Our full selection of articles exploring mindfulness.
Mindlessness. We’ve all been there. For me, it strikes most often when I’m at my least rested, or perhaps already experiencing a low mood. My mind struggles even more than usual to stay present, and the appeal of mindlessness grows, because if the present moment is uncomfortable—well, maybe letting my thoughts drift isn’t so bad….
A one minute mindfulness exercise is anything you can do in 60 seconds or less to center yourself, ground yourself, and pull yourself into present awareness. These routines are brief, but help you incorporate the principles of mindfulness into your life — especially when you’re short on time. In an ideal world, every day we…
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a method to analyze troubling situations in your life, notice which of the beliefs that you hold are negative or inaccurate, and replace the negative beliefs with positive beliefs. A method called Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) combines CBT with Mindfulness. If you’re practicing mindfulness, you might notice some similarities when…
Here’s a scenario you might have faced: You’ve decided to take action—you’re going to get your mindfulness practice off the ground, and improve your wellbeing. You don’t want to burn out, so you settle on 15 minutes of meditation a day, plus writing a few things in your gratitude journal. A 20 minute commitment. And…
Mindfulness is associated with an extensive list of benefits and studies. But which benefits are backed by research, and which aren’t? The below list of mindfulness benefits links out to recent studies on each topic. If your mindfulness practice has stagnated, this impressive list of mindfulness benefits will get you moving again! Mindfulness can make…
Ever say to yourself: “I want to sleep, but my brain won’t stop talking to itself”? It’s a common problem. 70% of US adults say they don’t get enough sleep at least one night a month, and 11% say they don’t get enough sleep every night. Overthinking is frequently the culprit. As we lie in bed…
When you’re struggling to study late at night, or watching your thoughts run wild as you try to work in the afternoon, you’re missing one thing: Concentration. Concentration is the act of narrowing the focus of your attention. Higher levels of concentration can lead to getting more done. And more attention means higher quality of…
Mindfulness is an underrated tool when it comes to relaxation techniques. Mindfulness practices can make your mind more calm and more resilient against stress. This often pairs well with relaxation, which has the primary goal of calming your mind and body and lowering stress. When it comes to mindfulness and meditation, the goal for most…
If we don’t decide what we want, it can feel like life is happening “to” us. We say to ourselves, “Where did the day go? It’s like it slipped through my fingers.” Or even, “I feel like I’m stuck. My life isn’t very different than two years ago.” That’s where intentions come in. You’ve probably…
Mindfulness and awareness are two concepts that are easy to confuse. While the two concepts are closely related, they’re not precisely the same. When you’re meditating, or when you’re being mindful, you’re often training your awareness. To confuse matters further, some terms like “mindful awareness” actually do mean mindfulness. Below, we’ll explore the differences and…
Mindfulness is a huge topic, and it’s hard to know where to start, or even nail down exactly what mindfulness is. Maybe you’re thinking of trying to meditate for the first time. Or maybe someone told you that mindfulness might help with a specific issue like a wandering mind, or anger. You may be confused…
We’ve all experienced the state of flow at some point in our lives. It’s that feeling of complete focus and engagement with activities that you enjoy. The feeling of losing track of time while you become entirely immersed in what you’re doing. This can be an activity as simple as taking a walk, or as…
It’s a debate as old as the first conversation about productivity: Should I multitask to get more done? Or just focus on one thing at a time? Mindfulness is closely associated with monotasking, or focusing on a single task at time. Although the research is clear that multitasking tends to lower productivity, the debate goes…
Mindfulness and flow are two related concepts that are often confused. Is mindfulness the same as flow? How are they related? If you’re looking to improve your performance, productivity or concentration, it’s worth understanding the similarities and differences between mindfulness and flow. This article will compare the two concepts, as well as provide some examples…
Is mindfulness Biblical? Mindfulness is a modern concept that didn’t exist in Biblical times. However, many mindfulness practices have Biblical parallels. There is a robust discussion in religious communities as to whether these should be associated with the term “mindfulness.” Mindfulness is a modern term that didn’t exist when the books that make up the Bible…
In the last few years, manifestation has skyrocketed in popularity. Manifestation is a way to create a vision and bring it into reality by imagining (in vivid detail) what it looks and feels like to have already reached your goal. This process typically uses tools like vision boards and journaling. Manifestation is not a sin….
Is mindfulness religious? No, it isn’t. Rather, mindfulness is a secular toolkit that can help reduce stress and improve well-being. However, there is a tangled ancient and modern relationship between religion, spirituality and mindfulness. Let’s clear up any doubt: mindfulness is not religious. And, at least as practiced in scientific studies, it’s not even necessarily…
No one knows what it’s like to be you. In some ways, it’s crazy, right? In this day and age where we’ve figured out everything in the physical realm—self-driving cars, people!—we still don’t have a way to understand the internal landscape of other people. Even those closest to us. We have no way to grasp…
Mindfulness isn’t easy. The human mind is wired for distraction. Our reptile brains are forever on the lookout for noises to be analyzed for signs of threats. Our Pavlovian instincts keep us scrolling social media for digital treats and puttering around the kitchen for physical ones. Our brain tries to conserve energy by taking the…
Feeling less stress, more contentment and greater focus each day sounds like a pretty good goal, right? It’s actually getting there that’s the challenge. And whatever technique or philosophy you may subscribe to, there are no shortcuts. It’s even harder if you have no toolkit whatsoever to get to the life of greater peace that…
