Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of mindfulness exercises to treat symptoms associated with anxiety, such as sweating, shortness of breath and insomnia. Mindfulness techniques can be practiced anywhere and simply involve focusing on breathing deeply.

Try this quick and straightforward mindfulness exercise: Close your eyes if it feels comfortable, or softly gaze upon an area in your environment; then listen deeply for any sounds in the area.

1. Breathing Exercise

Breathing is one of the core activities we perform every day, yet its effect can have profound ramifications on mental wellbeing. Simple adjustments in how you breathe can reduce stress levels, combat anxiety and improve sleep – among many other advantages.

For this exercise, sit comfortably with your back straight and feet on the floor. Breathe slowly and deeply as you focus on each breath – perhaps counting “inhale 5”, exhale 5, etc. Over time you may want to increase the length of each breath but aim for five slow, deep ones per minute.

4-7-8 breathing is another yogic breathing technique which involves tense-and-release cycles of muscle groups to relax them, and some people use this practice to fall asleep more easily. As well as counting inhale/exhale cycles, alternative nostril breathing involves applying pressure to one nostril before taking a deep breath into both nostrils before switching sides again; this may take practice to master.

2. Body Scan

This mindfulness exercise involves scanning your entire body from head to toe, noting any areas of tension and breathing into them. According to BetterHelp, this helps demonstrate how closely thoughts, emotions, and physical bodies are linked together.

The Body Scan can be practiced while sitting, lying down or standing; though a comfortable position should be chosen. You can even follow along with an online guided body scan meditation on YouTube!

Note that it’s normal for your mind to wander during a body scan, just return your focus back onto whatever part of your body was the focus at that time.

Researchers recently conducted a study that demonstrated how using virtual telehealth to conduct body scan mindfulness meditation resulted in reduced anxiety levels for participants and facilitators alike. This technique can easily adapt to remote settings; study participants used Zoom calls to participate while holding their pillow/blanket and dog; these assessments both reported decreased levels of anxiety and stress for both groups involved.

3. Breathing Space

This mindfulness exercise, which can be completed in just one minute, can be especially helpful to anyone experiencing anxiety, anger, or difficulty connecting with others. To perform it successfully, simply focus your attention on breathing; observe each in- and out-breath, feeling how your chest and abdomen move with each breath; once comfortable with this, expand outward to notice other body sensations before returning inward again to observe thoughts and feelings.

Focusing on touch can also be rewarding; simply pick up an object and examine its shape(s), texture(s), and temperature. Or try “box breathing,” which involves taking deep and full breaths to help calm down nervous systems.

Children can benefit from using the bubble exercise, wherein they visualize their thoughts and emotions as floating like bubbles in the breeze. These exercises help kids let go of negative emotions while understanding why practicing self-care is worthwhile. Mindfulness has many positive outcomes on concentration, empathy, tolerance and self-control as well as more.

4. Focus on the Five Senses

Mindfulness has quickly become a mainstream practice, promoted by counselors as an effective way to reduce stress, depression and anxiety. While traditional mindfulness meditation consists of being an impartial witness to your thoughts, five senses meditation involves tuning into your environment using all five senses: hearing, touch, smell taste and sight.

Grounding techniques are easy and quick ways to boost mental wellbeing. Try these on a walk outdoors, during lunch break or before any important meeting for maximum benefit and see the immediate positive changes on your mental wellbeing.

Start by silencing your phone and focusing on breathing deeply for one full breath cycle. Slowly shift your attention towards each of the five senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting – starting with sight as an initial focus then progressing through each of them slowly – gradually moving from colors, shapes, textures and sounds around you to your surroundings and hearing sounds that might come from nature or city living – loud or quiet; near or far; natural or mechanical etc etc etc… Smelling: Breathe in freshness while breathing deeply, taking note of any scents present before breathing it out again to breathe it all back out again before touching something to assess temperature, texture, texture or weight before making another round of this experience.

5. Drawing Exercise

Art can be an invaluable way to regulate emotions for those living with borderline personality disorder, and studies have proven its worth among all adults – even without any formal mental health diagnosis. Simply set a timer for 10 minutes and draw small circles using pencil or pen of any size or color you like – leaving out judgement of drawing skills while instead focussing on feeling of pen on paper or any scents in the air as your guide.

Body scans allow you to bring awareness to various parts of the body and note their sensations – such as warm, heavy or tingly. A quick mindfulness exercise might include walking while paying close attention to how your feet touch the ground or taking note of something new like cracks in sidewalks; mindful coloring is another fun activity which can be done alone or with others.