Examples of Practicing Mindfulness in CBT: 3 Real-Life Examples You Can Actually Use

Let’s skip theory and go straight to real life. Below are three of the best examples of practicing mindfulness in CBT: 3 examples that show how it looks in the moment when your brain is doing what it always does—worrying, criticizing, or trying to escape.

Example 1: The 3-minute “pause and notice” for anxiety spirals

Scenario: You’re about to walk into a meeting, your heart is racing, your mind is screaming, “I’m going to mess this up,” and your instinct is to either cancel or power through on autopilot.

In CBT, you’d normally challenge the thought:

• “What’s the evidence I’ll mess this up?”
• “Have I handled meetings before?”

Mindfulness adds a step before that: instead of fighting the anxiety, you turn toward it and observe it.

Here’s how this example of mindfulness in CBT plays out:

You pause outside the meeting room and silently walk through three steps:

• Step 1 – Name what’s happening.
  • “I notice anxiety is here.”
  • “My heart is pounding, my stomach feels tight.”
• Step 2 – Anchor to the present.
  • Feel your feet on the floor.
  • Take 3 slow breaths, counting the exhale to 6.
• Step 3 – Watch the thoughts, don’t argue with them.
  • “I’m having the thought, ‘I’m going to mess this up.’ That’s a thought, not a fact.”

Only after that mindful pause do you use a classic CBT skill:

• “I’ve handled meetings before, even when anxious.”
• “Anxiety is uncomfortable, but I can still participate.”

This is one of the clearest examples of practicing mindfulness in CBT: 3 examples often start with anxiety, because anxiety loves fast thinking and worst-case scenarios. Mindfulness slows the whole process down just enough for CBT tools to work.

Example 2: Mindful thought watching for late-night overthinking

Scenario: It’s 1:30 a.m. You’re replaying a conversation, wondering if you sounded stupid. Every time you tell yourself to “stop thinking about it,” your brain responds, “Okay, but what if they were actually offended?”

CBT would usually help you identify and reframe thinking patterns like:

• All-or-nothing thinking
• Mind reading
• Catastrophizing

Mindfulness adds a different flavor: instead of wrestling each thought to the ground, you change your relationship to the whole stream of thoughts.

Here’s how this example of practicing mindfulness in CBT looks in bed, lights off:

• You notice: “My mind is replaying that conversation again and again.”
• You imagine your thoughts as cars driving past on a highway.
• Each time a thought pops up—“They think I’m annoying,” “I sounded so awkward”—you silently label it:
  • “Worry thought.”
  • “Self-criticism thought.”
• You bring attention back to a neutral anchor:
  • The feeling of the pillow under your head.
  • The rise and fall of your breath.

You’re not trying to erase the thoughts. You’re practicing not climbing into every car that drives by.

Once you’ve given your brain a few minutes of this mindful observing, you can bring in CBT questions:

• “What’s a more balanced way to look at this?”
• “If a friend told me this story, what would I say to them?”

This is one of the best examples of how mindfulness and CBT work together: mindfulness calms the mental storm, CBT helps you steer in a healthier direction.

Example 3: Mindful urge surfing for emotional eating

Scenario: You’ve had a long, stressful day. You’re not physically hungry, but the urge to eat half a box of cookies “just to feel better” is loud.

Traditional CBT might focus on:

• Identifying the trigger (stress, boredom, loneliness)
• Challenging thoughts like “I deserve this” or “I can’t handle this feeling”

Mindfulness adds urge surfing—a skill where you ride out the craving without acting on it right away.

Here’s how this example of practicing mindfulness in CBT unfolds in your kitchen:

• You pause for 2 minutes before opening the pantry.
• You say (in your head): “A strong urge to eat is here.”
• You scan your body:
  • Tight chest?
  • Jittery hands?
  • Restless energy?
• You rate the urge from 1–10.
• You breathe slowly and watch how the urge rises, peaks, and then (even slightly) falls.

