What is mindfulness?

Many people have lives that are busy, stressful, and follow a routine. When doing familiar tasks in a familiar setting, you may:

• find that your mind wanders
• act on 'autopilot' without noticing what is going on around you
• get stuck in unhelpful thoughts, such as worrying about the future

You might find yourself:

• eating a whole packet of chips in front of the TV without noticing the taste
• reading half a page of a book and then realising that you haven't taken any of it in
• having trouble falling asleep at night because of constant worries

Mindfulness is a skill to help you paying full attention to what is going on in and around you, in a way that is:

• deliberate (on purpose)
• open-minded
• non-judgemental

Mindfulness does not try to change or control your experience. It helps you to observe and learn to accept what is happening in the moment. It is a way you can support your:

• mental health
• emotional health
• self-awareness
• wellbeing

Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist meditation. It is also a part of psychological therapies including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

What are the benefits of mindfulness?

Mindfulness helps you to notice when you are distracted. You can use it to focus your attention in a certain way. It can help you in your:

• day-to-day life
• work
• relationships

Mindfulness can improve your:

• concentration and memory — by helping you focus on tasks and remember things going on around you
• sleep — by helping you to physically relax and manage distracting thoughts that may prevent you from sleeping
• relationship with food eating — by helping you to focus on the experiences of eating

There are other health benefits of mindfulness too.

Relationships

Being mindful can help you in your relationships. In a busy life, you may get distracted during interactions with close friends and family. It can also be easy to miss the different perspectives of those around you.

Being more mindful may help you understand these issues, and connect differently with people.

Mental health and wellbeing

Stressful thoughts come and go. Without being mindful, you may:

• dwell on worries about the past and the future
• react to negative feelings without thinking about them first
• not notice other perspectives that may be helpful
• become distracted and caught up in your thoughts

Practising mindfulness may help to keep you in the present. You can learn to respond more realistically when you:

• recognise your thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them or judging yourself
• process your feelings before reacting to them
• manage your emotions calmly and effectively

Mindfulness can help you to notice, appreciate and enjoy things around you that you may take for granted. This can help reduce stress and anxiety.

Practicing mindfulness can also help you notice warning signs of mental health challenges. This way, you can take care of yourself and seek help early.

Mindfulness can help manage many mental health problems, including:

• depression
• anxiety disorders
• addiction
• eating disorders
• anger management

If you need to talk to someone about your mental health, call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Chronic illness

Mindfulness may help you manage physical pain such as chronic pain.

It can also improve the quality of life of people with cancer, by helping with:

• pain
• nausea
• Potentially improving immune function

Daily actions to improve your mental health

How can I be more mindful?

You can start putting mindfulness into practise on your own with a few simple exercises. There are many smartphone apps that can help guide you.

The more you practise mindfulness, the better you can get and the easier it will be. You can practise little periods of mindfulness throughout your day.

Anytime you find yourself dwelling on something, you can try to break the pattern by practicing mindfulness.

Focus on yourself

To practise mindfulness, bring yourself into the present moment. You can try to identify your feelings. Ask yourself questions, like 'what is going on with me at the moment?' You can also try labelling the thoughts and feelings that you notice, such as if a feeling is 'happy' or 'anxious'.

You can try grounding yourself by focusing on what you:

• see
• feel
• hear
• smell
• taste

You can do this in any situation. If you are on a walk, you might ground yourself by focussing on:

• the feeling of your foot hitting the ground
• the way the clouds look
• a smell in the air

You don't need to question or judge 'why' you are feeling the way you do. Mindfulness is about simply noticing. This can help you move through your feelings rather than getting caught in them.

Mindful eating

When you're having a meal, focus on your eating. Don't read or watch TV at the same time. Think about how your food:

• looks
• smells
• tastes
• texture

You may find you enjoy your food more and only eat until you are full.

Meditation

Meditation is a common way to practise mindfulness. There are lots of different meditation techniques you can try.

Breathing exercises are a type of meditation. You can do this for a few minutes each day. Find a quiet place and focus on your breathing. This can include noticing:

• how air passes in and out of your nostrils
• the feeling of air in your mouth
• how your abdomen (tummy) rises and falls with each breath

If you become overwhelmed or distracted again, try to refocus on your breathing. This takes practice and will become easier with time and repetition.

Another meditation technique is to scan your body. This means to focus on how your body feels in the moment. Think about how your body feels, from your head to the tips of your toes. Focus on one part of your body at a time. This can help you feel calm and focussed.

Is mindfulness suitable for everyone?

If practising mindfulness causes you discomfort, stop and talk to your doctor.

Some research has reported that practicing mindfulness through intense meditation can make symptoms worse for people who have psychosis.

If you experience psychosis, talk to your doctor or mental health professional before practicing mindfulness. They can discuss whether mindfulness is right for you.

Resources and support

These organisations can help you introduce mindfulness into your life:

• Black Dog Institute provides a factsheet with mindfulness techniques to practise at home.
• Smiling Mind is a free app that helps develop mindfulness skills and can reduce stress.
• ReachOut has mindfulness resources that are suitable for young people.
• Medicare Mental Health — for advice and to get connected to local mental health services, call 1800 595 212. Check the operating times.
• This Way Up website has information on ways to cope with stress.

Languages other than English

You can visit the Embrace Multicultural Mental Health website for resources in different languages.

The NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service has audio resources about practicing Mindfulness. These are available in English, Bengali and Arabic.

Information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

You can visit the Medicare Mental Health website for support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.