Whether it’s financial stress, worry about the state of the world, personal challenges, or the day-to-day chaos of modern life, it’s no wonder our nervous systems are on high alert. In a world that’s constantly shifting under our feet, one of the most powerful tools we have to navigate uncertainty is also one of the simplest: mindfulness.
Defined as the ability to be fully present and aware in the moment without judgment, mindfulness isn’t just a buzzword from wellness retreats or yoga studios. It’s a scientifically-backed practice with proven benefits for our mental and physical wellbeing.
A 2019 meta-analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that mindfulness meditation can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress. Another study from Harvard found that practising mindfulness for just eight weeks increased grey matter density in areas of the brain associated with learning, memory, emotional regulation and empathy.
So how can mindfulness help us stay calm, resilience and effective in the midst of uncertainty and challenges? Here are three ways it can help you stay grounded, resilient and resourced—even when everything around you feels like it’s falling apart.
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It helps us regulate our emotions, not react from them
When life throws curveballs—an unexpected bill, a tense conversation, a sudden change of plans—our brains often tip into fight-or-flight mode. We feel stress and we often then snap, withdraw or spiral into negativity. Mindfulness offers a pause button. Instead of being swept away by anger or anxiety, we can slow down, breathe, and observe our emotions without being ruled by them.
This doesn’t mean denying what we feel. Quite the opposite. Mindfulness invites us to acknowledge our emotions with compassion—then choose a wise response. A 2018 study in Frontiers in Psychology found that mindfulness training increases emotional regulation by enhancing activity in the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for decision-making and impulse control). In short, mindfulness helps us keep our cool—so we can respond with intention instead of reacting.
Try this:
When you feel emotionally charged, pause and silently ask yourself: “What am I feeling right now?”
Then mentally label the emotion (e.g. “I’m feeling angry,” or “I’m feeling anxious”) without judging it. Then take three slow, conscious breaths. This simple act of noticing, naming and breathing can create space between stimulus and response—and give you back your power.
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It rewires our brains for resilience
Practising mindfulness regularly doesn’t just feel good—it actually changes our brains. Neuroscientists have discovered that mindfulness can strengthen the brain’s capacity for resilience by increasing neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to form new connections and adapt).
Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), describes mindfulness as “the awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally”. This kind of awareness helps us shift from survival mode to wise presence. Over time, mindfulness builds our capacity to stay steady—even when life isn’t.
Try this:
Make mindfulness a daily ritual. Even five minutes a day is enough to start building your inner strength. Set a timer, close your eyes, and simply focus on your breath. If your mind wanders (and it likely will), gently bring it back to the breath. When it wanders just know, that’s not a sign of failure or a signal that you’re not doing it wrong—that noticing and bringing the mind back to the breath is the practice.
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It reduces negative thinking and calms and clears our mind
Most of our stress and fear stems from thoughts about the future or ruminations on the past. Mindfulness anchors us in the now. And the present moment is not just where peace lives—it’s also where our power is.
In turbulent times, our minds often race: What if this doesn’t work out? What if things get worse? Mindfulness invites us to gently let go of those spiralling thoughts and return to the present: Right here. Right now. Just this moment. This small shift in awareness helps calm the nervous system, lower cortisol levels, and restore the mental clarity we need to act effectively. It’s not that we avoid thinking through our problems and plans or taking action—we just stop worrying on autopilot all day long. Instead, we create deliberate space in the day to reflect clearly and constructively, at a time that truly serves us. After that, we let the thoughts go.
Try this:
Use a grounding technique when you’re feeling anxious:
Look around and name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. This “5-4-3-2-1” practice brings you out of your head and into your senses—rooting you in the present.
Mindfulness doesn’t require hours of meditation or a perfectly quiet space. It’s available to us in every moment—at the kitchen sink, in traffic, in the middle of a difficult conversation. Especially in uncertain times, it offers something that’s not only healing, but empowering: the ability to stay steady in the storm, and meet life from a place of calm, dignity and clarity.
Melli O’Brien is a best-selling author of Deep Resilience and an internationally known mindfulness and mental health educator. She is co-founder of mindfulness.com and the creator of the deep resilience method, a four-step process for unshakable inner strength in challenging times. Learn more at www.melliobrien.com
