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How busy are you during your waking hours?
Does it seem like you’re attending to a number of things all at once? Do you feel that no matter how many items you cross off your to-do list, there are still a lot more to be done?
Are you constantly multi-tasking—planning your day as you commute to work, or keeping an eye on the kids while doing some chores?
Oftentimes, we are so busy taking care of all the necessary stuff in our daily lives that we tend to miss out on what is happening in the present moment.
We forget to stop and smell the flowers—to be mindful of our surroundings.
Today, we’re sharing a collection of mindfulness worksheets that can help you become mindful in every aspect of your life.
But before we get to our list, let’s learn more about the way of mindfulness.
The Benefits, Importance, Meaning, and Way of Mindfulness
Why is mindfulness important?
Cognitive scientists have done numerous studies on the benefits of mindfulness. Some of their findings include:
As it turns out, mindfulness is an important component for our happiness and well-being.
But what exactly is mindfulness? Jon Kabat-Zinn, one of the main people to bring mindfulness to mainstream consciousness, defines mindfulness as “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.”
Author Narayan Liebenson Grady provides some pointers on how to be mindful in her book When Singing, Just Sing—Life as Meditation:
“When sitting, just sit.
When eating, just eat.
When walking, just walk.
When talking, just talk.
When listening, just listen.
When looking, just look.
When touching, just touch.
When thinking, just think.
When playing, just play
And enjoy the feeling of each moment and each day.”
Let’s check out some worksheets that can help you do just that!
1. Evening Gratitude Journal
Journaling during the evening provides a host of benefits, one of which is that it promotes calmness and helps you sleep better. Our journal template can serve as an outlet for your thoughts about the day.
It can be used to highlight the best parts of your day, as well as offer you space to record reflections and impressions of your experiences. This template has four sections with the following writing prompts:
2. Mindfulness Meditation Step by Step
If you’re not exactly sure how mindful meditation flows, let this checklist we’ve designed be your guide through the process. Our checklist features 14 steps that gently ease you into a meditative and mindful state. There are checkboxes before each step for you to track your progress.
Instructions for each step are written clearly and concisely, allowing you to focus completely on your meditation. Use this checklist as a reference until you learn the mindfulness meditation process by heart.
3. Growing Greatness
This worksheet is designed to help kids develop mindfulness. It helps them go through the day with intention.
The worksheet has guide questions to help kids plan out their days. First, one prompt helps them to formulate a goal regarding the general emotion they want to feel for the day.
Next, they write an action plan on how they can make the day great for themselves. Then, they also write a plan on how they can help others have a good day.
The last two guide questions can be answered at the end of the day. They allow kids to reflect on what transpired and acknowledge a “win” situation, as well as an area where they can improve in the future.
4. 10 Minutes to Recognize the Good Stuff
We are still here! Just building up our bank of new tools to share with you! How about this – #10 #Minutes to Recognise the #good #stuff – Lets #focus on #children and #families strengths as well as the #weaknesses and #risks, and build upon what we are good at. pic.twitter.com/za8iUPjtJw
— Social Work Toolkit (@socialworktools) September 8, 2018
Sometimes we become anxious when we think of the things that could go wrong. This anxiety prevents us from seeing the good stuff present in our lives.
This worksheet helps you recognize the things that you have and consider the “good stuff,” such as:
As the title suggests, filling out this worksheet will not take you more than 10 minutes.
5. My Brain Dump List
Does it often feel like your thoughts dwell too much on chores on your to-do list, goals that are only half-way accomplished, news from your doctor, or some annoying remark from a family member that you wish you’d had a smart comeback for?
With these thoughts on your mind all day, it is difficult to focus on anything else.
What you need is a brain dump.
This worksheet allows you to write down everything that bugs you in the following categories:
The goal is to unload all of these thoughts on paper in order to free up space in your mind for fresh ideas.
6. Self-Reflection Sheet
This worksheet is part of a self-care kit designed for college students.
It can be used to check in and get into a positive mindset when things are starting to become overwhelming.
