Positive - Mindfulness

• Mindfulness


  Awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally
• Mindfulness

  • Uses meditation and breathing techniques to help people focus on the moment and increase their well-being
  • Helps the individual to become more aware of what is happening in the present moment instead of worrying about the past or the future
  • Helps people to be accepting of their thoughts, rather than allowing them to control their behaviour and emotions
  • Helps people to recognise problems before they arise, which should improve their mental health and well-being
• Positive psychologists believe that we should acknowledge the role that free will plays in people's behaviour
• Feeling in control of our thoughts, emotions and behaviour


  Can help individuals to achieve happiness and a sense of well-being
• Individuals who do not feel in control of their thoughts, emotions and behaviour

  May experience psychological problems
• Stress and anxiety


  Might be caused by our perception of the event, not just the event itself
• If an individual has a pessimistic response and feels out of control of the situation


  The stress can create issues
• Mindfulness


  • Encourages people to be more aware of their own thoughts and feelings and be able to self-regulate them
  • Helps people to take control of their thoughts and feelings and use them to increase their level of life satisfaction
• In the case of stress

  Mindfulness can help people to feel as if they have control over their response
• Mindfulness

  • Increases awareness of bodily sensations to help people to identify stress responses earlier
  • Helps people to experience thoughts as transient events that will pass, not representations of reality
• When an individual experiences a stressful event

  They should appraise stress more helpfully and any feelings of stress should pass more quickly
• Mindfulness techniques


  • Meditation
  • Informal practice (e.g. focusing attention on a particular task like eating or brushing teeth)
  • Online resources and apps
• MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction)


  • Developed in the 1970s by Jon Kabat-Zinn
  • Involves a series of classes where participants are trained in mindfulness meditation and yoga, given educational material, and assigned home practice
• MBSR


  • Individuals are able to practise the techniques in the way that suits them best, but they are encouraged to incorporate them into everyday life and practise them regularly
• NICE recommends mindfulness as a preventative treatment for those who have had recurring depression
• Mindfulness can also be used in everyday life to improve well-being in those not experiencing a particular psychological issue
• Research evidence on effectiveness of mindfulness


  • Kuyken et al. (2013) - children in secondary schools who took part in the mindfulness in schools programme reported less stress, greater well-being and fewer depressive symptoms compared to the control group
  • Williams et al. (2014) - MBCT provided protection against relapse in people with a history of childhood trauma, but did not show any significant advantages in other participants
• Mindfulness as a therapy


  • Has few side effects (particularly if compared to biological therapies such as psychosurgery and drugs)
  • Takes a highly positive attitude towards individual well-being
  • Promotes free will, empowering people to make changes in their own lives
• Mindfulness is widely accessible, with numerous apps, websites and courses running where people can be taught the basics and given opportunities to practise the techniques