Mindfulness is everywhere, and it can be hard to know what exactly you should be doing and to do it in the kind of world we live in today.
From therapy rooms to boardrooms, mindfulness is being promoted left, right and centre.
It can also feel like a cop out, or quite invalidating. Maybe you are struggling with something and someone has just replied with “practice mindfulness”.
But what is mindfulness?
Is it meditation? A trend? A spiritual practice? Or something deeper?
To help you understand what mindfulness is and whether it can benefit you (or not), we take a look at it from a psychological perspective, grounded in research and practical application, while keeping it human.
What is mindfulness?
At its core, and beyond the buzz, mindfulness is the intentional practice of paying attention to the present moment without judgment and with openness.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, in 1979, developed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and describes mindfulness as: “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”
So what is mindfulness?
- Choose to notice what is going on in the moment
- Not rehearse the future or replay the past
- Not judge yourself or label things as good or bad
From a psychological perspective, it is about the relationship you have with yourself, your thoughts, your emotions and your overall life and changing it, rather than simply attempting to empty your mind, which is what mindfulness is often mistaken as.
What mindfulness is not
I feel it is important to consider what mindfulness is not. As I type what mindfulness is, I feel myself wanting to explain a few things.
First, it isn’t about bypassing what is going on in your life or the world. It isn’t about ignoring things or never thinking about things. There is a purpose for thinking about and learning from the past, and looking into the future. But there is a point, for some, where this can be extremely distressing, because we live in these places constantly, neglecting what is actually going on now and living life from a place of anxiety, fear, or something else.
Some things are inherently bad or good. Some things we do need to criticise ourselves for and learn from. Again, it is about the place you do this from. Learning and growing is one thing, but when you find yourself stuck in these places, internally conflicted and distressed, then that’s where mindfulness can help you be more present in your life.
Psychology and mindfulness
Mindfulness plays a central role in many modern, evidence-based therapies.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
MBSR was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, originally for patients with chronic pain. Research shows that it helped reduce physical pain perception, as well as reduce stress and anxiety.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
MBCT was created by Zindel Segal, Mark Williams, and John Teasdale to help with depression and relapses. It combines cognitive therapy with mindfulness. Clinical trials have shown that it can significantly help with relapse rates in recurrent depression.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT was developed by Steven C. Hayes to help people build psychological flexibility by using mindfulness to help people become observers of their thoughts, without being dominated by them.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Marsha Linehan created DBT to integrate mindfulness as a core skill for emotional regulation and distress tolerance.
Global and historical roots of mindfulness
If those psychological theories sound familiar, that is because they are deeply connected to ancient contemplative traditions around the world. Including practices like Hinduism and Buddhism. Awareness and meditation practices have been cultivated for over 2500 years. In early Buddhist teachings, for example, mindfulness (sati) was described as moment-to-moment awareness of body, feelings, thoughts, and mental processes (Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta).
Similarly, yogic traditions emerging from ancient India, later systematised in texts like the Yoga Sutras attributed to Patanjali, emphasised focused attention, breath regulation, and disciplined awareness to lead a person to clarity.
Variations of contemplative attention practices also developed within Taoism and Christian contemplative traditions. What modern psychology has done is not invent mindfulness, but operationalise and research specific elements of these longstanding practices in a secular, clinically applicable way.
It is great to be able to learn and grow from these ancient practices and be able to continue to use them around the world. In a way, contemporary mindfulness sits at the intersection of ancient wisdom and modern science.
What is mindfulness? What happens in the brain
Mindfulness isn’t just philosophical; it is neurological.
Research from Harvard Medical School has found that regular mindfulness practice is associated with:
- Changes in the hippocampus (learning and memory)
- Reduced activity in the amygdala (fear and stress response)
- Increased strength and thickness in areas of the brain linked to focus and awareness
And overall, long-lasting changes in brain activity.
Essentially, mindfulness builds on the “calm and focus” circuits of the brain while reducing the overactivation of stress pathways.
Mindfulness can help to regulate the nervous system by calming the stress response. It can do this by signalling safety to your body and mind by bringing it back to the present moment and breaking the loop.
When you feel threatened or overwhelmed, the fight or flight mode (sympathetic nervous system) is activated. This changes your physiology, where things like heart rate, muscles and stress hormones change.
Mindfulness practices can help to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, the one often called rest and digest.
Not only can mindfulness help you in the moment, but it can also help to improve your flexibility and capacity to deal with stressful situations, so you can move in and out of them and return to balance more efficiently.
