The practice of mindfulness has been associated with benefits that range from stress reduction to relieving back pain to calming the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It can also support more resilient mind states, but if you’ve never tried to be mindful, you might be unsure exactly what it is or how to try it. Mindfulness is actually quite straightforward, according to Jane Ehrman, a retired behavioral health specialist at Cleveland Clinic who now has a private practice in Cleveland. “It’s the practice of paying attention to just one thing; it’s being in the moment and aware of what you’re doing,” she says. “So, if you’re cutting a carrot, you’re paying attention to cutting the carrot. You’re not in your head thinking about six other things you need to do.” When you’re being mindful, says Ehrman, you become aware of your surroundings and also able to respond to what’s happening. “In mindfulness, you’re using your senses, being present, and not rehashing things that have already happened,” she says. When you’re mindful and present, you can enjoy each moment more, because you’re fully alive, says Ehrman. “Think about eating your favorite ice cream. When you’re practicing mindfulness, you can enjoy the flavor, feel how cold it is, and experience the texture and taste in your mouth and how good it feels when you swallow it,” she says. Contrary to what many people think, mindfulness isn’t about “shutting your mind off,” says Ehrman. “Only dead people’s minds are shut off; when you’re alive, your mind is always going,” she says. “Mindfulness is about practicing paying attention to one thing, and so as soon as your attention wanders, bring it back. When you do that, you’re strengthening your ability to focus and concentrate better and longer.” A subtle and key aspect of the practice is to be gentle and kind to yourself when your mind inevitably wanders. After encountering a Zen missionary while he was in college, Dr. Kabat-Zinn went on to study meditation with Buddhist teachers, including Philip Kapleau, Thích Nhất Hạnh, and Seung Sahn, before eventually founding the UMass Memorial Health Center for Mindfulness in Worcester, Massachusetts, says Ehrman. A simple way to practice mindfulness during your day is when you go on a walk, suggests Ehrman. “While you’re walking, instead of thinking about all kinds of stuff you did or need to do, pay attention to how the air feels as it brushes past your skin. Notice trees and your surroundings. Notice how your body feels as you breathe air in and what’s happening in your body as you take each step.” You can practice mindfulness at work, too, says Ehrman. “Before a meeting, take a minute to just breathe in and out, and let your stress go,” she says. By doing that, you center yourself and circulate oxygen to your brain and body, which can allow you to be more present at the meeting, she adds.
Reduced Anxiety
“Mindfulness can help when you’re in your head and scaring the daylights out of yourself worrying about something,” says Ehrman. By using mindfulness techniques, you can be more intentional about what you’re choosing to pay attention to or think about, she adds. “It can reduce anxiety. Part of anxiety is a story that you’re telling yourself in your head that’s usually not the [full] truth — it can be distorted and often may even be very negative.”
Less Pain
It may seem counterintuitive to think that mindfulness could help with pain, but the practice can help you work through it, says Ehrman. “When you’re in chronic pain and then all of a sudden, the pain gets worse, you’re [often] not mindful or in the moment. Instead, you’re [often] noticing that it’s getting worse. You [may] go up into your head and you might start thinking, ‘How much worse can it get?’ ‘I wonder how long it will last?’ or ‘Why is it hurting like that?’” she says. “[When this occurs] you’re no longer present to the pain, because you’re in your head already playing it out.” In mindfulness, you are intending to be fully present for the pain and you can breathe into it, explains Ehrman. “As you breathe [in] and as you exhale, you can start to settle and soften the areas around the hurt, and that actually reduces some of the pain,” she says. “It brings you to a place where you can respond to those questions running through your head. You can say to yourself, ‘I’m just going to stay with this and breathe with it.’ Imagine breathing in a calm energy and on the exhale, you’re imagining letting that tension go.” Staying present with that discomfort allows you to work with and through the pain, she adds.
Better Disease Management
Practicing mindfulness is one way to reduce stress, according to Ehrman. “When you’re stressed out, your immune system is like, ‘What’s going on here? Is there an invader around here?’” she says.
Improved Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Symptoms
“The bowel or gut is the seat of emotion,” she says. “When you get nervous, you [may] get a knot in your stomach, and when you’re excited, you feel butterflies.” Because your gut is always paying attention to your perceptions and to what you’re thinking, when you can calm yourself down, your bowel can calm down, she explains.
