Mindfulness and mental health: Techniques and therapies

Reviewed by Robert Bogenberger, PhD

Written by

therapist.com team

Last updated: 08/30/2024

Share this article

Share article

Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on LinkedIn Share this article on Messenger Share this article in email Copy the link to this article Print this article

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment without judgment or interpretation. As a type of meditation, it’s grounded in feeling and sensing the moment, as opposed to being focused on the past or future. With mindfulness, you may notice your breathing, become more intimately aware of what’s nearby, or observe what’s happening within your body.

Mindfulness has roots in religions like Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as secular forms of meditation, and it’s often incorporated in practices like yoga. Many early Western mindfulness practitioners learned about the concept in the Far East and brought it to the West. 

Mindfulness practices have been combined with other therapeutic techniques to form both mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). In more recent years, mindfulness has been combined with positive psychology to promote well-being and self-awareness.

Benefits of mindfulness

Mindfulness can help keep you from reacting to your environment out of impulse or instinct. It encourages you to stay calm down and respond to stress in more productive ways. It can help ease stress, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and chronic pain.

It can also help you achieve goals, reduce symptoms of burnout, and improve your attention and focus. Studies have also found mindfulness is useful in addressing insomnia, high blood pressure, and diabetes management.^1,2,3

Mindfulness for anxiety

Research suggests mindfulness-based interventions can be effective in reducing anxiety.⁴ In some cases, mindfulness helps people feel more in control of their own actions and outcomes, which in turn reduces anxiety and other mental health concerns.⁵  

Mindfulness practices can also increase self-awareness, helping you recognize signs of anxiety in your body and mind. Noticing these symptoms while they’re mild can give you a better chance at stopping their escalation. Mindfulness may also help some people who experience panic attacks.⁶ 

Mindfulness for depression

Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to mildly reduce depressive symptoms, especially when used in combination with other treatments.⁷ In addition, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy has been shown to help prevent depressive relapses in patients with recurring depression.⁸

Mindfulness helps people become aware of the negative thought patterns common in depression and change the way they relate to them. It also helps lessen negative emotional reactions to events and unproductive, anxious rumination.

Mindfulness techniques

Different mindfulness techniques, including the ones listed below, can be used in therapy or as self-care:

• Meditation involves focusing on a single object, activity, or thought to heighten awareness and increase attention.
• Mindful eating involves being fully present while you eat. You might appreciate food by deliberately focusing on how it tastes, smells, and feels while you slowly chew.
• Mindful breathing focuses your attention on your breath. One simple way to do this is to concentrate on your chest and stomach’s rise and fall as you inhale and exhale.
• Walking meditation involves attending to the process of walking. Being conscious of each part of a step can help bring you out of autopilot and into the present moment.
• Mindful seeing involves consciously noticing what’s in your field of vision. You can start by focusing on one object and noticing all of its details, colors, and textures.
• Mindful listening involves giving your full attention to what’s being said, and turning off your own internal judgments or anxious thoughts to focus on the message being conveyed.

Many other mindfulness techniques—such as specific breathwork, use of your five senses, or focusing on feelings or physical sensations—can also be employed.

Mindfulness vs. meditation: What’s the difference?

Mindfulness and meditation are interconnected practices, but they aren’t the same thing. Mindfulness is an ongoing, non-judgmental awareness of the present moment, which can be integrated into daily life.

Meditation, on the other hand, is a deliberate and structured practice that includes techniques like mindfulness to cultivate a focused mental state. While mindfulness can be a part of meditation, meditation encompasses a wider range of practices beyond just mindfulness.

Mindfulness in therapy

A therapist may use mindfulness techniques to help you manage symptoms and become more aware of your thoughts and feelings. In both MBCT and MBSR, mindfulness techniques are a core part of therapy. 

In MBCT, for example, participants learn various mindfulness exercises during an eight-week program and practice using them in their daily lives. The techniques are combined with traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). 

Mindfulness is also used in other therapies, including:

• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): Encouraging psychological flexibility, ACT helps people accept what they can’t change and take action on what they can. Mindfulness techniques are used to help people accept reality without labels or judgment.
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): DBT incorporates mindfulness techniques to help teach emotional regulation and impulse control.
• The Hakomi method: This therapy combines somatic therapy with mindfulness to help people gain awareness of their core thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.

How to practice mindfulness

Mindfulness can be a helpful daily practice for managing mental health issues or reducing stress. Here are some simple mindfulness techniques you can use in everyday life: 

• Slow down and pay attention: Focus on using your five senses to experience the present moment. When eating, take time to focus on the smell of the food, what it looks like, and how it tastes. When lying in bed, focus on the textures you feel, the sounds you can hear, or the sensations in different parts of your body.
• Focus on your breath: Bring your attention to the rise and fall of your chest. Concentrate on your breathing as the air moves into and out of your body.  Close your eyes and take deep breaths that fully expand your lungs.
• Acknowledge your thoughts and emotions: When you find yourself in difficult situations, acknowledge how you’re truly feeling in the moment. Allow the thoughts and emotions to be present without judging them.
• Return to the present: When your mind wanders from the technique you’re practicing, simply return your attention to the present without judgment.

If you’re interested in learning how mindfulness techniques can help you manage mental health issues or reduce stress, consider making an appointment with a therapist who uses mindfulness techniques.

A licensed therapist can help you identify which techniques might be best for you and teach you to use them to manage symptoms of depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues.