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It’s too easy to get busy and charge through the day without a minute’s full awareness of the present moment.
Without mindful awareness, though, we miss out on all the benefits that go with it — a quieter mind, better health, and stronger relationships.
Life gets more messy than meaningful.
We say you can have both.
With the free, printable mindfulness activities on the worksheets described in this post, you’ll find it easier to build and stick to a daily mindfulness habit.
What Are The Benefits of Using a Mindfulness Worksheet?
Table Of Contents
- What Are The Benefits of Using a Mindfulness Worksheet?
- 1. Self-Esteem Check-Up
- 2. Mindful and Intentional Planner
- 3. Mindful Nature Walk Bingo
- 4. Mindful Activities for Kids
- 5. Mindful or Unmindful
- 6. ABCDs of Mindfulness
- 7. Mindful Eating
- 8. Mindfulness Deep Relaxation
- 9. Self-Esteem Worksheet
- 10 Self-Awareness Happiness Assessment
- 11. Understanding Mindfulness
- 12 Breaking Down Our Thoughts
- 13. 10 Minutes to Let Your Mind Wander
What may look, at first, like glorified homework can actually help you deepen your meditation practice and multiply its benefits.
You already know some of the perks of mindfulness meditation.
Add the following benefits to the list and imagine how these might contribute to your personal development goals for this year:
- More opportunities to reflect and contemplate;
- The incentive to put what you’re feeling into words–improving self-expression;
- A broader understanding of what meditation looks like;
- A diversified learning approach ties together concepts and personal experience;
- Better integration of insights from meditation.
If you journal, you’ve already experienced how that extra bit of writing contributes to your overall well-being.
If it helps, think of these worksheets as guided journaling.
When and How Should You Use Mindfulness Worksheets?
If you already have a journaling habit, these worksheets make an ideal companion, tying your written self-expression to daily mindfulness practice.
As for when and how you should use a mindfulness worksheet, that depends on a few things:
- When you typically make time for journaling or personal writing;
- How you feel (mentally, emotionally, and physically) at certain times of the day;
- How much time it will take to complete your chosen worksheet.
Ultimately, the best time and strategy for using them are the ones that work best for you.
13 Free Printable Mindfulness Worksheets for Adults
Find some new favorite mindfulness exercises pdfs in the list below. We’ve picked out 13 of the best, with enough variety to suit different moods and lifestyles.
1. Self-Esteem Check-Up
This worksheet starts with ten statements and asks you to rate each on a scale of 1 to 10, based on how much you believe each sentence. Once you’ve rated each one, you’ll tally up your total score and mark it on the line given.
Think about what statements were most challenging for you to believe. What would it take for your rating to go up by even one point?

2. Mindful and Intentional Planner
Ashley Rachel designed these worksheets for a free Intentional Morning Planner:
- Morning Gratitude Prompts
- To-Do Today
- To-Do This Week
- Weekly Workout Planner
Without taking a few minutes to write down your intentions, it’s much easier to procrastinate and mindlessly waste time. And that is so not the goal.
Use all the worksheets or just your favorites. You may need to contact the blog owner to request access since the blog post doesn’t link to them or provide a request form.

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3. Mindful Nature Walk Bingo
This worksheet comes from The Rooted Family blog, along with over 50 other mindfulness worksheets designed for meditators of all ages.
Try this one the next time you go outside for a walk. How many squares can you check off as you pay mindful attention to your surroundings? Keep a printed copy handy (with a pen) or upload it to an app on your phone that allows you to mark up the squares.
The main thing here is to feel a reward for practicing mindfulness, though the walk itself may be reward enough.

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4. Mindful Activities for Kids
Centervention designed these mindfulness worksheets to get kids started on mindfulness as early as possible and make learning enjoyable.
One of their worksheets ties sensory information and thoughts to feelings of calm by asking the child/student what they see/hear/smell or think about that helps them calm down when they’re feeling stressed.
Another page asks them to draw a picture (or print one out) that helps them feel calmer.

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5. Mindful or Unmindful
Branch Habitat designed these worksheets for homeschooling parents to help teach their kids mindfulness meditation. One worksheet has students reading statements and circling those representing mindful habits.
The idea is to help kids realize the difference between mindful and unmindful (or mindless) behavior. The goal is to make them more aware of their own habits, identify which ones are unmindful, and choose mindful alternatives.

