Key Takeaways

  • Research shows that mindfulness may help improve emotional regulation skills more than educational approaches alone.

  • Mindfulness can help you recognize and sit with your emotions instead of trying to avoid or suppress them.

  • Over time, mindfulness may change the way your brain responds to stress and help you become more emotionally resilient.

Mindfulness and emotional regulation often go hand in hand. Emotional regulation is the ability to identify and manage your emotions in healthy ways. Research shows that regular mindfulness practice can help improve emotional regulation skills, perhaps even more than psychoeducation (classes designed to teach you how to regulate your emotions).

With mindfulness, you can become more present and less reactive to your emotional experiences. It gives you the tools to pause, reflect, and respond in ways that feel more in line with your values.

How mindfulness promotes emotional health

Unlike what many people might think, mindfulness isn’t about achieving complete and total bliss and relaxation. Experiencing different emotions is a normal and healthy part of life. Mindfulness won’t make different emotions go away, but it can help you achieve higher emotional intelligence. In other words, it can help you become more skilled at identifying and regulating your emotions.

Emotional dysregulation is a symptom associated with many different mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and anxiety. Living with emotional dysregulation means it’s harder for you to soothe yourself when you’re having painful or overwhelming emotions. This might lead to behaviors like lashing out or having meltdowns.

Research has found that mindfulness-based interventions can significantly improve emotional regulation skills. For example, in one study, participants practiced seven days of brief mindfulness meditation and felt less extreme emotions (both pleasurable and unpleasurable) in reaction to certain stimuli. Participants who received the standard intervention — education around emotional regulation — didn’t experience the same effect.

Establishing a regular mindfulness practice can help you learn how to be present with whatever is going on both externally and internally. In terms of emotional regulation, this often means you become able to sit with painful emotions without judging yourself for having them or trying to push them away. When you stop trying to push emotions away, you may find that they start to lose their power.

The benefits of mindfulness for emotional regulation may also come from the way practicing mindfulness affects the brain. Mindfulness can help support emotional balance by changing how your brain processes emotions. Research shows that it can strengthen areas of the brain that help you focus, manage stress, and stay in control when emotions run high. It also helps your brain get better at noticing feelings without getting overwhelmed, which could explain why people who practice mindfulness often feel less reactive and more grounded over time.

Four ways to practice emotional mindfulness

There are many ways you can practice awareness of your emotions to experience the above benefits. Here are four exercises you can try on your own or with a therapist trained in mindfulness skills that may help you become more aware of your emotions.

1. Mindfulness of the breath

To practice mindfulness of breath, find a quiet and comfortable spot to sit. Set a timer for one to five minutes, and bring your attention to your breath. You can focus on the feeling of the air moving in and out of your nose or the rise and fall of your chest.

Don’t feel like you need to focus too much on your emotional experiences. Breath mindfulness is more about teaching you the basics of how to be mindful of each present moment. If you notice any emotions or thoughts coming up while you’re practicing mindful breathing, simply notice them without feeling like you have to react.

2. Pleasurable emotions mindfulness

It may be easiest to start practicing mindfulness of your emotions specifically by focusing on more pleasurable emotions that you aren’t as likely to want to push away.

Start with a few minutes of mindful breathing meditation. Then, try to become more aware of any pleasurable emotions that arise. For example, you might feel a sense of calm. Focus on these pleasurable emotions. Try to identify exactly how they feel. Put a name to the emotions. Where do you feel these emotions in your body? Simply notice them — don’t get too attached to them or push them away. You can think of them like clouds in the sky or logs in a river that are floating past you.

3. Painful emotions mindfulness

Once you’ve mastered being mindful of pleasurable emotions, you may try staying present with more painful or uncomfortable emotions. Begin the same way — with breath awareness. When a painful emotion arises, name it gently in your mind. For example, you might say to yourself, “This is anger,” or, “This is sadness.”

Try to notice how it feels in your body. Is your chest tight? Are your shoulders tense? Allow yourself to observe these sensations without needing to fix them. Practicing this kind of acceptance can help take the edge off difficult emotions and prevent you from reacting in ways you might regret later.

4. Mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques

Understanding how to manage your stress levels in healthy ways is an important part of emotional regulation. When you’re under high levels of stress, you may be more likely to have emotional meltdowns or simply have a harder time managing your emotions.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a facilitator-led group intervention that teaches several different techniques to help people become better at managing stress. You can benefit from these exercises even without joining a group, although working with a trained facilitator may be more beneficial.

For example, one common technique used in MBSR is body-scan meditation. In this mindfulness exercise, you lie down or sit comfortably and slowly bring your attention to different parts of your body — usually starting at the feet and working your way up. You’re not trying to change anything, just noticing each sensation as it comes.

Clinician's take
One common misconception is that mindfulness means clearing your mind or getting rid of thoughts. In reality, it’s about noticing what’s happening internally — through your thoughts, feelings, or sensations — without judgment and staying present with whatever shows up.
Ashley Ayala, LMFT
Ashley Ayala, LMFT
Clinical reviewer

Find care with Rula

Mindfulness gives you the chance to slow down, notice how you’re feeling, and respond with self-compassion instead of reactivity. It’s not about shutting your emotions down but rather about learning to sit with them and respond with more clarity and calm.

At Rula, we’re committed to delivering a comprehensive behavioral health experience that helps people feel seen and understood so they can get back to feeling their best.

Rula makes it easier to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who accepts your insurance so you don’t have to choose between affordable care and excellent care. With a diverse network of more than 15,000 providers, 24/7 crisis support, and appointments available as soon as tomorrow, we’re here to help you make progress — wherever you are on your mental health journey.

About the author

Saya Des Marais

Rula's editorial process

Rula's editorial team is on a mission to make science-backed mental health insights accessible and practical for every person seeking to better understand or improve mental wellness.

Members of Rula’s clinical leadership team and other expert providers contribute to all published content, offering guidance on themes and insights based on their firsthand experience in the field. Every piece of content is thoroughly reviewed by a clinician before publishing.

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