What Is Mindfulness, and How Can I Practice It?

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness simply means fully attending to the present moment; what’s happening, what you’re doing and the space you’re moving through. Mindfulness is maintaining a level of awareness, moment by moment, of our thoughts, bodily sensations, feelings, and environment.

Mindfulness is intended to be done without interpretation or judgement of our thoughts and feelings. When we practice mindfulness, we accept our experiences, feelings, and environment without attaching a belief or judgement of whether the feeling or experience is right or wrong. The goal is simply to be in tune with the present moment and aware of our thoughts and bodies without judgment or reaction to the experience.

The concept of mindfulness may seem simple and even trivial, but it’s so easy to become distracted by our intrusive or obsessive thoughts and lose touch with our bodies. Mindfulness can bring you back to the moment; to be fully present and aware of where you are and what you are doing.

While mindfulness mainly originates from Buddhist meditation, people practicing mindfulness don’t need to be spiritual or religious. It can be formal practice (where you set a regular time and place to dedicate yourself to it) or informal (where it’s just added into your daily routine).

What are some benefits to mindfulness?

Practicing mindfulness, even for just a few minutes, can bring a variety of physical, psychological, and social benefits including:

• Stress reduction

• Strengthened immune system

• Improved capacity for learning, memory, emotion regulation

• Reduced risk of obesity

• Improved attention, reduces distractions

• Reduced emotional reactivity

• Increased empathy towards others

• Increased optimism and relationship satisfaction

• Improved concentration and cognitive focus

Mindfulness is not about forcing yourself to feel a certain way but accepting how you feel in a given moment with kindness.

How can I practice mindfulness?

Aim to practice mindfulness every day for approximately six months. There are so many opportunities to practice mindfulness in your daily routines in small, meaningful ways:

• When you take a walk, what sensations do you feel on your body? Think of the how the breeze feels on your face, the firmness of the ground under your feet, the noise of traffic, the smells around you.

• When you’re cooking, use all of your senses. Take note of all of the sounds (the peeling and chopping), notice the colours, smells, and textures. Think about how all the ingredients arrived in your kitchen.

• While you shower, notice the scents of your shampoo and soap, watch the bubbles that are formed, and listen to the sound of the water as it runs down your body.

Consider the practice of mindfulness a commitment to self-care and reconnecting with yourself. Over time, you may find that mindfulness becomes easier to practice, and you will reap the rewards of incorporating this important practice in your everyday life.

Examples of Mindfulness exercises

As you've learned, there are many ways of practicing mindfulness. Here are some exercises you can practice in your everyday life:

Grounding: Grounding is a self-soothing coping technique that helps you come back to the present moment. Grounding is a short-term approach that’s especially useful during distressing or overwhelming situations. When we’re in a situation where our mind is swirling with negative thoughts and emotions, we may feel like we’re in an emotional storm. Grounding is a good strategy to help decrease your emotional arousal, help you tolerate a stressful situation, and help you weather the “emotional storm.”

Mindful Eating: Mindful eating is a practice that encourages you to pay full attention to the experience of eating, using all your senses. Practicing mindful eating will help bring awareness to the simple practice of eating. It helps to re-establish a mind-body connection allowing us to experience the pleasures (or displeasures) of eating.

Walking Meditation: Walking meditation can be practiced anywhere and is accessible to people of all ages. The goal of this practice is to bring full awareness to each step, focusing on the present moment. By synchronizing your breath with your steps, this helps you anchor your mind and body in the present. Walking meditation can also help reduce stress and promote relaxation by encouraging mindfulness and deep breathing.

Self-Soothing Kit: Creating a self-soothing kit for at home, on the go, or in the office can be helpful when you need to bring yourself back to the present moment. This kit can include a stress ball, scented candles, hard candy, chocolate, etc. Be sure to include items that address your visual sense, your sense of taste, sense of smell, sense of hearing, and finally, your sense of feeling or an item you can hold. Prepare yourself a self-soothing kit and thank yourself for taking time out of your day for self-care.

Mindful Colouring: For many individuals, it’s boredom, lack of structure, or stress which are the greatest triggers for emotional and mental health issues. Adult colouring books can help you focus on the act of colouring detailed and complicated pictures for hours on end rather than spending time focusing on intrusive and troubling thoughts. This mindfulness technique is also helpful for a wide variety of difficulties, such as stress, anxiety, and low mood. The time and focus that colouring requires can help you shift from your negative thoughts and instead, focus them in a safe and productive way.

Embracing Mindfulness as a Daily Practice

Mindfulness isn’t about perfection—it’s about presence. By incorporating simple practices into your daily life, you can cultivate greater awareness, reduce stress, and enhance overall well-being. Whether it’s through mindful breathing, walking meditation, or simply being present in everyday moments, mindfulness is a powerful tool for reconnecting with yourself. With time and practice, it can become a natural part of your routine, bringing more clarity, balance, and calm into your life.