PTSD Coping How to Use Mindfulness and Live in the Present By Matthew Tull, PhD twitter Matthew Tull, PhD is a professor of psychology at the University of Toledo, specializing in post-traumatic stress disorder. Learn about our editorial process Matthew Tull, PhD Reviewed by Reviewed by Megan Monahan on December 23, 2020 instagram Megan Monahan is a certified meditation instructor and has studied under Dr. Deepak Chopra. She is also the author of the book, Don't Hate, Meditate. Learn about our Review Board Megan Monahan on December 23, 2020 Print Using mindfulness can be an excellent way of coping with stress and anxiety. Mindfulness has been around for ages. However, mental health professionals are beginning to recognize that mindfulness can have many benefits for people suffering from a variety of psychological difficulties, including post-traumatic stress disorder. There are a number of different mindfulness skills and exercises, and you can learn more about them in this article. 1 Sitting Meditation FatCamera/Getty Images Sitting meditation is an excellent way of practicing mindfulness, as well as learning how to bring acceptance to your thoughts and feelings. In this article learn how you can practice sitting meditation and increase your acceptance of your internal experiences. Finding a Comfortable Seat for Meditation 2 Beginner's Mind Beginner's mind, a skill of mindfulness, focuses on being open to new possibilities. It also refers to observing or looking at things as they truly are, as opposed to what we think they are or evaluate them to be. This easy mindfulness exercise is designed to help foster a beginner's mind. Beginner's Guide to Meditation 3 Mindfulness of Thoughts Mindfulness can be a wonderful skill to practice when it comes to coping with your PTSD symptoms. However, it can be difficult to be mindful of thoughts, especially those that usually accompany a PTSD diagnosis. People with PTSD may struggle with unpleasant thoughts and memories of their traumatic event. These thoughts can take control of a person's life. Mindfulness can be used to take a step back from your thoughts and reduce their power to impact your life. This simple exercise will help you learn how to be mindful of your thoughts. 4 Mindfulness of Everyday Activities Mindfulness can be a very useful skill to learn for managing PTSD symptoms and anxiety in general. This article presents some ways that you can bring mindfulness to your everyday activities. How to Make Mindfulness Your Way of Life 5 Mindfulness of Walking Practicing mindfulness while walking can be an excellent exercise for getting in touch with your present moment experience and is useful for those who have trouble staying still but still want to learn mindfulness. How to Walk Mindfully Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Suzuki S. Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. Shambhala Publications; 2010:2-3. King AP, Erickson TM, Giardino ND, Favorite T, Rauch S, Robinson E, et al. A pilot study of group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Depress Anxiety. 2013;30(7):638-45. doi:10.1002/da.22104 Hofmann SG, Sawyer AT, Witt AA, Oh D. The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta-analytic review. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2010;78(2):169-83. doi:10.1037/a0018555 Teut M, Roesner EJ, Ortiz M, et al. Mindful walking in psychologically distressed individuals: a randomized controlled trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:489856. doi:10.1155/2013/489856 Speak to a Therapist Online Advertiser Disclosure × The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Verywell Mind receives compensation.