The Benefits of Mindfulness in Treating Depression and Anxiety

Key Takeaways:

• Mindfulness involves focusing on the present moment and accepting thoughts and feelings as they arise.

• Mindfulness-based techniques can be effective in treating depression and anxiety, and can even prevent relapse.

• You can practice mindfulness through meditation or just through the daily activities you indulge in. 

Mindfulness refers to concentrating your attention on the present. It involves the practice of bringing focus close to your bodily sensations, emotions, ideas, and surrounding circumstances in the present moment with a sense of acceptance. The benefits of mindfulness include reducing stress, alleviating low mood, enhancing memory, and enhancing relationships.

There is mounting research pointing at the benefits of mindfulness as a mental health technique to enhance physical and mental well-being. 

In this article, we will explore the benefits of mindfulness, and how it can improve mental health and aid recovery, particularly in conditions like depression and anxiety.

What Is Mindfulness?

There are two methods for achieving a state of mindfulness: mindfulness and meditation. Being mindful is paying attention to your thoughts and feelings as they are occurring right now. When you are attentive, you are present in the moment and not preoccupied with the past or the future. When you feel overwhelmed with negative ideas or feelings, associated either with your past or future, practising mindfulness can be useful.

One way to practise mindfulness is through meditation. When you meditate, you can practise mindfulness by concentrating on your breath or bringing your focus to one thing. This aids in focusing on the present, clearing out distractions, calming any feelings of stress and clearing your head. While meditation is a common way to practise mindfulness, there are many different ways to practise it. 

How Does Mindfulness Help With Depression & Anxiety?

The use of mindfulness techniques in therapy is frequently combined with other mental health interventions. A therapist may teach you mindfulness techniques during individual sessions, and you may then practise utilising them on your own in between sessions. The use of mindfulness techniques is also frequently included in group therapy. Even single sessions of mindfulness training, like yoga classes or meditation workshops, can be taken as needed. A type of cognitive behavioural treatment called Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) integrates mindfulness techniques.

Depression and anxiety have been proven to be successfully treated with MBCT. It accomplishes this, among other things, by training individuals in increasing their level of self-awareness. With more tools at their disposal to control their thoughts, people may be able to recognise when they are getting caught up in negative thought spirals.

If you think you may be experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety, here’s an article to help you take your next steps: I Am Suffering From Depression And Anxiety. What Should I Do?

According to research, MBCT may help prevent a relapse of depression symptoms as effectively as antidepressant medicines, in addition to being successful in lowering depressive symptoms. Studies also show that mindfulness-based therapy is an effective way of reducing stress levels and improving symptoms of anxiety. 

To learn more about anxiety, read: Anxiety 101: What You Need to Know About Anxiety Disorder 

The MBCT also teaches individuals how to embrace challenging ideas and emotions without passing judgement. This can be advantageous since it enables people to stop battling their emotions and ideas, which only serves to exacerbate the tension and worry they're currently experiencing.

3 Tips to Help You Stay Mindful Every Day

Here are 3 ways you can start incorporating mindfulness and meditation into your daily life: 

1. Make an effort to realistically examine your ideas as they arise and subside. You can develop perspective by doing this a few times per day.

2. Take some time each day for yourself to pay attention to how you are feeling in the moment, free of any distractions. Regularly practising this can assist lower stress levels and improve mental clarity.

3. Practice gratitude daily by writing or recording what you are grateful for. This can bring focus to the positive aspects of your life and enable us to appreciate the present. 

Meditation and mindfulness can effectively supplement treatments for depression and anxiety, but may not be a cure-all by itself. If you are struggling with depression or anxiety, we encourage you to seek professional help from a therapist or psychiatrist.