingness to set aside a few minutes of your day to focus on the present moment. Even five minutes a day can make a big difference in your overall well-being.

Learn to be mindful with Fresh Perspective Counselling

If you find you need some help learning to be more mindful — to reduce stress, depression, and anxiety, and address how you react to negative experiences — book a free 20-minute consult. We would be more than happy to speak with you to see how we can support you in building and practicing those skills.