Mindfulness is one of the most impactful strategies for supporting your mental health, and it’s extremely accessible.
Anyone can start to practise mindful living by taking notice of their environment and feelings, which helps with emotional processing.
If you’re interested in becoming more mindful, keep reading to discover our top mindful habits!
What is Mindful Living?
As life becomes more demanding for many of us, there’s a greater awareness of what mindfulness is, and why it’s an antidote to the stress of modern life.
Mindful living is a way of life that gives power to the present moment above all else. People who live mindfully try to be intentional in everything they do, and pay close attention to their thoughts, emotions, and surroundings, without judgement.
This high awareness, paired with intentionality, helps us to create emotional balance in our lives.
Anyone can practise mindful living, but it’s often been associated with addiction recovery. Staying sober comes with all sorts of challenges, and mindfulness equips people with the tools they need to turn these challenges into healthy learning points.
Is Mindful Living Common in the UK?
Mindfulness is becoming increasingly common in the UK, and not just among people who’ve had experiences with therapy.
In 2021, 16% of adults in Britain had learnt to practise mindfulness.
This demonstrates just how naturally mindfulness is seeping into our daily lives. Over time, it’s becoming less of an intimidating, intense concept, and something people are willing to incorporate into their daily routines.
Daily Mindful Habits for Mental Wellbeing
Living mindfully means recognising the strengths and weaknesses of your current daily habits.
Throughout this article, you may realise that you’re already incorporating some mindful techniques without even realising, such as mindful journaling.
However, most of us have plenty of room for improvement when it comes to living in the present. Some daily mindful habits we recommend are:
- Creating a daily routine that you can stick to
- Practising active listening with friends and family
- Saying affirmations in the mirror as you get ready
- Writing down your thoughts about the present and future, then concentrating on how you feel right now
- Noticing what your environment is like, and how it makes you feel (e.g., listening out for noises, and focusing on what you can currently see)
How Does Mindfulness Help With Addiction?
Mindfulness is beneficial for our mental health, and addiction is now widely recognised as a mental health condition.
Even before this was recognised, it was accepted that mental illness contributed to addiction, and vice versa.
Someone experiencing mental health problems, such as depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder or anxiety, is more vulnerable to developing addiction. They may rely on drugs and alcohol to ease their symptoms.
People with existing addictions can also experience more severe mental health symptoms, or develop new ones, as a result of their ongoing dependence.
Evidently, the link between mental health and addiction is strong, so it follows that mindfulness would benefit people with addiction. It contributes to:
- Acceptance of the addiction
- Reduced anxiety
- Improved emotional regulation
- Better trigger identification
- Enhanced self-esteem
- Improved sobriety outcomes
How to Get Started With Mindfulness
Many people struggle with taking the first step towards mindfulness. As it’s a way of life, it can feel difficult to access if you’ve never been introduced to it before.
It really is much simpler than it sounds. As long as you’re always coming back to the present moment, you’re on the right path.
Mindful living can be as complex as you’d like to make it.
If you’d prefer to incorporate mindfulness into your existing habits, such as cooking mindfully or walking mindfully, it can be a healing addition to your daily life.
Perhaps you’re willing to push the boat out a little more and get involved with activities like body scans or affirmations. Experimenting with activities can be surprisingly enjoyable, and it has the bonus effect of calming your nervous system!
How Effective is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness can be incredibly effective, even when it’s practised for short periods of time. As long as it’s done consistently, it can lead to significant improvements in mental wellbeing.
A recent study conducted by researchers in the Universities of Southampton and Bath found that “just 10 minutes of daily mindfulness practice can improve wellbeing, ease depression and anxiety, and help people to be more motivated to improve their lifestyle” (2).
Specifically, 30 days of app-based daily mindfulness training led to:
- Decreased depression by 19.2%
- Reduced anxiety by 12.6%
- Improved wellbeing by 6.9%
- More positive attitudes to health by 7.1%
When is Mindfulness Not Enough?
Mindfulness can be effective as a sole treatment when someone is already regulating their emotions well, and simply needs a boost to help them feel more stable and in control.
However, it shouldn’t be used as a primary treatment for a mental health condition, including addiction.
It’s an incredibly useful tool, but it’s best when it’s integrated with other types of mental health support, such as:
- Psychotherapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Counselling
- Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT)
Signs that mindfulness may not be enough for you at the moment are:
- You’re battling chronic stress or burnout
- Your loved ones have expressed concerns about your wellbeing
- You’re struggling to commit to your responsibilities
- Each day is feeling harder than the last
- You’re not sleeping or eating well
- You aren’t feeling hopeful about life anymore
If you relate to these symptoms, professional help is exactly what you need. For people with addiction, the most successful route is usually residential drug and alcohol rehab facilities.
People with general mental health struggles should try out therapy, but make sure you’re working with a qualified, regulated therapist. Preferably, they would specialise in your mental health condition, or specific challenge (e.g., a trauma specialist, or an anxiety specialist).
Should I Try Mindfulness If I Don’t Enjoy Meditation?
Yes! You should absolutely try mindfulness if you don’t get along with meditation.
Although they have similar roots in Buddhism, they’re very different practices.
Meditation asks you to clear your mind in order to focus on the present, whereas mindfulness leaves room for you to embrace your thoughts, and let them go.
It’s also more convenient to integrate mindfulness into your routines, as it doesn’t require you to set everything aside to be alone with your thoughts. You can even be mindful with other people, whether it’s actively practising group mindfulness or simply listening to others without forming judgements.
Other Wellness Habits to Support Mental Health
Mindfulness isn’t the only wellness habit you can use to improve your mental wellbeing.
We also recommend:
- Reducing screen time
- Doing one thing that scares you on a regular basis
- Exercising regularly
- Creating a calming nighttime routine and morning routine
- Starting therapy
- Learning more about mental health (this is a great start!)
- Eating a balanced diet
Conclusion
There’s no disadvantage to becoming more mindful. Whether you’re living with a mental health diagnosis or simply looking for ways to better manage your emotions, mindful living is an excellent place to start.
Just remember: it’s not a one-stop solution. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, always seek professional support first.