The worksheet contains prompts to identify what kind of day you’re having. Furthermore, it helps pinpoint your current emotion.
More importantly, this worksheet helps you focus on positive things by prompting you to name something that you’re proud of and something that you are grateful for.
Taking care of our mental health is of paramount importance. When things seem overwhelming, allow yourself to take a break in order to regroup and recharge.
To help you out, you might want to visit this post featuring over 200 self-care ideas and activities for coping with life.
7. Mindfulness Scavenger Hunt
This worksheet encourages mindfulness in the classroom.
Whether you’re introducing the concept of mindfulness to your class for the first time or you need an activity that re-energizes your students, this worksheet may be helpful.
It has spaces where students can write sensations related to the following categories:
This worksheet also relieves anxiety and helps students focus on their tasks.
8. A Collection of Mindfulness Printables
This collection of printables provides everything you need to introduce and guide children of all ages to the concept of mindfulness. The worksheets in this collection were designed by professionals. They are useful for helping students explore their emotions and apply the skills they learn in real-life situations.
Some of the topics featured in the worksheets include:
9. 5 Senses Mindfulness Exercise
It’s often difficult to feel grounded when your thoughts are in a jumble. This worksheet allows you to stay grounded in the present by utilizing your five senses. You can print as many copies of this worksheet as you need.
An alternative way to use it is to print one page and laminate it, creating a reusable template. Each time you need some grounding, you can use an erasable marker to write down the things you can:
10. Mindfulness Bingo Sheet
This bingo template allows you to practice mindfulness in a fun and inspiring way.
Written in the boxes are activities that promote mindfulness and self-care. You’re encouraged to do these activities.
The way you finish this mindfulness bingo is entirely up to you. Perhaps you’ll finish everything listed in one day, or maybe you’d prefer taking your time and choose three or four activities per day.
Each time you finish an activity, cross it out, until you’ve completed all the tasks/activities in this template. You can then repeat the process, choosing a different starting activity each time.
Using this template gives you the opportunity to create a rock-solid mindfulness habit in your daily life.
11. 5-Minute Mindfulness Journal
This template allows you to take stock of your physical and emotional state throughout the day. Taking the time to assess your thoughts, feelings, and physical state ensures that you are in touch with what’s going on in the moment.
If things seem a bit overwhelming, this template provides a step-by-step guide for proper breathing that helps promote relaxation.
12. Reflection Pages
This set of reflection worksheets is available in three versions:
The writing prompts found in these templates help you remain mindful of your experiences and appreciate each moment as it comes.
For example, the writing prompts in the Daily Reflection version include writing down things you’re thankful for and assessing your emotional state.
It also encourages you to list down the things you need to let go of so you have a lighter burden to bear moving forward. [Here are some helpful Strategies on How to Let Go of Anger and Resentment.]
13. Inside and Outside
Here is another worksheet designed for kids to learn about the concept of mindfulness.
Kids often struggle with big feelings and negative thoughts. To help them recognize and process these thoughts and feelings, a worksheet such as the one above can help. It aims to transform negative thoughts and emotions into something positive.
More importantly, a worksheet like this helps parents understand what their children are struggling with, and helps them provide the right kind of support their children need.
14. My Not To Do List
Sometimes, our inability to focus stems from trying to do everything all at once. We also tend to try to control everything that’s going on not only in our lives, but also in the lives of people close to us.
This can provide a lot of stress.
To counter this, we need to be reminded to sometimes have a “hands off” attitude when it comes to things that are beyond our control.
This worksheet is an effective tool to help us remember that it is important to acknowledge our limits and lower our stress levels.
Making our “not to do list” teaches us to let go and appreciate the time when we are not controlling the outcome of every event in our lives.
15. Mindful Reflection
2020 has been a challenging year for all of us. This worksheet encourages us to reflect on the things we’ve learned, achieved, and faced.
It uses the analogy of a rose, thorn, and bud to help us be mindful of our experiences.
Rose – Identify the positive things that happened.
Thorn – Challenges you faced or something that you needed help with.