The science-backed benefits of mindfulness
So, with that being said, what can mindfulness actually do for you?
#1 Reduces stress and anxiety
Mindfulness has been shown to lower cortisol (the stress hormone) and help regulate the nervous system. Studies show consistent reductions in generalised anxiety symptoms when practised consistently.
#2 Help towards preventing depressive relapse
MBCT research suggests that mindfulness reduces relapse in recurrent depression. This is because mindfulness can help people notice early warning signs without spiralling.
#3 Improves emotional regulation
Instead of suppressing feelings, mindfulness builds emotional tolerance. You learn observation, which looks like:
“I am experiencing anger”
Instead of
“I am angry, and this defines me”
This is a powerful psychological shift.
#4 Enhances focus and cognitive flexibility
Mindfulness strengthens attentional control and reduces rumination – the repetitive thinking strongly linked to anxiety and depression.
#5 Increases self-compassion
Mindfulness fosters a kinder internal dialogue. Research in self-compassion theory (Kristin Neff) shows that mindfulness can improve resilience and emotional well-being.
A pluralistic psychotherapy perspective
As a pluralistic psychotherapist, mindfulness is a great practice to integrate. This is because pluralistic therapy recognises that no single approach works for everyone.
Mindfulness can fit into this framework because:
- It can be integrated into CBT, psychodynamic therapy, humanistic therapy, ACT, DBT, and more.
- It respects individual differences.
- It enhances the ability to notice thoughts rather than being controlled by them.
From a pluralistic standpoint, mindfulness is not a fix – it’s a tool. And like any tool, it works best when tailored to the person.
How to practice mindfulness
Another barrier people come up against is what to do to practice mindfulness. There is the misconception that it has to be done on a retreat or sitting on a mountain. It can also be resisted by many as woo-woo or pointless. All I suggest is learn the different ways and experiment to see how it makes you feel.
Here are a few different and simple ways you can practice mindfulness.
#1 The 3-Minute Breathing Space
(Used in MBCT)
- Notice what’s happening right now (thoughts, feelings, sensations).
- Focus attention on the breath.
- Expand awareness to the whole body.
#2 Sensory Grounding (5-4-3-2-1 Method)
- 5 things you see
- 4 things you feel
- 3 things you hear
- 2 things you smell
- 1 thing you taste
This activates sensory networks and reduces emotional overwhelm.
#3 Thought Labelling
When a thought arises:
Instead of:
“I’m a failure.”
Try:
“I’m having the thought that I’m a failure.”
This technique, widely used in ACT, creates psychological distance (cognitive defusion).
#4 Everyday Mindfulness
- Eat without scrolling.
- Walk without headphones.
- Notice temperature, sounds, and physical sensations.
Mindfulness isn’t about adding more to your day. It’s about showing up to what’s already there.
Common misconceptions about mindfulness
Unfortunately, common misconceptions can be a barrier for people who could benefit from mindfulness. Here are just a few:
❌ Mindfulness is about stopping thoughts.
➡️ It’s about changing your relationship with them.
❌ Mindfulness is spiritual or religious.
➡ ️ While there are roots in where mindfulness has come from around the world, being present is a very human thing that we have all drifted away from. Without disregarding who or where it has come from, mindfulness does not need labels or certain beliefs to be practiced by someone.
❌ It works instantly.
➡️ Like physical exercise, it strengthens over time. It might not always work in every situation, so you may need another tool at a different time. It is good to ensure you don’t expect it to “fix” anything or to instantly take you from a 10 to a 2.
❌ It replaces therapy.
➡️ It enhances therapy – it doesn’t replace human connection or what might be going on in your past or your life to have caused you distress and the need to practice mindfulness.
Why Mindfulness Works
At its heart, mindfulness builds psychological flexibility – the ability to:
- Experience thoughts and emotions rather than getting caught up in them
- Stay present in your life and notice more (and remember more!)
- Create space between your reactions and help you to respond instead
- Act in line with your values
It can be super effective for some people, and for others, it may just be one tool in your internal tool box, amongst others that you can draw on depending on what you need at any moment. For some, it may be that some issues have a deeper-rooted meaning that requires exploring, things in the unconscious that are driving thoughts and behaviours, stories that need rewriting, and more.
Mindfulness is not about becoming a calm person. It is about becoming more aware and living with more intention. Mindfulness can change how we relate to our inner world.
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