Mindfulness involves focusing your attention on what is happening in the present moment and accepting your thoughts with curiosity and without judgement. It is not about emptying your mind but about focusing your thoughts in the moment.
Mindfulness has been around for thousands of years and mindfulness-based therapies have become part of modern psychological intervention since the seventies.
Mindfulness has several benefits. Becoming aware of the present moment can help us appreciate the world around us and enjoy life more. Mindfulness can also be useful in helping us to control a cycle of negative thinking, being aware of other’s emotions and increasing positive emotions and may also assist with stress, anxiety and depression for some people.
However, mindfulness is not an instant cure for life’s stressors. As a mental wellbeing intervention we recommend that you combine mindfulness with other techniques or therapies.
Meditation is one way to practice mindfulness, however you do not have to meditate to be mindful. You can incorporate mindfulness into your everyday activities such as when taking a walk, gardening or doing housework.
Mindfulness is rooted in religious practices however it is not necessarily a religious or cultural practice. You can practice mindfulness without practicing religion.
Mindfulness is helpful for many however, we are all different and it is not for everyone. Some people may not be positively impacted by mindfulness or may find it difficult to practice while a small number of people may be adversely affected. Talk to your GP or mental health professional if you have any issues and if you do find mindfulness hard to do, don’t do it.
The resources listed below provide more information about Mindfulness.
In addition, the Transcultural Mental Health Centre can conduct introductory Mindfulness workshops for your community group. For more information, please contact Michele Sapucci, Team Leader Mental Health Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention at
[email protected]
HealthDirect – Mindfulness
General information about mindfulness and links for further information.
www.healthdirect.gov.au/mindfulness
Smiling Mind Mindfulness App
The free app is a mindfulness tool developed by psychologists and educators that includes daily mindfulness and meditation guide. www.smilingmind.com.au/smiling-mind-app
Multicultural Health Communication Service
The Multicultural Mindfulness Resources aim to help people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities improve their mental wellbeing, by providing a set of
culturally adapted and in-language mindfulness exercises in audio and video format.
Available in English, Arabic, Bangla, Chinese - Cantonese, Chinese-Mandarin, Greek, Nepali and Spanish.
www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/about-us/campaigns-and-projects/current-campaigns/mindfulness-program-audio-resources
Dari & Arabic Mindfulness Meditations
Smiling Mind
Available through the Smiling Mind mindfulness app. The free app is a mindfulness tool developed by psychologists and educators that includes daily mindfulness and meditation guide. www.smilingmind.com.au/smiling-mind-app
Download a factsheet in Dari here
Download a factsheet in Arabic here
Multilingual Coping Tools This Way Up
Worksheets on controlled breathing, good sleep, managing your mood and progressive muscle relaxation in Arabic, Chinese – traditional, Chinese – simplified, English, Filipino, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese. https://thiswayup.org.au/coping-and-resilience-tools/multilingual-resources
MARC Guided Meditations
UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) (USA)Short mindfulness meditations in English, Arabic, Armenian, Cantonese, Farsi, Filipino/Tagalog, French, Greek, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese. www.uclahealth.org/programs/marc/free-guided-meditations/guided-meditations
Types of Therapies – Mindfulness based therapies
Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre
Provides information about different types of therapies, including mindfulness based therapy. Available in Farsi, French, Korean, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. https://keltymentalhealth.ca/types-therapy
Mauri aroha - Māori Mindfulness
Mindfulness resources from a Māori perspective.
www.mauriaroha.co.nz/mauritau
The Rethink Kit
Mindfulness Without Borders and Thaki
Social-emotional learning and mindfulness-based activities for teenagers. Available in Arabic, French, Greek, Hebrew, Mandarin, Polish, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian and English. https://rethinkkit.org/pages/more-languages
Mindfulness for Children and Teenagers
Raising Children Network
https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/health-daily-care/mental-health/mindfulness
Bergen-Cico, D., & Proulx, J. (2018). Mindfulness and contemplative practices for diverse cultures. In D. Grimes, Q. Wang, & H. Lin (Eds.), Empirical studies of contemplative practices (pp. 145–164). Nova Science Publishers. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-57991-006
Black, D. S. (2011). A brief definition of mindfulness. Mindfulness Research Guide http://www.mindfulexperience.org
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. New York: Bantam Dell www.hachette.com.au/jon-kabat-zinn/full-catastrophe-living-revised-edition-how-to-cope-with-stress-pain-and-illness-using-mindfulness-meditation
Lindsay, E. K. & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Mechanisms of mindfulness training: Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT). Clin Psychol Rev. Feb;51:48-59 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5195874
Shapiro, S. L., & Carlson, L. E. (2017). The art and science of mindfulness: Integrating mindfulness into psychology and the helping professions (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000022-000
Varker, T., Fredrickson, J., Gong, J., Khatri, J., Watson, L. & O’Donnell, M. (2018). Meditation and mindfulness practices for mental health: A Rapid Evidence Assessment. Report prepared for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Phoenix Australia - Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health. www.dva.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-09/meditat_tech.pdf