How often do you take time to really listen to yourself and to others?

Finding Calm in the Present: An Introduction to Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of gently bringing your attention to the present moment, without judgment. It’s about noticing your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations while letting go of worries about the past and anxieties about the future.

Practicing mindfulness is a powerful tool for managing stress and moments of panic. It helps you steady your breathing, calm your nervous system, and focus on what you can control, leading to greater mental wellbeing.

How Can You Practice Mindfulness?

Mindfulness isn't one-size-fits-all. It can be practiced in many ways to suit your personality. Here are a few examples:

Mindful Breathing: Simply focusing your attention on the sensation of your breath moving in and out of your body.
Body Scan: Mentally scanning your body from head to toe, noticing any areas of tension and gently trying to release them.
Mindful Movement: Engaging in physical exercise like walking or yoga, paying full attention to how your body moves and feels.
Creative Mindfulness: Losing yourself in a creative activity like drawing, painting, or playing music.
Grounding Activities: Using your five senses to connect with your immediate environment (e.g., noticing five things you can see, four you can touch).

Explore Our Mindful Activities

Ready to give it a try? Explore the resources in this section to find guided activities and techniques. You'll also see that mindfulness is a key part of total wellbeing—you'll find mindful activities woven into our sections on Self-Awareness, Creativity, and Be Active, too!

Step 1

In your chosen group, take five minutes to think about one thing you are stressed about and one thing you are most looking forward to.

Step 2

Once you have done this, ask everyone in the group to share their stories, one-by-one.

Step 3

As you are sharing your stories with the group, think about how it feels to say these things out loud. How does it feel to speak about your excitement or stress?

Step 4

Now direct your attention to your body sensations, thoughts, and feelings. How do you feel as you share? How do you feel as you listen? Does it feel the same? Does it feel different?

Step 5

Once everyone has shared, break off into smaller groups and answer the following questions.

Reflecting on the task...

Try answering a few of these questions;

How did you feel as you were sharing with the group?
How did you feel as you were listening to others?
Did anything distract you during the process?
How did you recover from the distraction and bring yourself back into the present?
Did you think judgmental thoughts as you were listening to others?
If so, how did this feel in the body?
Did you feel empathy for others?
If so, how did this feel in the body?
How did your body feel as you were speaking?
How did your body feel after you spoke?
How do you feel now?
What do you think would happen if you practiced mindful listening with everyone you spoke with?
Could mindful listening change your interactions with others?

3 Minute Body Scan Meditation

Why not try this 3 minute meditation?

What is Mindfulness?

Mindful Writing