Bud – Unlocked potentials, new discoveries about the self.
This worksheet can be used in a classroom setting, although it is also ideal for family reflections at home.
16. Mindful Exercises
This worksheet provides several how-to’s for incorporating mindfulness throughout the day.
The sheet contains detailed instructions for several mindfulness practices, such as:
If you’re going through an overwhelming day, taking time to do at least some of the exercises from this worksheet can help lower your stress levels.
17. 5-Minute Mindful Moment
This worksheet, along with other valuable resources for developing mindfulness, is available from Inherent Peace.
You only need five minutes to complete the mindfulness exercise found in the worksheet. Use it to help you:
You can access the PDF version of this worksheet by clicking on its thumbnail (5-Minute Mindful Moment) on Inherent Peace’s Free Resources page.
18. Challenge Anxious Thoughts Worksheet
Dealing with anxious thoughts? It’s easy to become removed from the present moment when you are anxious or worried.
This worksheet helps you deal with your worries in a five-step process.
The worksheet has guide questions that encourage awareness of your current physical and emotional states. Writing prompts help you reflect on and challenge your anxious thoughts. Finally, guide questions help you identify actionable solutions for your worries.
To access the worksheet, scroll to the bottom of the original post. Click on the Download button for the Challenge Worries and Anxious Thoughts Worksheet.
19. Mindfulness Activity Kit for Kids
This kit provides the tools children need to cope with feelings of stress and anxiety triggered by different situations.
The worksheets included in this kit are designed to help children open up about things that cause worry, stress, and anxiety.
Some of the printable worksheets you can download for free include:
You can access these worksheets by scrolling down on the original post until you get to the download links for each of the worksheets included in the kit. Click on “Print (+ name of worksheet)” to be redirected to a printable PDF version.
20. Grounding Meditation Worksheet
Sometimes, life can get so hectic you lose touch with yourself. To avoid feeling disembodied, you can try guided meditation.
This worksheet is your guide for performing grounding meditation. Grounding meditation brings you back to the present moment, connects you to your body, and clears your head.
This two-page worksheet can be accessed from the original post. Simply click on the print or download button on the window showing the PDF file.
21. Mindful Pause Worksheet
Mindful Pause Meditation allows you to take a moment to stop whatever you’re doing and refocus, bringing yourself back to the present moment.
By doing so, you reduce your stress and reconnect with yourself.
This worksheet contains instructions for cultivating mindfulness in the middle of tasks or activities. It also has a designated space for writing your answers/reflections to a couple of guide questions.
On the original post that shows a PDF window of this worksheet, click on the download or print link to get your own copy of this file.
22. Ruminating Thought Worksheet
Dwelling too much on intrusive thoughts has a negative effect on our mental health. One way to stop this tendency is to become mindful of your thoughts.
This worksheet lets you take note of the moments when you engage in rumination, or the process of thinking negative thoughts. It helps you identify triggers, the themes of your rumination, and its effect on your well-being.
23. Wipe Out the ANTS
This worksheet encourages you to wipe out ANTS (automatic negative thoughts) from your mind.
Many of us are unaware that a majority of our thoughts are often negative. Some of the ways negativity seeps into our thoughts are through:
This worksheet is designed to help you learn to control and balance your thoughts and shift to a positive frame of mind.
Access the PDF version of this worksheet by scrolling to the middle of the article to the section titled “This week’s mindfulness challenge is to wipe out the ANTS.” In the first paragraph of this section, click on the link to the worksheet.
Final Thoughts on Mindfulness Worksheets
Mindfulness is not just something you do to calm your racing thoughts.
It is a practice that centers you and helps bring back your vitality. The constant practice of being mindful is the wellspring of happiness and good health.
We hope that the mindfulness worksheets featured in this collection are able to inspire you to live life with intention.
If you are looking for more resources about mindfulness, you might want to check out the following posts:
- 15 Best Meditation and Mindfulness Apps
- How to Practice Mindfulness
- Mindfulness Exercises for Living in the Present Moment
- Tips for Mindful Writing and Meditative Journaling
