Mindfulness is best described as the non-judgmental awareness of your thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations in the present moment.

Whatever your current situation looks like, you can use mindfulness to ground and center yourself anytime, anywhere. Practicing mindfulness has been scientifically-proven to reduce stress and lead to better health outcomes and overall happiness. It’s like having your own personal superpower that you can turn to whenever you need it.

We all have the capacity for mindfulness, but it can be developed over time through a variety of practices like guided mediation, going for a nature walk or even while brushing your teeth!

Mindfulness reminds us that all we have is the present moment. Yesterday is gone; let it go. Tomorrow may never come; stop worrying about it. Be present and show up in this moment. It’s the only moment that matters.

“Our adult son has autism and we have received a lot of help from Your Support Services Network. They provided me and my son with wonderful social workers that did their very best to guide us through our situation. They gave essential advice along the way and arranged for funding where my son could get some respite care. They also had mindfulness classes and music classes which helped with my mental illness. They gave us so many tips and resources.” – Carina S.

Here are some resources to help get you started on your mindfulness journey:

Finances

Mindfulness has three main elements that help with the practice of it: mind, emotions and body. Understanding these makes the use of mindfulness much simpler and easier. Roche Martin has created a list of tips on these categories and more, to help you reduce anxiety, improve focus and develop greater peace of mind.

50 tips for practising mindfulness

There are three types of mindfulness programs:

  • Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)
  • Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
  • Mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBPR)

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has compiled a list of community mindfulness programs in Toronto.

Community Mindfulness programs in Toronto

Want to practise mindfulness? Try these brilliant resources to get started.

These mindfulness tools are all designed to help you focus your mind, channel your creative energies, and escape when it all gets a bit much.

6 top mindfulness tools for creatives