Mindfulness – is it for me?

‘Mindfulness’ simply means paying attention to the present moment. Practising mindfulness can help you to cope with everyday life and deal with tough times. This is confirmed by extensive research, which has found that mindfulness reduces stress and anxiety. It can also help you to concentrate, relax and be more productive.

This can help if:

• you want to know if mindfulness is right for you

• you want to know what the benefits of mindfulness are

• you want to learn how to practise mindfulness

• you want practical examples of mindfulness in everyday life.

The best way to decide if mindfulness is for you is to give it a crack! Here are some of the benefits of mindfulness, different ways you can practise it, tips for overcoming challenges, and ways to weave mindfulness into your daily life.

What are the benefits of mindfulness?

Mindfulness can help you focus on the present moment, which can make you feel calmer and more in control. It can also help improve your mental and physical health by reducing stress, anxiety, and negative thoughts, and feel more at peace with yourself. This can have a positive flow on effect to other parts of your life, like your reaction to stressful situations or unexpected events as well as managing day-to-day life with better energy.

Mindfulness and mental health

Mindfulness can help you improve and better manage your mental health in lots of ways, like:

• reducing stress by helping you focus on the present moment

• improving emotional regulation, making it easier to manage difficult feelings

• decreasing symptoms of anxiety and depression

• enhancing self-awareness to better help you understand your thoughts and feelings

• boosting concentration and focus

• promoting better sleep by calming a busy mind

• increasing resilience, helping you bounce back from challenges more easily

• fostering a sense of inner peace and contentment

• improving relationships by making you more present and attentive

• helping manage chronic pain by changing your relationship with physical sensations.

How to practise mindfulness

Focus only on the present moment

You can develop mindfulness during regular activities such as when walking, driving or even while brushing your teeth. The key is to try and focus only on the present moment and not pay too much attention to your thoughts about the past or the future.

When you concentrate on what’s happening around you, you’re less likely to get caught up in your thoughts. Looking for ways of how to be more present? Ask yourself whether you feel hot or cold. What does the air feel like on your face? What sounds can you hear? What can you smell? Is your breathing slow or fast? Are you tired? Are you hungry? How do you feel?

Try not to be judgmental about anything you notice

This is tricky to do, but try not to label things as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Just notice things and let them be. For example, instead of labelling a particular smell as ‘bad’, just notice it without judging it.

Practise mindful breathing

Take a few extra minutes to focus on your breathing. You can do this with your eyes closed or open. What does your breathing feel like? What does it sound like? Where do you first feel the breath in your body? Doing these things might seem insignificant, but focusing on your breath is a mindfulness essential.

Try mindful meditation

If you’re ready to go a little deeper into developing your mindfulness, consider mindful meditation. To do this, sit quietly with your eyes closed and focus on your breath, or on a word or a phrase that you repeat quietly. If you find your mind is wandering, it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. It just means you have a normal human mind! Gently lead your thoughts back to your breathing, or to the word or phrase you’ve chosen. You can practise mindful meditation by yourself, or you can use an app (such as Headspace or Smiling Mind) if you want some guidance.

What if I'm finding mindful activities hard?

Becoming more mindful involves training your brain, so, like most things you learn, it can take time. Be patient. Also, see below for tips on how to incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine.

Helpful mindfulness tips to remember:

• Don't expect to be able to hold your focus for very long, especially when you're just getting started.

• It's completely normal for your thoughts to wander.

• The goal isn't to have a totally 'blank' mind; it's more about noticing and gently guiding your mind back when your thoughts do wander.

• The more you practise mindfulness, the better you'll become at it.

• If you're struggling with a particular strategy, try a different one. Every person is different, and you may find some strategies easier than others.

Examples of mindfulness in everyday life

The following tips will help you incorporate mindfulness into your everyday routine.

1. Wash the dishes (yes, really!) No, your mum hasn’t hacked our site; this is legit. When you wash the dishes after dinner, do you usually think about everything you still have to do before you can finally relax? Instead, try focusing only on washing the dishes. Start by listening to the sink fill up with water. Feel the warm water on your hands, and smell the dishwashing liquid. When you notice your mind wandering (and it will!), bring your attention back to your senses. What can you see/hear/smell/feel? If you just can’t get on board with dishes, read on...

2. Write a 'thank you' list Is ‘gratitude’ another one of those words that make you squirm? If so, think of it as a ‘thank you’ list. Writing a ‘thank you’ list is one way to slow down and appreciate the small (and big) things in your life.It doesn’t need to be massively long; you could just write down three things you’re thankful for. Maybe it’s the delicious coffee you had this morning, the support and love you get from your friends, or the courage you found to speak up for yourself the other day.

Make it your mission to write three things in a ‘thank you’ note every day!

3. Have a quick stretch We sometimes get so caught up in our thoughts that we forget about everything else. But when we take a moment to focus on our body, such as by doing some stretching exercises, it gives us a break from our headspace. Here are some examples of stretches to try. Take your time, and focus on how your body feels. This is a quick and easy mindfulness activity that will promote physical and mental health.

4. Eat a snack You’re probably wondering how eating a snack can be mindful, right? The best place to start is by focusing on what you’re eating, rather than on your thoughts (or the Netflix show you’re watching). So, instead of mindlessly eating that bag of popcorn and then wondering where it all went, take your time and pay attention to every mouthful. This is known as mindful eating. Notice the delicious taste as you chew the food, feel the textures, savour the aroma. It helps to put down your phone while you eat, too.

5. Make a cup of tea Who doesn’t love a good cuppa? Brewing and enjoying a cup of tea is another great way of getting in touch with your senses. You might usually make a cup of tea without even thinking about it. Instead of just going through the motions, pay attention to each thing you do in order to make the tea.

While you might not have harvested and dried the tea leaves yourself, you can appreciate that someone, somewhere, has done this. Then there’s the action of putting the tea bag or leaves into a cup or teapot, adding the boiling water and letting it brew. Once you’ve gone through all the steps of making it, hold the cup in your hands and feel the warmth. Enjoy the sensation of taking a moment out of your day to make and enjoy a simple cuppa.

Helpful mindfulness resources to check out

• Smiling Mind is a free app with guided meditations for different situations and age groups.

• Headspace has a free mindfulness quiz to help you get started as well as other great mindfulness resources on their site.

• Insight Timer is another free app with a large library of guided meditations and mindfulness activities.

• Black Dog Institute's Bite Back is an online program for young people designed to improve wellbeing and mental fitness.

However you choose to fit mindfulness into your life, hopefully you will notice improvements in your concentration, and in your ability to relax and to cope with stressful moments.