Worrying comes naturally to us.

The hypervigilance of our ancestors helped keep them safe and alive. But in the modern world when there is no lion hiding behind the bush, the act of worrying might do little good.  Constant worrying might stop us from enjoying what we have in life.

Studies indicate that 47% of our waking hours are spent on thoughts about what isn’t going on in our present.

These ruminating thoughts about past, the fears of what will happen in future, the “what ifs” could actually make us lose sleep. 

For example, think about giving a presentation tomorrow. Some automatic thoughts may spring to mind. “What if I forget something....”. “What if I make a mistake...”.

Would you be able to engage yourself wholly in the family dinner when you are so worried about the presentation to be held on the next day?

Would your thoughts let you focus on your child’s homework?

Do you think you would get adequate sleep?

Would the same fear of “what if” let you be confident and help you focus during the presentation?


Answers to these questions might lead us to understand that when we are anxious, those fears or mere thoughts become our only truth. In such situations, we may blow things out of proportion. It could affect our concentration and focus. Or we might start feeling anxiety in the body, i.e. the stomach tightening, heart pounding, hands trembling, excessive thirst, numbing of hands and legs and light-headedness.

Surveys indicate that 1 out of every 4 Indians suffer with some kind of anxiety disorder, hence there seems to be something really wrong with our inheritance of the tendency from our ancestors...the tendency to be on a lookout for danger all the time. Not that worrying is all bad, but staying in present seems to be as important. This is where mindfulness can help.

Mindfulness is purposefully and intentionally experiencing the present. Living in the here and now and appreciating the surrounding without judgement. Take the simple act of drinking tea. Listen to and relish the sound of water being poured in the cup. Feel the shape of the cup and how your hands hold the cup, gently or tightly. Try to engage your thoughts around the way the cup has changed from being cold to hot. Feel the texture of the tea bag as you bring one from the box so as to dip it in the hot water. Follow the circular movements of the tea bag inside your cup. Enjoy how the tea bag starts changing the colour of the content of the tea...the whirling brownness. Be fascinated by the soothing smell that slowly becomes a stronger scent. You could stop there and admire the process.

In a world where we are all running against time, this act might seem too small to make an impact.

Perhaps, mindfulness might seem just another task that we are adding up to our daily schedule, but research proves otherwise.

Mindfulness can have a long lasting impact by giving an alternative thought to the 50,000 (at least) negative thoughts that one goes through on day to day life.

Mindfulness rewires the neural pathways and might help one to get rid of the habit of overthinking. Experts claim that overthinking is one of the main sources and symptom of anxiety and depression.

Mindfulness techniques have found to be a mood-elevator by enhancing the production of serotonin, the happiness hormone.

Mindfulness also enhances one’s emotional regulation and resilience.

Being mindful of the present could also enhance one’s engagement with the people around, thus enhancing the quality of interaction.

And, the best part about mindfulness is that it can be practised just anywhere, anytime and is simple.

It is not a relaxation technique and doesn’t need any supervised learning. It is just a process of anchoring ourselves, being observant and aware of the things around us and accepting the way things are. It might seem that you would need to take life a bit slower due to the introduction of mindfulness in your daily hectic schedule, and that is natural. However, the impact could take you through life’s pace much more smoothly and could help your already ingrained anxiety to reduce to a great extent.

But all this does come with a word of caution. If you are on medication for anxiety or any other mental health concern, do not stop the medicines or reduce the dose without talking to the doctor. If you haven’t tried medication for the racing thoughts that seem to worry you often, mindfulness could be a great start.