what exactly is mindfulness?
 the ability to be aware of your thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and actions—in the present moment—without judging or criticizing ­yourself or your experience.
Meditation is mindfulness for a period of time.
Less major depressive episodes
Reducing symptoms of anxiety
Reducing chronic pain
Decreasing binge eating
Increasing tolerance of distressing situations
Increasing relaxation
Increasing skills to cope with difficult situations

Exercise 3: Are you mindful or mindless?
___ While driving, you don’t remember the experience or which roads you took.
___ While having a conversation, you suddenly realize that you don’t know what the other person is talking about.
___ While having a conversation, you’re already thinking about what you’re going to say next.
___ While reading, you suddenly realize that you’ve been thinking about something else and have no idea what you just read.
___ While walking into a room, you suddenly forget what you came to get.
___ After putting something down, you can’t remember where you just put it.
___ While taking a shower, you’re already planning what you have to do later and then you forget if you’ve already washed your hair or some other body part.
___ While having sex, you’re thinking about other things or other people

Being Mindful of Your Emotions

Focus on breath.
Focus on emotion (current or past).
Name the emotion.
Notice physical sensations connected to emotion.
let them go. Use “clouds ” or other image.
Finish with three minutes of mindful breathing.


Live in the Present Moment
Exercise: “Where Are You Now?”
Where am I right now?
Am I time traveling in the future, worrying about something that might happen, or planning something that might happen?
Am I time traveling in the past, reviewing mistakes, reliving bad experiences, or thinking about how my life could have been under different circumstances?
Or am I in the present, really paying attention to what I’m doing, thinking, and feeling?
Notice how you’re breathing. Take slow, long breaths
Notice how your body feels. Recognize how your thoughts might be contributing to how you’re feeling.