Why Mindfulness Matters for Mental Health and Wellbeing
For about a decade, I’ve learned about mindfulness and adopted more mindful practices in my life. I wish I could be more consistent and committed, and yet, I’ve managed to still benefit from what I’ve invested in. I’ve read about it, listened to many teachings, enrolled in experiential learning activities (e.g., mindfulness-based tress reduction), and became a great fan of Vietnamese monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh.
Simply put – I’m a great supporter of mindful practice because it’s worked for me, and there’s research to prove it.
Mindfulness is not a “one-and-done approach”; it’s a journey in every way, one that will be marked by moments of frustration, exhaustion and gradual progress. It takes commitment, but it’s all worth it in the end.
Mindfulness may be challenging for many of us who have been taught to be constantly “doing”, “producing”, or “working” as a measure of our personal value, our sense of worth. It also calls us to set aside our preoccupation with the past and the future, or from pushing away painful memories and experiences. Instead, mindfulness invites us to meet the present moment.
In his book, Reconciliation: Healing the Inner Child, Thich Nhat Hanh talks about our tendency to hold onto our emotional wounds, especially those from our childhood. He compares these wounds to toxins, or mental knots, similar to the physical knots in our bodies that block circulation. He says that mindfulness helps us embrace our inner pain and suffering which he describes as massaging our consciousness. This allows circulation to return, and healing to take place.
How does mindfulness do this? Thich Nhat Hanh says it first allows us to recognize instead of fighting our suffering and pain which is often carried by our inner child. Second, mindfulness allows us to embrace this inner child and comfort them with tenderness which provides some relief. Third, mindfulness helps soothe our pain when we’re able to hold ourselves gently, with compassion.
In this blog, I talk about what mindfulness is, and how it works to promote change. You don’t have to read all the sections and can focus only on those that interest you.
What is mindfulness?
Jon Kabat-Zinn, a well-known expert in the field and developer and founder of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), has long championed this ancient Buddhist meditation practice to heal, promote greater health and wellbeing – and even change the world. Kabat-Zin (1994) defined mindfulness as a specific way of paying attention that’s intentional, focused on the present moment and without any judgment (Fleming and Kocovski, 2013). It’s about meeting the present moment with curiosity and non-judgment, simply observing your thoughts, emotions and sensations as they arise without trying to change or suppress them.
How do you practice mindfulness?
Practicing mindfulness can be as simple as paying attention to your breath as you breathe in and out, and bringing your focus back to the breath as thoughts inevitably arise.
Mindfulness practice involves two kinds of meditation (Lamoreux, 2021), paying attention to your breath and body, as I just described, or focusing your attention as you engage in different activities, like brushing your teeth, chewing your food, walking, and even doing menial tasks like folding clothes.
The goal is to develop a greater awareness of the present moment and the ability to respond (instead of reacting) to life’s challenges with greater clarity and equanimity (a calm mind).
Check out the app, Insight Timer, which has many great and short mindfulness meditations to get you started.
The link between mindfulness and mental health
According to the Mayo Clinic (Can Mindfulness Exercises Help Me?, n.d.), many clinical trials have studied meditation and have shown that meditation is effective in treating different conditions including insomnia, depression, anxiety, pain, stress and high blood pressure.
Decades of research have shown that mindfulness is strongly linked to improved mental health outcomes. For example, the American Psychological Association reported on a review of over 200 studies of mindfulness among healthy individuals which demonstrated that mindfulness is especially effective for reducing stress, anxiety and depression (Creswell & Khoury, 2019). Other benefits include:
- Enhanced emotional regulation: Mindfulness helps individuals recognize and
manage their emotional states more effectively. - Increased resilience: Regular mindfulness practice helps foster a sense of inner
calm and the ability to navigate stress more skilfully. - Improved focus and concentration: Mindfulness sharpens cognitive functions
and reduces distractions.
How mindfulness works in the brain
Neuroscience provides compelling evidence of mindfulness’ impact on the brain. Regular mindfulness practice can lead to changes in brain structure and function, a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity (Siegel, 2007). Key areas of the brain involved include:
- Prefrontal Cortex: Responsible for executive functions like decision-making, planning, and impulse control. Mindfulness strengthens this region, enhancing self-regulation (Hölzel et al., 2001).
- Amygdala: The brain’s fear and emotion center. Mindfulness reduces the amygdala’s reactivity, leading to decreased stress and anxiety (Hölzel et al., 2001).
- Default Mode Network (DMN): This network is active during mind-wandering and self-referential thinking, often associated with rumination, defined as persistent and repetitive negative thinking, common in depression and anxiety. Mindfulness reduces DMN activity, promoting a sense of presence and reducing overthinking (Brewer et al., 2011).
Dan Siegel (2007), a leading figure in interpersonal neurobiology, highlights the role of mindfulness in integrating different regions of the brain. This integration fosters a sense of coherence and mental stability.
Closing thoughts
Mindfulness offers a scientifically grounded and deeply compassionate way to enhance mental health and wellbeing. By cultivating present-moment awareness, we can not only improve our brain function but also nurture a deeper connection to ourselves and others.
When I used to struggle with overpowering anxiety, I would practice mindfulness. Rather than push away the fear, I would sit with it. It wasn’t always easy, and it took time. But it allowed me to acknowledge my feelings, better understand myself, and accept my experience without needing to push it away or judge it. To this day, I recall one teaching that’s stuck with me: what you resist, persists. So, I welcome all experiences, because I’ve learned that I can survive difficult emotions, and each brings its own important lessons that help me deepen my experience and sense of compassion for myself and others.
References
Brewer, J. A., Worhunsky, P. D., Gray, J. R., Tang, Y. Y., Weber, J., & Kober, H. (2011). Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(50), 20254–20259.
Can mindfulness exercises help me? (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356
Creswell, J. D., & Khoury, B. (2019, October 30). Mindfulness meditation. American Psychological Association. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from https://www.apa.org/topics/mindfulness/meditation#:~:text=Researchers%20reviewed%20more%20than%20200,quickly%20from%20cold%20or%20flu.
Hanh, Thich Nhat (2010). Reconciliation: Healing the inner child. Parallax Press.
Fleming, J. E. and Kocovski, N.L. (2013). The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Social Anxiety and Shyness: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Free Yourself from Fear and Reclaim Your Life. New Harbinger Publications.
Hölzel, B. K., Lazar, S. W., Gard, T., Schuman-Olivier, Z., Vago, D. R., & Ott, U. (2011). How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action from a Conceptual and Neural Perspective., in Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(6), 537–559.
Lamoreux, K. (2021, September 28). 1-Minute mindfulness exercises. Psych Central. https://psychcentral.com/health/minute-mindfulness-exercises
Siegel, D. J. (2007). The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being. W.W. Norton & Company.