What Exactly is Mindfulness and How Does it Help?

Mindfulness Defined

The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.” ~ Jon Kabat Zinn

Mindfulness (“being mindful”) is a state of being aware of your own mind at any given moment. It means to pay attention in a particular way – on purpose, in the present moment, and without judgment.

This definition was proposed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in his book Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life.

Opposite of Mindfulness

Have you ever driven or walked from one place to another and, when you arrived at your destination, had no recollection of that experience? As if you were on autopilot?

Being mindless: a loss of awareness resulting in forgetfulness and a sense of living on autopilot.

Autopilot

When we’re not mindful, or running on autopilot, we can run into some problems.

Thinking Patterns

We may not be aware of negative thinking and may develop unhelpful thinking patterns.

Relationships

We may not be aware of others around us, which can interfere with healthy relationships.

Joyful Moments

We may miss out on joyful moments in our lives simply because we are not paying attention!