Instead of reacting, you observe the urge as a wave:

• “Right now it’s at an 8.”
• “Now it’s more like a 6.”

Only after a few minutes of this mindful observing do you use CBT tools:

• “What am I actually needing right now—comfort, rest, distraction?”
• “What’s one non-food way to meet that need?”

This is one of the strongest real examples of practicing mindfulness in CBT: 3 examples often highlight urges—whether it’s food, alcohol, or scrolling—because urges are where mindfulness really shines.

For more on how mindfulness supports behavior change, resources from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and related research summaries can be helpful starting points: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/mindfulness-meditation

More everyday examples of practicing mindfulness in CBT

We’ve covered three core, detailed examples of practicing mindfulness in CBT: 3 examples that show the full flow from noticing to reframing. Now let’s add a few shorter, everyday situations so you can see how flexible this approach is.

Example 4: Mindful “STOP” during a conflict

Scenario: You’re in an argument with your partner or coworker. You feel heat in your face, your voice getting louder, and your thoughts jumping to:

• “They never listen.”
• “I always have to fix everything.”

A simple CBT-plus-mindfulness move here is the STOP practice:

• S – Stop. Pause speaking for a moment.
• T – Take a breath. One slow inhale and exhale.
• O – Observe. Notice your thoughts (“I’m having the thought they never listen”) and your body (tight jaw, clenched fists).
• P – Proceed. Choose your next sentence on purpose, not from pure emotion.

You’re not suppressing anger; you’re noticing it. Then CBT steps in:

• “What’s the actual problem I want to solve?”
• “How can I say that clearly instead of attacking?”

This is another real example of practicing mindfulness in CBT that people often report as relationship-saving.

Example 5: Mindful scheduling for burnout and stress

Scenario: Your calendar is overflowing. You feel like you’re failing at work, home, and self-care all at once. The CBT angle here is to challenge perfectionistic beliefs and problem-solve your schedule. Mindfulness adds a moment-to-moment check-in.

Here’s how this example of practicing mindfulness in CBT can look on a Sunday night:

• You sit with your calendar for 5–10 minutes.
• Before filling in tasks, you do a brief body scan:
  • “Where am I carrying tension?”
  • “How tired am I on a scale of 1–10?”
• You notice: “I’m already at a 7/10 for exhaustion before the week starts.”

Instead of ignoring that data, you let it inform your CBT problem-solving:

• You adjust expectations.
• You schedule short recovery breaks.
• You challenge thoughts like “I have to say yes to everything” with more balanced alternatives.

This is one of the best examples of how mindfulness can keep CBT grounded in your actual capacity, not your imagined superhuman version of yourself.

Example 6: Mindful exposure for social anxiety

Scenario: You’re working on social anxiety with a therapist. CBT often uses exposure—gradually facing feared situations like making small talk or speaking up in a meeting.

Mindfulness changes how you experience those exposures.

Let’s say your homework is to start one short conversation at work:

• Before you approach someone, you notice:
  • Sweaty palms
  • Fast heartbeat
  • Thoughts like “They’ll think I’m weird”
• Instead of trying to calm everything down first, you practice:
  • “This is anxiety. My body is doing what anxious bodies do.”
  • “I can still say hi while feeling this.”

You carry your anxiety with you into the conversation, observing it like a background noise instead of a stop sign. Afterward, CBT helps you review:

• “What actually happened?”
• “Was it as bad as my prediction?”

This is one of the clearest real examples of practicing mindfulness in CBT: you’re not waiting to feel calm before acting—you’re learning to act while feeling anxious.

For more on CBT for anxiety and exposure, see resources from the Anxiety & Depression Association of America: https://adaa.org

Example 7: Mindful self-compassion for harsh inner critics

Scenario: You make a mistake at work. Your inner critic jumps in:

• “I’m such an idiot.”
• “I always screw things up.”

Classic CBT helps you challenge the accuracy of those thoughts. Mindfulness adds nonjudgmental awareness and self-compassion.

