As the pressure of daily life continues to consume us all, it’s important to take care of our mental health. Learn the difference between mindfulness and meditation and techniques to master your mind during these trying times.

Both mindfulness and meditation embody similar characteristics but are different. Simply put, mindfulness is an intentional awareness whereas meditation can be described as an intentional unawareness.

Mindfulness is the ability to cultivate awareness of thoughts, emotions, and actions in the current moment. Mindfulness can be practiced anytime and anywhere, encouraging observance and pause in daily life. When you are actively mindful, you’re noticing the world around you and impact you have on others. Mindfulness can be practiced throughout the day, while meditation is usually practiced for a specific amount of time through meditative sessions.

Typically a more formal and stationary practice, meditation serves as an anchor. There are many forms of meditation and practices are individualized to each person. From guided meditations (found on YouTube or Netflix) to breath-awareness meditation, there are a number of ways to seek a sense of calm.

The benefits of both mindfulness and meditation are to reduce stress, ease anxiety, and have an overall positive impact on one’s wellness. Though different practices, mindfulness supports meditation while meditation enriches mindfulness.