Follow your breath not your thoughts

A key mindfulness approach is to pay more attention to the present moment and less to the stories about the past or the future that our mind wants to tell us. Usually the present moment is a better place to be than the imaginary past or future.

Often our stories of past or imaginings of the future get us lost in old resentments or regrets we can do nothing about or in exaggerated fears.

Moving awareness

But how do you move your attention to the present moment?

One way is to gently move your awareness away from those unhelpful stories in your mind and onto the experience of breathing.

Rest your awareness on your breath

Rest your awareness, so to speak, on your ordinary, normal breathing and keep returning to it until those mind-stories fade away. The more you do this, the better you will be at it.

• Breathing slowly through your nose helps to relax your nervous system especially if you make your outbreath a little longer than your inbreath.

My online course Easy Mindfulness will teach you this and many other ways to bring calm acceptance and other benefits of mindfulness to your life.