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Everyday Mindfulness: The Three Cs and Simple Noticing Exercises From NHS Every Mind Matters

Posted on by Just Relax Store

Mindfulness is often pictured as sitting still on a cushion, but the NHS presents it as something that can be woven into an ordinary day: noticing a room, feeling the air on the skin, or stepping back from a thought. NHS Every Mind Matters, the NHS’s public mental wellbeing service for England, has a page called "What is mindfulness?", and its page of top wellbeing tips includes being aware of the present moment. This article summarises the everyday techniques and the three Cs of mindfulness that the NHS describes. It is general wellbeing information, not treatment, and anyone struggling with stress or low mood should speak to a GP.

What the NHS means by mindfulness

The NHS says mindfulness is about living more in the present moment, appreciating the here and now and not dwelling too much on the past or future. It says a lot of energy can be spent worrying about what cannot be changed, when it may be more beneficial to focus on what is happening now. Mindful living, it says, means paying attention to the present, appreciating what is happening and enjoying the simple things in life. It adds that this can help people feel calmer, reduce stress or anxiety, sleep better and might help them cope better with difficult situations.

Its top wellbeing tips page frames the same idea in a sentence: taking time to be aware of ourselves and be in the present moment, noticing our own thoughts and feelings and the world around us, can give a better perspective, and this is sometimes known as being more mindful.

Start by noticing the world around you

The NHS suggests taking a minute to look around the room and notice the shape, colour and texture of each object, and doing the same outdoors. It says a trip to a local park can work wonders and that the aim is simply to focus on the physical world rather than on worries in the head. It gives two outdoor exercises:

  • Pay attention to the air: while walking, notice the air brushing past the skin and how it feels against the cheeks, then try moving faster or slower to see how the sensations differ.
  • Use all your senses: choose a tree or plant and focus on it with every sense, such as smelling a flower, observing the shades of green on the leaves and feeling a petal between the fingers.

The site’s guide to mindful walking builds on the same kind of noticing.

Notice your thoughts

The NHS suggests taking a step back from thoughts, as if watching them come and go, which it says can help a person feel less controlled by them. It also suggests naming recurring thoughts, giving the example of saying, "Ah, here comes the thought that I always fail", and says just acknowledging a thought may lessen its power.

Notice your body

Focusing on what is going on in the body, according to the NHS, can help stop getting caught up in thoughts. It offers two exercises. To ground yourself, sit with the feet squarely on the ground an even distance apart and notice their weight and how they feel flat on the floor. To focus on surroundings, run a hand along a banister when climbing stairs and notice the texture and temperature of the wood or metal and any small bumps. The aim, it says, is to feel calmer and more centred. The site’s guides to the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique and body scanning cover related exercises.

The three Cs of mindfulness

The NHS also offers another way of looking at mindfulness, the three Cs:

  • Curiosity: approaching life with a curious mentality, for example stopping to think about why someone treated us badly, which it says can turn a person into an observer of the problem rather than a participant and help them feel calmer.
  • Compassion: meeting challenges with self-compassion rather than judgment. The NHS suggests running through phrases such as "I’m okay", "I can handle this" and "I’m doing my best" when something difficult or disappointing happens, and says it will take effort at first but should become more natural.
  • Calm centre: standing back to gain perspective. The NHS suggests imagining viewing a difficult situation through a telescope, at a distance from the stress, to give the space to respond in a considered way rather than reacting with raw emotions.

Making it a routine

The NHS suggests setting aside a small amount of time each day for exercises like these, thinking up similar ones and putting them into practice in difficult moments. It says that to start with mindfulness needs conscious practice, but over time it should become more natural and eventually automatic. If mindfulness works well for someone, it suggests going a step further by learning to meditate, and points to its beginners’ meditation guide.

If it does not suit you

The NHS says mindfulness works well to reduce feelings of anxiety, stress and low mood for some people, but that it may not be right for everyone and it is fine if it does not appeal. It points to its self-help CBT techniques as another option. The site’s guide to relaxation exercises for people who dislike meditation offers other routes.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to meditate to be mindful? No. The NHS’s suggestions include noticing a room, the air outside or the feel of a banister, and it presents meditation as a possible next step.

What if it does not help? The NHS says mindfulness may not be right for everyone and suggests other approaches such as self-help CBT techniques.

The bottom line

The NHS describes mindfulness as paying attention to the present through noticing the world, watching thoughts come and go and paying attention to the body, with curiosity, compassion and a calm centre as three guiding ideas. It suggests short daily practice, accepts that it does not suit everyone and, for anyone struggling, a GP is the first step.

Sources

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