Mindfulness is the practice of training the mind to enhance awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and sensations. It can help by increasing attention span, concentration, and emotional resilience throughout periods of uncertainty such as COVID-19 when it’s common for stress and anxiety to build up.

The regular practice of mindfulness helps to strengthen awareness of our thoughts and feelings and enhance our ability to cope during challenging times. Studies suggest mindfulness helps train the brain in two main ways:

Calming the activity in the part of our brain which is responsible for difficult or strong emotions such as stress, anxiety, or worry (called the limbic system)

Calming the activity in the part of our brain which manages difficult or strong emotions such as stress, anxiety, or worry (called the limbic system).
Increasing the connectivity in the front of our brains (called the prefrontal cortex). This is the part of the brain associated with memory, the ability to solve problems, and managing distractions.