Lessened Severity of Menopause Symptoms
Eased Skin-Problems
Higher-than-normal stress levels can negatively impact skin and worsen inflammatory skin conditions, including eczema, psoriasis, and acne, according to Apple Bodemer, MD, a dermatologist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison.
Improved Emotional Intelligence
By staying present in the moment, you can be more thoughtful in how you speak or react, says Ehrman. “Say you’re in a difficult situation or having a difficult conversation with someone, take a breath or two before you respond,” she says. “Just settle yourself so that you’re actually deciding what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it.”
Sharpened Ability to Make Diet and Food Choices
Mindful eating is another form of mindfulness practice, and can be used when you’re eating healthy foods or not, says Ehrman. “If you’re going to eat some ice cream or your favorite brownie, shouldn’t you thoroughly enjoy it?” she says jokingly. “How often do you take the first bite and go, ‘That’s great,’ and then you’re off the races in your head about stuff and the next thing you know, you’ve eaten it all without realizing it,” she says. “As my husband sometimes says, ‘Who finished my popcorn?’ she adds with a laugh. “When you eat mindfully, you may find that you eat less because you’re more satisfied.” Mindful eating also opens awareness to check in with your body on whether or not it’s full, and whether the food and overall experience was nourishing. This can support making healthier choices in the future.
Better Sleep and Less Insomnia
Our thoughts often start racing as soon as our head hits the pillow, says Ehrman. “We begin thinking about what didn’t get accomplished, what needs to get done tomorrow, or an uncomfortable situation that we’ve been ‘spinning’ all day,” she says. “Instead of going down that path, try to mindfully get into bed and take 30 seconds to feel your body resting on the mattress,” she says. “Feel the covers resting on your skin and how comfortable those covers feel and just breathe.” Be present with the fact that the day is done, and give yourself permission to simply lie there and breathe, Ehrman adds. “Sit or lie down comfortably — you don’t have to be cross-legged or with your thumb and a certain finger together — you don’t have to do any of that,” says Ehrman. “If you’re comfortable closing your eyes, I suggest you do that, because that can take out a lot of distractions. Then just pay attention to your breathing.” When you have some kind of thought, just tell yourself you’ll come back to that later, and go back to focusing on your breathing, she says. Some people focus on a mantra, which can be spiritual or secular, says Ehrman. A mantra is a word or phrase that is repeated during mindfulness, or other forms of meditation. Examples of mantras are, “In this moment, I am well,” or “In this moment, I am peaceful and calm,” she says. “You can also focus on just a word — for example, ‘joy,’ and just repeat that at your own pace.” Even for someone who has been practicing mindfulness for as long as Ehrman has, there can be an ongoing argument in her head about whether it’s working or if she should continue. “And that’s okay,” she says. “There’s no good or bad or right or wrong way — it’s a practice every day.” You don’t necessarily need a dedicated space or a timer to practice mindfulness, either, says Ehrman. “You can practice anywhere,” she says. “You don’t even need to sit; you can stand and gaze out the window or even stare at a beautiful scene on your screensaver.” For many, mindfulness can be quite challenging, and even demoralizing. It’s both an individual practice, and yet essential to get help and to explore practicing with others. There are introductory classes, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and mindful self compassion (MSC), and other groups in most major cities.
Exploring Mindfulness Through Movement
Another way to begin the practice of meditation is through yoga, a mind-body practice that incorporates movement with body and breath awareness that shares similarities to mindfulness, says Ehrman. “In yoga, you have to pay attention to the position in the body and breathe into it. It’s very difficult to be in your head and actually do the yoga positions well,” she says. “Focus and balance are also very strongly connected — try to stand on one foot while you’re thinking about your to-do list, and you’ll fall over right away.” You can also try practices like qigong, tai chi, and embodied dance, which all differ in their nature and historical roots, but all use various exercises to balance the energy within the body and incorporate a mindful approach to movement.
Books
Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Jon-Kabat ZinnMindfulness, by Mark Williams and Denny PenmanPeace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life, by Thich Nhat Hanh
Online Resources
UMass Memorial Health Center for Mindfulness offers free online mindfulness sessions.UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center offers free resources such as guided meditations.UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness offers daily streams and recordings of mindfulness and compassion sessions.
Apps for Mindfulness
The Cleveland Clinic offers apps called Stress Free Now and Go! To Sleep.Ten Percent Happier offers meditations and a special Coronavirus Sanity Guide.The app Headspace offers meditations and a free 10-day beginner course.
Additional reporting by Jessica Migala.