Here’s how this example of practicing mindfulness in CBT might sound in your head:

• “I notice a harsh self-critical voice is here.”
• “This is what shame feels like in my body—heavy chest, sinking stomach.”
• “Other people feel this too. I’m not the only one.”

Then you consciously choose a more balanced, kinder thought:

• “I made a mistake. That’s human. What’s one thing I can learn or fix?”

This blend of mindfulness and CBT is increasingly supported by research on self-compassion and mental health. For an accessible overview, you can explore materials from Harvard Health Publishing: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood

Why mindfulness and CBT are showing up everywhere in 2024–2025

If it feels like you’re hearing about mindfulness and CBT more often lately, you’re not imagining it. In the past few years:

• Teletherapy and apps have made CBT and mindfulness tools more available worldwide.
• Many CBT-based apps now include guided mindfulness exercises for anxiety, sleep, and stress.
• Studies continue to show that combining CBT with mindfulness practices can help with conditions like depression, anxiety, and chronic pain.

Organizations like the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) highlight mindfulness as a promising tool for stress and mood: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/mind-and-body-approaches-for-stress

So when you see lists of the best examples of practicing mindfulness in CBT: 3 examples usually show up first—anxiety, overthinking, and urges—because they’re so common. But as you’ve seen, once you get the hang of it, the same pattern works in dozens of situations.

How to build your own examples of practicing mindfulness in CBT

Once you understand the basic pattern, you can create your own real examples of practicing mindfulness in CBT:

1. Notice the trigger. Anxiety, anger, shame, urge, or stress.
2. Pause and observe. What are you thinking? What are you feeling in your body?
3. Name it. “I’m having the thought that…,” “Anxiety is here,” “A strong urge is here.”
4. Anchor to the present. Breath, body sensations, sounds in the room.
5. Then use a CBT tool. Challenge the thought, problem-solve, or choose a different behavior.

You don’t have to get it perfect. Even a 10-second pause where you notice your thoughts instead of believing them 100% can start to change the way your brain responds over time.

If you’re working with a therapist, you can ask them directly for more examples of practicing mindfulness in CBT tailored to your specific situation—whether that’s panic attacks, relationship stress, chronic pain, or work burnout.

FAQ: Common questions about mindfulness in CBT

What are some simple examples of practicing mindfulness in CBT at home?

Some everyday examples include:

• Noticing your breath and labeling anxious thoughts before a meeting.
• Observing the urge to check your phone instead of immediately grabbing it.
• Doing a 2-minute body scan when you feel stressed instead of jumping straight into distraction.
• Writing down a thought (“I’m a failure”), labeling it as a thought, then challenging it using CBT.

Each of these is a small example of blending mindfulness (noticing and accepting) with CBT (questioning and changing).

Is mindfulness part of CBT or a separate thing?

Mindfulness started outside CBT, but many modern CBT approaches now include mindfulness as a regular tool. Therapies like mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) use mindfulness alongside traditional CBT skills. Think of mindfulness as a way of paying attention that makes CBT techniques more effective.

Do I have to meditate to practice mindfulness in CBT?

No. Meditation is one way to train mindfulness, but not the only way. The real examples of practicing mindfulness in CBT you’ve seen here mostly happen in the middle of regular life—during a meeting, in bed at night, in the kitchen, or in a conversation. If you like formal meditation, it can help, but it’s not required.

Can you give one more quick example of mindfulness in CBT for work stress?

Here’s one more example of practicing mindfulness in CBT at work:

You open your inbox and see a critical email. Your chest tightens and your mind jumps to “I’m in trouble.” You pause, feel your feet on the floor, and take one slow breath. You say to yourself, “I’m noticing anxiety and the thought that I’m in trouble.” Then you read the email again, this time looking for facts, not fears. You challenge the automatic thought and respond from a calmer, more balanced place.

If you take nothing else from these examples of practicing mindfulness in CBT: 3 examples and several more should show you this: you don’t have to erase your thoughts and feelings to feel better. You just have to change how you relate to them—notice, name, and then choose your next move on purpose.