For example; like taking time to pause and breathe throughout the day instead of rushing through the day and feeling exhausted at the end of it and not knowing why, in other words ‘stop and smell the roses’.

Dr Patricia Rockman the co-founder of the not-for-profit Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto, Canada, states that her teams are committed to bringing the most effective mindfulness-based interventions to the most disadvantaged and marginalized in our society, the poor, homeless, unemployed, and disabled as well as the “front-line workers” who interact most directly with them.

Also according to Dr Rockman, mindfulness can have a positive impact in certain areas of mental health, including stress reduction, emotion and attention regulation, reduced rumination, for reducing mild to moderate depression and anxiety, and preventing depressive relapse.

There’s also some early evidence that it can be advantageous for people struggling with addictions, and appears to be particularly promising for smoking cessation. Further, when someone has a negative view of themselves mindfulness can help give them access to a different perspective, helps them open to other possibilities, and enhances resilience and their capacity to tolerate distress.

SANE Australia suggests that mindfulness is a mental and physical technique you can use to focus your awareness on the present moment.

Being in the moment helps you acknowledge, accept and cope with painful or intrusive thoughts, feelings and sensations. Mindfulness practice is simple, powerful, takes just a few minutes and can be done almost anywhere, so it can be a great addition to your everyday mental health self-care.

An article in the Huffington Post, How Mindfulness Is Revolutionizing Mental Health Care, mentions research has increased in recent years with mindfulness transitioning from a spiritual base to medical facilities.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the largest scientific organization in the world dedicated to research on the understanding and treatment of mental illness, is getting on the bandwagon about investigating mindfulness as a complementary treatment for a range of mental health conditions.

University of Wisconsin neuroscientist Richard Davidson and NIMH director Tom Insel are also researching ways on how mindfulness affects the brain, which might lead to improved clinical applications for the treatment of a range of mental health conditions.

A study conducted by researchers at Lund University, Sweden, showed mindfulness treatment to be as effective as traditional talk therapy for treating anxiety and depression.

In a 2012 conference, New Zealand Applied Business Education, researchers Roche, Maree and Haar, presented a talk to participants on mindfulness and mental health. They stated that mindfulness has been theorised to help people become attentive of the present and attuned to their internal states thus promoting healthier outcomes. 

As a result, mindfulness has had substantial attention regarding its relationship with wellbeing, stress reduction, higher levels of positive emotions, mood regulation expectancies and self-acceptance, which in turn results in better choices and ultimately, in less stress and conflict.

So what are the basics of mindfulness practice? Mindfulness helps us put some space between ourselves and our reactions, breaking down our conditioned responses.

Although mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist meditation principles, anyone can practise mindfulness to improve their self-awareness and wellbeing. Here’s how to tune into mindfulness throughout the day:

Set aside some time and space. 

Observe the present moment as it is by paying attention to the present moment, without judgement. 

Let your judgements roll by. When we notice judgements arise during our practice, we can make a mental note of them, and let them pass.

Return to observing the present moment as it is. Our minds often can get carried away in thought. This is why mindfulness is the practice of returning, again and again, to the present moment.

Be kind to your wandering mind. Don’t judge yourself for whatever thoughts crop up, just practice recognising when your mind has wandered off, and gently bring it back.

That is the practice! It has often been said that Mindfulness Practice is very simple, but it is not necessarily easy. The work is to just keep doing it. Results will come.