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6. ABCDs of Mindfulness
Another worksheet from The Rooted Family, this one focuses on how kids can manage intrusive thoughts using mindfulness. It does this by breaking the practice down into simple instructions for each letter of the alphabet:
- A → “Ask yourself, ‘Is it true?’”
- B → “Breathe and let the thought pass through without judging it.”
- C → “Counter it with a positive thought.”
- D → “Dump and release it.”
Kids who learn to do this early learn effective coping strategies that will serve them well as they grow.

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7. Mindful Eating
This worksheet for kids focuses on mindful eating and starts by asking the student to write down what they taste, hear, feel, smell, and think as they’re eating a piece of fruit.
The idea is to help kids practice awareness of what they experience in the present moment and encourage them to pay attention to sensory details.
This skill will come in handy when they’re asked to recall a past experience with as much detail as possible.

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8. Mindfulness Deep Relaxation
This mindfulness worksheet features a guided meditation exercise, inviting students to pretend they’re turning into a tree to help them relax their bodies and minds.
This would be especially useful when teaching your kids/students grounding meditation, which involves mindfulness.
After the meditation are questions related to the grounding exercise, asking students what they felt and which parts of their bodies were easiest or harder to relax — and why?

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9. Self-Esteem Worksheet
You’ll find worksheets like these for teens and adults at PositivePsychology.com. With this one, you’ll list five “things that make [you] beautiful” — inside, outside or both.
The note near the bottom of the worksheet reminds the meditator there are different kinds of beauty and encourages them to think about where their beauty lies. What do they like about themselves? What qualities do they have that others have admired?

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10 Self-Awareness Happiness Assessment
This worksheet is part of the Happier Mind Journal, free to download and print. It starts by asking, “What type of person are you today?” and follows up with “Describe the person you want to become only using three verbs.”
From there, it invites you to finish statements like, “I am happiest when… “ before asking you to fill in the following:
- One person that makes me feel motivated and inspired,
- Two things that make me laugh, and
- Three things that instantly put me in a great mood.
The idea is to create an environment that supports your happiness.

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11. Understanding Mindfulness
Register for free at TeachersPayTeachers to access their free digital tools, including this mindfulness worksheet for kids. This one, for example, asks the student to cut out the picture/word strips at the bottom of the page and place them in the correct spot next to the matching picture/word cues at the center.
The point is to familiarize young children with mindfulness meditation concepts to lay a foundation for more in-depth learning.

12 Breaking Down Our Thoughts
Designed for middle-schoolers, this worksheet by Centervention is appropriate for young mindfulness meditators and more mature ones.
The first question asks the student to write about a thought that has caused them to worry or feel anxious. After that, it invites them to break down that intrusive thought by asking themselves and answering a set of thoughtful questions.
The point is to help students create a habit of questioning their thoughts and letting go of those that don’t benefit them.

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13. 10 Minutes to Let Your Mind Wander
Christie Zimmer makes printable guided journaling pages with bright colors, making these ( and other ) worksheets as uplifting to look at as it is to use.
This one (in cyan) invites you to let your mind wander to topics and thoughts that lift you up and brighten your mindset.
- “Two things you’ve never done but would love to try.”
- “One thing that might scare others but doesn’t scare you.”
- “Three little things that mean a lot.”
The point is to simply enjoy the break from the more serious, urgent things on your to-do list to remind yourself of who you are.

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Now that you’ve looked through all the mindfulness worksheets listed here, we hope you found more than one you’d like to print out for yourself or for your kids or students.
Take some time to play with a few and see how you feel as you’re filling them out.
It doesn’t have to be complicated or serious to be worth doing.
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FAQs
What are the 4 exercises that help you to practice mindfulness? ›
- Pay attention. It's hard to slow down and notice things in a busy world. ...
- Live in the moment. Try to intentionally bring an open, accepting and discerning attention to everything you do. ...
- Accept yourself. ...
- Focus on your breathing.
- Five Steps to Mindfulness.
- First Mindfulness Exercise: Mindful Breathing.
- Second Mindfulness Exercise: Concentration.
- Third Mindfulness Exercise: Awareness of Your Body.
- Fourth Mindfulness Exercise: Releasing Tension.
- Fifth Exercise: Walking Meditation.
- Meditate. Taking even just 5 minutes to sit quietly and follow your breath can help you feel more conscious and connected for the rest of your day.
- Focus On One Thing At A Time. ...
- Slow Down. ...
- Eat Mindfully. ...
- Keep Phone and Computer Time In Check. ...
- Move. ...
- Spend Time In Nature.
- Non-judging. Be an impartial witness to your own experience. ...
- Patience. A form of wisdom, patience demonstrates that we accept the fact that.
- Beginner's Mind. Remaining open and curious allows us to be receptive to new.
- Trust. Develop a basic trust with yourself and your feelings. ...
- Non-Striving. ...
- Acceptance. ...
- Letting Go.
Research has highlighted three distinct components or pillars at the core of meditative practices and mind training. They are, focused attention, open awareness, and kind intention.
What are the 8 pillars of mindfulness? ›- Session 1: Attention & the Now. A core component of mindfulness practices, is focusing attention on the present moment. ...
- Session 2: Automaticity. ...
- Session 3: Judgment. ...
- Session 4: Acceptance. ...
- Session 5: Goals. ...
- Session 6: Compassion. ...
- Session 7: The Ego. ...
- Session 8: Integration.
- ACCEPT THE PRESENT MOMENT. Accept the present moment just as it is without judgment so you can use your energy to directly handle the circumstance at hand. ...
- MEDITATE. ...
- GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR SENSES. ...
- PRACTICE MINDFULNESS DURING ROUTINE ACTIVITIES.
- Set aside some time. ...
- Observe the present moment as it is. ...
- Let your judgments roll by. ...
- Return to observing the present moment as it is. ...
- Be kind to your wandering mind.
- Breathing meditation: A practice where you focus your attention on the sensations of breathing.
- Body scan: A practice where you focus on each individual body part in turn, from head to toe.
One of the most common and well-known mindfulness activities for adults is meditation. While it may seem esoteric or inaccessible, meditation can actually be very simple. These exercises are meant to transform everyday experiences into mindful moments.
How can I stay mindful all day? ›
- Fire up your five senses. One of the simplest ways of staying mindful is to bring your attention to the present moment. ...
- Focus on your breath. Another access point to bringing our attention to the moment is by focusing on our breath. ...
- Observe your thoughts. ...
- Mindful eating. ...
- Practice active listening. ...
- Observe your surroundings.
We can think of mindfulness as two parts: attention and curiosity. Attention means that we take time to focus our attention and awareness on physical sensations, thoughts that come up, or the environment around us.
What's the difference between meditation and mindfulness? ›Mindfulness is a quality; meditation is a practice
While Kabat-Zinn's definition describes a way of relating to oneself and one's environment, Walsh and Shapiro define a formal practice meant to alter or enhance one's state of mind.
Coloring, cooking, washing dishes, folding laundry and playing solitaire are all examples of activities that you can practicing focusing your full attention on. Being intentional with mindfulness is the key, because we know that all of the above activities can be completed mindlessly as well.
Can you learn mindfulness on your own? ›You can practice mindfulness meditation on your own anytime and anywhere. But listening to basic guided meditations can also be helpful, especially when getting started.
How many minutes a day should you practice mindfulness? ›Mindfulness-based clinical interventions such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) typically recommend practicing meditation for 40-45 minutes per day. The Transcendental Meditation (TM) tradition often recommends 20 minutes, twice daily.
How do I calm my anxious mind? ›- Breathe. ...
- Admit that you're anxious or angry. ...
- Challenge your thoughts. ...
- Release the anxiety or anger. ...
- Visualize yourself calm. ...
- Think it through. ...
- Change your focus. ...
- Have a centering object.
The mindful person is loving, kind, and compassionate for two main reasons: 1) they genuinely care about other people, regardless of whether they care about him, and 2) they know that other people provide them with the nourishment they need to grow, so they remain open to everyone.
What are 3 benefits of practicing mindfulness? ›Among its theorized benefits are self-control, objectivity, affect tolerance, enhanced flexibility, equanimity, improved concentration and mental clarity, emotional intelligence and the ability to relate to others and one's self with kindness, acceptance and compassion.
What are some mindfulness words? ›- alertness.
- carefulness.
- caution.
- circumspection.
- concentration.
- concern.
- conscientiousness.
- consideration.
What is mindful mindset? ›
Mindful mindset refers to a worldview that our lives are interconnected at the intersectional and phenomenological levels and that our identities are fluid, intersectional and interdependent.
How do I train myself to stay calm in every situation? ›Take a Deep Breath
Breathing deeply and slowly triggers the body to stop releasing stress hormones and start to relax. Concentrating on your breathing can also help to distract your mind from whatever is bothering you so that you focus only on what is happening at that moment.
- Be kind to yourself.
- Accept yourself unconditionally.
- Recognize that your failures make you human and allow you to connect with other people.
- Engage in mindfulness when you realize that you are being judgmental or negative about yourself.
Practice nightly mindfulness
“You can always focus on your breathing, but it may also be helpful to focus on a physical sensation like how warm and soft your blankets feel,” Minkel says. You can also try a body scan meditation to relax both your body and mind.
Mindfulness meditation increased thickness in the prefrontal cortex and parietal lobes, both linked to attention control, while compassion-based meditation showed increases in the limbic system, which processes emotions, and the anterior insula, which helps bring emotions into conscious awareness.
What is the root of mindfulness? ›Mindfulness derives from sati, a significant element of Hindu and Buddhist traditions, and is based on Zen, Vipassanā, and Tibetan meditation techniques.
What are 4 mindfulness activities that you can include to help you release stress? ›- Swimming or Floating in the Water. Swimming uses the entire body without putting pressure on the joints. ...
- Meditative Walking (Core Walking) ...
- Drinking a Cup of Tea. ...
- Hiking or Connecting with Nature. ...
- Gazing Meditation. ...
- Guided Meditation. ...
- Stretching. ...
- Breathing Techniques.
The Four Pillars of a Healthy Mind
The Center for Healthy Minds has created a new scientific framework for understanding how human flourishing can be nurtured consisting of four pillars of well-being: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose.
- Mindful breathing. This activity is great for bringing the mind back to the importance of our breath. ...
- Color breathing. Ask your students to think of a relaxing color and another color that represents anger, frustration, or sadness. ...
- The five senses. ...
- Body scan. ...
- Breaktime bell. ...
- Daily gratitude.
...
- Meditation. ...
- Be Awake. ...
- Watch Urges. ...
- Watch Ideals. ...
- Accept People and Life As They Are. ...
- Let Go of Expectations. ...
- Become okay with Discomfort. ...
- Watch Your Resistance.
What are the seven lights of awakening? ›
The Seven Factors of Awakening are seven mental capacities so valued as part of Buddhist practice that they are known as “inner wealth.” These factors are mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity.
What are 7 tips to relieve your stress? ›- 1.Exercise.
- 2.Relax Your Muscles.
- 3.Deep Breathing.
- 4.Eat Well.
- 5.Slow Down.
- 6.Take a Break.
- 7.Make Time for Hobbies.
- 8.Talk About Your Problems.
Finding the best relaxation technique for you
You can do this by practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, rhythmic exercise, yoga, or tai chi.
- Exercise regularly.
- Get out in the sunlight.
- Drink less alcohol and caffeine close to bedtime.
- Set a sleep schedule.
- Don't look at your electronics 30-60 minutes before bed.
- Try meditation or other forms of relaxation at bedtime.
- Being Active. Exercising makes you feel good and can help your mental health. ...
- Lower Your Alcohol Intake. ...
- Connecting With Friends and Family. ...
- Keep Learning. ...
- Positive Attitude can Lead to a Greater Sense of Wellbeing.
Experts widely consider exercise, good nutrition, relaxation and sleep crucial to healthy living. While these so-called “four pillars” of good health help keep your body running, they also do wonders for your emotional well-being.
What are the 3 attention networks that are being trained during mindfulness meditation? ›In this test, the improvement of the three attention networks (alerting, orienting, and executive control networks) is assessed by measuring how participants' reaction times (RTs) are influenced by each cue and flanker condition.