At times, everything can feel overwhelming. If you ever feel like you struggle to feel present in the moment or if you feel like you are constantly just rushing to be somewhere or do something, practicing mindfulness for even a few minutes can help to bring you back to awareness of the present. Beyond helping to manage stress, research suggests that mindfulness can even help reduce levels of anxiety and depression, alleviate pain, can aid in lessening symptoms of addiction, and can even be helpful in improving quality of life for individuals with cancer, hypertension, and other chronic illnesses. But what exactly is mindfulness?