Mindfulness is a conscious recognition of one’s internal thoughts, emotional states and surroundings. It is the art of giving attention to your thoughts, emotions and present without being judgmental or emotionally reactive. There are benefits in practicing mindfulness such as being able to manage triggers more easily, developing control over your behaviors and limit yourselves in ruminating or worrying about the future. A mindful mind focuses on the present moments and changes the way we experience present overtime (American Psychological Association, 2024).
Shapiro, a renowned mindfulness expert defines mindfulness as having three elements which include intention, attention, and attitude. Intention is what values we aim for and review as important, attention is where we invest our focus and energy, attitude is the mindset we develop of self-compassion or curiosity.
Research in psychology has established numerous benefits of mindfulness. It helps in reducing stress response by helping people in coping well with environmental triggers, negative thoughts and emotions. It lets the mind focus on the state of just being rather than perceiving and reacting (Williams & Penman, 2016).
Let us dive into the wide benefits of mindfulness manifested in a number of studies.
Reducing Stress
A large number of studies have shown positive benefits of mindfulness based meditation and therapy in reducing anxiety and stress. It is a known benefit of mindfulness that it plays a significant role in reduction of low mood and anxiety. A meta analysis of more than thirty studies established positive benefits of mindfulness in reducing stress and anxiety. Mindfulness is linked with bringing changes emotional and cognitive processing of the brain. It helps gain more control in emotional regulation and be selective in responses towards stress (Farb et al,2019).
Increased Cognitive Functioning
Research depicts mindfulness meditation helps in increasing working memory capacity and focus. Participants in a study who practiced mindfulness were more focused, less distracted and had more cognitive flexibility. It helps develop the expertise of “self-observation”, that helps to disengage the automatic responses from previous experiences and allow present information to be assimilated in a novel way (Siegel, 2017). It helps people to learn to override the automated trauma responses or negative thought cycles by bringing them into a state of awareness, teaching them to feel safe and calm themselves down.
Low Emotional Reactivity
Studies show participants who meditate are less emotionally reactive to negative stimuli in comparison to participants who do not, moreover, they are more focused cognitively and get less distracted. For instance, in a study when shown distressing pictures, individuals who practiced mindfulness were able to dissociate easily and direct their attention towards the important task at hand (Ortner et al, 2007). Thus, if you want to learn to more stable and less reactive towards triggers in your life mindfulness practice is a good way to go.
Reduced Depression
Many studies have explored the effects of mindfulness on mood disorders such as depression. It was seen that practicing intensive mindfulness therapy helps individuals to decrease their low depressive mood, and engage in less rumination (Chambers et al, 2008). Activities in mindfulness bring the focus back to the present, using bodily sensations, senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. It makes you think only about the current moments instead of feeling low on what happened in past or worry about what’s going to happen in future. It allows you to just be and calms down your heightened emotions.
Better Relationships
Mindful people have more self-insight, are more aware of their emotions which makes it easier for them to communicate their emotional needs to partners. Consequently it increases relationships satisfaction.
All in all, mindfulness enhances consciousness, empathy, compassion towards others and self-compassion. It reduces anxiety, low depressive moods, emotional reactivity, and stress, helps increase immunity and reduce psychological distress.
A growing number of psychological therapies have integrated mindfulness as a component to treat various mental health conditions. These include:
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Mindfulness techniques can be added in the daily routine for its positive effects on the mental health as a whole. You can find online both guided or independent meditation and mindfulness activities that can be a part of your daily life. As discussed these are going to be a few minutes that will have a profound effect on your life and change it for the best.
References
Keng, S. L., Smoski, M. J., & Robins, C. J. (2011). Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: a review of empirical studies. Clinical psychology review, 31(6), 1041–1056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2011.04.006
Parmentier, F. B. R., García-Toro, M., García-Campayo, J., Yañez, A. M., Andrés, P., & Gili, M. (2019). Mindfulness and Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in the General Population: The Mediating Roles of Worry, Rumination, Reappraisal and Suppression. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 506. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00506
