The Benefits of Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Anxiety and Depression

Mindfulness is being alive now.

Mindfulness for Anxiety and Depression

Constantly preparing for the future. Believing that we will be happy when ….(insert whatever comes to mind: you lose weight, you find a partner, you graduate, you get that job/ etc.) Eating while working, eating while driving. Eating just to get back to work, without even noticing or appreciating the food and how it tastes. Thinking about the past. Living in the past. Being in a beautiful place but not noticing anything pretty around you because your mind is on an autopilot thinking, planning, solving. Again and again. With anxiety and depression, it seems that we typically tend to live in the future or the past. But never the present. Depressed about the wounds of our past, anxious about how we will get everything done on time with so little time in the day. Can you relate? I think we all can. Being mindful means being present. Living in real life with your senses, and not in your thoughts. Sometimes we are physically here but our minds are not. We are trapped in the past or trying to control our future. So how can we feel alive now? Can we slow down and breathe? Notice our breath? Notice our feelings? Notice the person sitting across from us? Smell that flower? Hear that child laugh? Notice how silly your dog/cat can get? Notice the sky changing colors? Taste the food we are eating? Feel that kiss with our senses? Connect with our friends and family? Appreciate the moment we got today? Problems will always be there. Goals will be accomplished and new ones will be created. Life is happening now. We all need that reminder sometimes to breathe. Taste. Smell. Hear. See. Touch. Live.

Mindfulness Therapy Healing

Mindfulness-based therapy teaches us to slow down. To appreciate moments for what they are. Anxiety likes to make us feel like we can never be settled, never satisfied with a good moment. Know that you deserve to be happy and have moments of calm and peace. Everyone does. Mindfulness therapy is very beneficial for symptoms of anxiety but it is also beneficial for getting us through very tough moments. You may be struggling with memories from childhood trauma, going through a betrayal trauma, stuck in the past and unsure how to move forward. The best thing to do in these situations is to live in your present moment. Now of course, this is easier said than done. Learning how to manage negative thoughts and live mindfully takes practice, and reaching out for help is always okay. There are therapists trained in mindfulness-based approaches that can help you practice until it comes naturally to you. All you have to do is reach out.

Mindfulness Journal Prompts for Anxiety

A big component of mindfulness-based therapy is learning to take a pause in overwhelming moments. With journaling, you can validate your own feelings to help you regulate your emotional state. You can also keep track of any patterns or triggers that have been affecting you. It is a useful tool to look back on your growth journey. Here are some writing prompts to use in moments of anxiety or depression: