Mindfulness
Do you ever feel distracted, stuck, or overwhelmed with emotions? Mindfulness serves as a tool to help us slow down to reconnect with ourselves and to continue in life with a calmer and clearer mind.
What Is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the practice of bringing our attention to the present moment with a curious, open, and non-judgmental attitude. It involves having full awareness of your emotions, thoughts, sensations, and your environment, without trying to change or avoid them.
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines it as the “Awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings.” It has some roots in Buddhist meditation, but is now widely used across numerous backgrounds in psychological therapy and wellness strategies.
Benefits Of Mindfulness
Mindfulness has been found to have numerous emotional, psychological and physical benefits. Some can include:
- Reducing stress and anxiety: Mindfulness can teach you to notice your stressful thoughts without getting overwhelmed by them. This is done by grounding you in the present.
- Improving attention and focus: Being mindful has been found to enhance the ability to concentrate, tune out distractions and stay present in your tasks. This is relevant due to our increasingly fast-paced world, or for those with ADHD and/or burnout!
- Improving sleep quality: Mindfulness can quieten the mind before bedtime by calming the nervous system, thereby ensuring a more restful sleep.
- Reduce symptoms of depression: It can disrupt negative thought cycles, frequently seen with depression
- Increase emotional regulation: Learn to pause, reflect and respond thoughtfully to your triggers rather than acting impulsively
- Improve self-awareness and empathy: It can strengthen your ability to observe and reflect on your own internal experiences with compassion
How To Practice Mindfulness?
1. Pay Attention
Make time to experience your environment and acknowledge your senses, touch, sound, sight, smell and taste. For instance, when you’re sitting down, name some of these senses you are experiencing in your environment.
2. Live in the Moment
Bring attention to everything you do, to try and find the simple pleasures in your life. Practice doing things ‘one mindfully’ so that you only focus your mind on one thing at a time.
3. Accept Yourself
Treat yourself with kindness, the way you would treat a loved one, a friend or a pet.
4. Focus on Your Breathing
When you have negative thoughts, sit down, take a deep breath and close your eyes. Focus on your breathing as it moves in and out of your body, funnelling your attention back to your breath when it is distracted by other thoughts or sensations.
Examples of Mindfulness Exercises
Body Scan Meditation
Lie on your back with your legs extended and arms at your sides, palms facing up. Focus your attention slowly and deliberately on each part of your body, from toe to head (or vice versa). Notice the sensations. You can name them if that’s useful. As other thoughts come, redirect your attention to the sensations in your body.
Sitting Meditation
Sit comfortably with your back straight, feet flat on the floor, with your hands in your lap. Breath through your nose, and focus on your breath going in and out of your body. Like with all mindfulness, the practice is returning your attention to the point of focus (breath in this instance) when your mind inevitably turns your attention elsewhere. If and when physical sensations or thoughts interrupt your meditation, note the thought or sensation and return your focus to your breath.
Walking Meditation
Find a quiet place and walk slowly. Focus on the walking, being aware of the sensations of standing and the subtle movements that keep your balance while engaging in the task. When you reach the end of your path, turn and continue
When Should You Practice Mindfulness?
- Anytime you are overwhelmed, disconnected or stressed.
- During breaks at school/work to reset your mind for the rest of the day.
- Before you sleep, to calm your nervous system and help you fall into sleep.
- In the morning, start your day with a clear mind and with intention.
How Can Us Help You?
Experienced Therapists
Our processes and quality assurance is led by Dr Emma Waddington, Senior Clinical Psychologist and Founder of Us Therapy, with over 20+ years of experience in helping individuals in Singapore.
Holistic & Personalised Approach
Our clinicians draw from various therapeutic models to create a holistic approach. At Us, we have seen hundreds of clients and we recognise that each individual is unique. Our approach is tailored to you but always includes customised treatment plans and integrative techniques.
Thorough Assessment
At Us, we pride ourselves on our comprehensive assessment processes. We will undergo a thorough assessment process with you in your first sessions before we come up with a plan for your therapy.
Our Therapists
What To Expect
Initial Consultation – A Space to Be Heard
The first session is all about getting to know you. It is a conversation—one where you can share what is been on your mind, what has been feeling difficult, and what you would like support with. Your therapist will ask questions about your background, experiences, and goals, but there is no pressure to answer any questions—just a safe space to begin.
