These exercises are aimed at breaking negative thought cycles, building awareness, and regulating mood.
The full MBCT guide can be found here.
- Body scan meditation
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- Purpose
Helps reconnect with the body, anchor in the present, and break out of ruminative thinking.
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- What to do
Slowly move attention through different parts of the body (feet, legs, abdomen, chest, arms, head), noticing sensations without judgment.
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- Helpful for depression
Trains the mind to notice discomfort without reacting, teaches patience and self-kindness.
- Three-minute breathing space (“3MBS”)
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- Purpose
A quick, structured mindfulness break to step out of negative spirals.
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- What to do
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- Awareness (Notice what’s happening: thoughts, feelings, body sensations.)
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- Breathing (Focus fully on the breath.)
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- Expanding (Expand awareness back to the whole body.)
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- Helpful for depression
Builds the habit of catching early signs of low mood or rumination.
- Thought and feeling awareness exercise
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- Purpose
Teaches how to observe negative thoughts instead of getting sucked into them.
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- What to do
During meditation, notice when a thought arises, mentally label it (“thinking,” “worrying,” “judging”), then gently return to the breath.
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- Helpful for depression
Weakens the automatic connection between thought and emotional reaction.
- Pleasant activities diary
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- Purpose
Helps rebuild connection to positive experiences (which depression often numbs).
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- What to do
Each day, intentionally notice and record one small, pleasant event, however tiny (a cup of coffee, sunlight on your skin, a kind word).
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- Helpful for depression
Trains the brain to spot positives, which is essential in countering depressive biases.
- Unhelpful thinking patterns (cognitive distortions) worksheet
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- Purpose
Brings automatic depressive thinking into conscious awareness.
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- What to do
During mindfulness practice or afterward, isolate cognitive distortions like “all-or-nothing thinking,” “catastrophizing,” and “personalization.”
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- Helpful for depression
Shines a light on self-critical or hopeless thought loops.
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- Worksheet
Thought distortion checker:
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- What was the situation?
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- What thought came up?
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- Which distortion was it?
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- A more balanced thought I could have?
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- “Seeing depression as a passing weather pattern” visualization
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- Purpose
Helps alter from “I am depressed” to “I am experiencing depression.”
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- What to do
Visualize depressive moods like weather: clouds, rain, and storms. They come, stay for a while, and eventually pass.
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- Helpful for depression
Reduces over-identification with low moods and builds cognitive defusion.
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- Worksheet
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- Today’s Mood = [weather symbol: sunny, cloudy, rainy, stormy].
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- How I responded to the mood.
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- Reminder: “This too shall pass.”
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- Automatic thoughts journaling (“catch it, check it, change it”)
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- Purpose
Helps detect and reframe automatic negative thoughts through mindfulness and cognitive awareness.
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- What to do
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- Catch the thought.
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- Check the evidence for and against it.
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- Change it to a more balanced view.
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- Helpful for depression
Stops negative spirals before they intensify.
- Mindful walking practice
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- Purpose
Brings mindfulness into movement, breaking physical inactivity and rumination loops.
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- What to do
Walk slowly, focusing fully on the sensation of each footstep, the feel of the ground, sounds, smells, and sights around you.
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- Helpful for depression
Gentle movement plus mindfulness boosts mood naturally.
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- Worksheet
Mindful walking log:
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- Where I walked.
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- What senses did I notice?
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- Mood before and after (1–10 scale).
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- One thing I appreciated during the walk.
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- SOBER breathing space
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- Purpose
A mindfulness acronym specifically designed for handling intense emotional moments.
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- What to do
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- Stop.
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- Observe.
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- Breathe.
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- Expand awareness.
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- Respond mindfully (instead of reacting automatically).
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- Helpful for depression
Very good when dealing with sudden waves of hopelessness, sadness, or irritability.
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- Worksheet
SOBER practice sheet:
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- What triggered me?
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- What I observed.
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- How I breathed and grounded myself.
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- How I responded vs. how I might have reacted automatically.
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- Compassionate letter to self
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- Purpose
Cultivates self-kindness, counters self-criticism.
This is huge because depression thrives on harsh inner voices.
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- What to do
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- Write a letter to yourself from the perspective of a deeply compassionate, wise friend.
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- Acknowledge struggles, offer kindness, hope, and encouragement.
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- Helpful for depression
Strengthens the self-soothing system of the brain.
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- Worksheet
Self-compassion letter template:
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- “I see that you are struggling with…”
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- “It makes sense that you feel…”
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- “You are not alone in this because…”
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- “I want you to remember that…”
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- “Allowing and letting be” practice
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- Purpose
Aids in stopping fighting painful emotions, which paradoxically reduces suffering.
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- What to do
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- During mindfulness practice, when an unpleasant feeling comes up (sadness, heaviness, shame), don’t push it away.
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- Instead of pushing it away or analyzing it, you practice allowing it to exist, making space for it kindly, like you would for a struggling friend.
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- Helpful for depression
Reduces emotional avoidance, a huge maintenance factor in depression.
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- Worksheet
Allowing difficult emotions log:
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- What feeling arose?
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- How did I allow it to be there?
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- How did my body react?
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- How did the emotion change over time?
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- “Sounds and thoughts” meditation
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- Purpose
Develops skill in noticing thoughts just like sounds. They come, go, and there’s no real need to engage.
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- What to do
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- Sit quietly. Notice sounds arising and fading naturally.
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- Then notice thoughts the same way, not chasing them, not rejecting them, just observing.
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- Helpful for depression
Weakens the automatic fusion between self and thoughts (“I am my thoughts” vs “I have thoughts”).
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- Worksheet
Sounds and thoughts observation sheet:
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- Sounds I noticed.
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- Thoughts I noticed.
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- How I related to them (chasing/ignoring/letting be).
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- What I learned about my mind.
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- Activity scheduling with mindful awareness
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- Purpose
Combats behavioral withdrawal and brings conscious enjoyment back into activities.
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- What to do
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- Plan one simple, doable activity each day, and perform it mindfully by being fully present instead of rushing through it.
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- Helpful for depression
Increases positive reinforcement, critical for lifting mood.
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- Worksheet
Mindful activity planner:
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- Today’s planned activity.
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- Why I chose it.
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- How I felt before, during, and after.
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- What I noticed by staying mindful.
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- Mood and thought tracking with curiosity (not judgment)
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- Purpose
Assists in observing mood shifts and associated thoughts without harsh self-criticism.
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- What to do
At least once a day, check in:
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- What’s my mood right now?
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- What thoughts are here?
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- How am I relating to these thoughts?
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- Helpful for depression
Builds emotional literacy without fueling shame or blame.
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- Worksheet
Daily mood-thought curiosity log:
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- Mood (1–10 scale).
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- Associated thoughts.
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- How curious was I about them (1–5 scale)?
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- What small kindness did I offer myself?
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Conclusion
MBCT is not only a treatment but a way of life for many people since it promotes a fundamentally new relationship with thoughts and emotions.
That transformative change can greatly reduce the risk of depression and empower people to lead more fulfilling lives.
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