What is Mindfulness?

We pay attention to many different things every day. We pay attention to our teacher; we pay attention to our parents and we pay attention to our friends. But how often do we pay attention to our minds? Many of us don't stop and think about thinking, we're too busy doing other things, or paying attention to the outer world. Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to our thoughts and emotions and can lead to better health, control of our thoughts and emotional regulation.

You can think of mindfulness as a way of working out your brain in the same way you might exercise your muscles. There are many different ways to do mindfulness and to be mindful. At first, this might take the form of mindful meditation, but you can also engage in mindful eating, mindful listening as well as many other types of activities.

Psychologists are interested in mindfulness practice because it can be useful as a way of training our attention as well as treating common disorders like anxiety and depression. Teachers are interested in mindfulness because teaching students how to use their attention can help them remember more information as well as control their behavior in the classroom.

Questions to consider

• How can I reflect on my own thoughts?

• What does it mean to be mindful?

• Can training my attention help me understand other parts of my brain?

• How can I use mindfulness if I'm feeling very anxious or angry?

If you choose this topic, you will...

Learn about mindfulness, what it means to be mindful and how to train your attention.

Ask questions about attention, reflection and emotion regulation

Learn about applied psychology and how to apply psychological concept in practical environments.