Questionnaires & Onboarding Surveys – Understanding the Full Picture
To help tailor therapy to your needs, you may be asked to fill out some brief questionnaires before or after your first session. These can give insight into things like mood, stress levels, relationship patterns, or coping strategies. They are not tests—just tools to help your therapist understand how best to support you.
Individual Therapy Sessions – Your Journey at Your Own Pace
Each session is a step forward in your journey. Therapy is not just about talking—it is about discovering new ways to navigate life’s challenges, make sense of emotions, and feel like you are getting the most out of your life. Depending on your needs, sessions may focus on:
- Exploring patterns of thought and behavior
- Understanding past experiences and their impact on the present
- Developing practical coping tools
- Strengthening emotional resilience
Feedback Sessions – Reflecting and Adjusting
After the first few sessions (or after assessments), a feedback session provides space to reflect on how therapy is going. This is a chance to talk about what has been helpful, what you would like more of, and how therapy can continue to best serve you.
Intervention – The Heart of Therapy
Intervention is where meaningful change happens. Every therapy journey is unique, and the approach will be shaped around what works best for you. Some common approaches include:
🌱 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Helping to identify and shift unhelpful thought patterns, reduce anxiety, and develop healthier ways to cope and new patterns of behaviour.
🧠 Schema Therapy – Deep, transformational work to uncover long-standing patterns that might be keeping you stuck, often rooted in early life experiences.
💙 Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – Learning to handle difficult emotions with self-compassion and move towards what truly matters in life.
🌊 Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) – A powerful approach for healing trauma and distressing memories, helping the brain reprocess them in a way that feels less overwhelming.
🧘 Mindfulness-Based Approaches – Building self-awareness, grounding techniques, and ways to manage stress and emotions with greater ease.
Fees
Individual Counselling Rates
Clinician type
Fees and Duration
Clinic Founder
$310
Principal Psychologist
$290
Senior Clinical Psychologist
$262
Educational Psychologist
$262
Clinical Psychologist
$236
Counsellor
$170
Expressive Arts Therapist
$170
Associate Psychologist
$130
Phone calls / Emails
Clinicians rate pro-rata (10 Mins)
FAQs About Mindfulness
What are the 7 attitudes of mindfulness?
The seven attitudes of mindfulness are: Non-judging, patience, beginner’s mind, trust, non-striving, acceptance, and letting go.
What are the 4 principles of mindfulness?
- Body Mindfulness (Kāyānupassanā): paying attention to your physical body, such as awareness of breath, posture, movement, and sensations, to reconnect you with your body.
Try: Focus on the rise and fall of your breath. - Mindfulness of Feelings (Vedanānupassanā): becoming aware of how your experiences feel, such as pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. This can create space between stimulus and response, to improve your emotional resilience
Try: When you are upset, ask yourself, “What is the feeling there? Can I observe it without pushing it away?” - Mindfulness of Mind (Cittānupassanā): Observing your thoughts and mental states as they arise, such as noticing if your mind is angry, joyful, distracted or calm
Try: When you feel that you have a wandering mind, gently bring your awareness back, but ensure not to criticise yourself. - Mindfulness of Dharma (Dhammānupassanā): reflecting on bigger patterns/teachings that can influence our minds, this can include compassion, acceptance or impermanence.
Try: View a challenge you have and ask yourself, “What’s really important here?”
How to be mindful with ADHD?
Mindfulness can be challenging for those with ADHD, and it is highly beneficial. Some tips to be mindful of with ADHD include:
- Small start: 1-2 minute mindfulness sessions to begin with.
- Using movement: walking meditation or yoga to release energy
- Focus on breathing: tactile cues can be helpful, such as feeling your breath in your hands
- Guided meditation exercises: apps such as Headspace can provide ADHD friendly guides to make it easier to begin
It may be more challenging for people with ADHD as their brains are wired differently; therefore, it may result in more mind wandering, and that’s okay. Mindfulness can help someone with ADHD as it can reduce impulsivity, good for emotional regulation, sleep (which people with ADHD struggle with), and improve attention and focus.