Mindfulness is the practice of paying focused, non-judgmental attention to the present moment, including your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings.
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Mindfulness practice can help people with changing health needs by reducing stress, improving emotional resilience, and enhancing their ability to manage pain and uncertainty.
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- Mindfulness has shown to help people cope with stress, changes in their health, dealing with a chronic health condition by learning techniques of breathing, meditation, and more.
- Learn how mindfulness to help you stay in the present moment, which can be useful when you feel overwhelmed by anxiety or fear about the future.
- Learn about mindfulness practices from Help Starts Here and the Government of BC.
- Explore several ways to use mindfulness to support your emotional health while managing a chronic health condition and its treatments:
- Breath Awareness – Focus on slow, deep breathing to calm the nervous system during moments of stress, pain, or medical procedures.
- Body Scan Meditation – Gently tune in to physical sensations in the body to identify tension or discomfort and respond with self-compassion.
- Mindful Acceptance – Acknowledge difficult thoughts and feelings without judgment, reducing the emotional burden of resistance or frustration.
- Grounding Exercises – Engage your senses (sight, sound, touch) to stay present and reduce anxiety about future health outcomes.
- Loving-Kindness Meditation – Cultivate kindness toward yourself and others, which can ease feelings of isolation or anger linked to illness.
- Journaling with Awareness – Reflect mindfully on your experiences, symptoms, or emotions to process them in a healthy, constructive way.
- Mindful Movement – Practice gentle yoga, tai chi, or walking meditation to connect with your body in a respectful, nurturing manner.
- Set Intentional Breaks – Use short moments during the day to pause, breathe, and check in with yourself emotionally and physically.
- Gratitude Practice – Notice small positives in each day to shift focus from what’s lacking or difficult to what is still meaningful.
Things You Can Do
- Practice mindfulness exercises and ways to incorporate them in your daily life from Anxiety-Canada.
- Learn about your diagnosis or health condition to help you feel more in control as this can help reduce feelings of anxiety or helplessness.
- Explore ways you want to decrease feelings of loneliness and isolation which can increase anxiety levels from Healthlink BC.
- If you are feeling mentally or emotionally unwell, contact your physician or nurse practitioner for an assessment.
- Learn and practice deep breathing techniques as they can help calm your nervous system and reduce feelings of stress or panic.
- Check out HelpStartsHere.gov.bc.ca from the Government of BC for a comprehensive list of walk-in clinics and resources.
Mywell Health helps you learn about and organize your health information in one place. Add your emotional health information into your Health Profile fillable PDF tool and save it in your print or digital files under My Health Information.