top of page

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.

Spending too much time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts can be draining. It can also make you more likely to experience stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression. Practicing mindfulness exercises can help you direct your attention away from this kind of thinking and engage with the world around you.

What are the benefits of meditation?

 

Meditation has been studied in many clinical trials. The overall evidence supports the effectiveness of meditation for various conditions, including:

  • Stress

  • Anxiety

  • Pain

  • Depression

  • Insomnia

  • High blood pressure (hypertension)

 

Preliminary research indicates that meditation can also help people with asthma and fibromyalgia.

Meditation can help you experience thoughts and emotions with greater balance and acceptance. Meditation also has been shown to:

  • Improve attention

  • Decrease job burnout

  • Improve sleep

  • Improve diabetes control

Resources:

https://www.apa.org/topics/mindfulness/meditation

 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356

https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/

https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-and-mindfulness-what-you-need-to-know

bottom of page