Mindfulness for Women: Managing Anxiety and Depression in Jacksonville, FL

I used to think mindfulness meant sitting in total silence with my eyes closed, trying to make my thoughts disappear. (Spoiler alert: that didn’t work.) I have never been good at sitting in silence without my mind wondering all over the place. I bet you can relate! What I’ve learned and now get to share with my clients is that mindfulness isn’t about becoming thoughtless. It’s about becoming aware; aware of my emotions, my thoughts, and how they influence my behaviors, my relationships, and how I feel about myself.

As a therapist who works with women and teen girls navigating anxiety, depression, and the weight of past experiences, I’ve seen how life can pull us in a hundred directions at once. Our minds race with what-ifs, self-criticism, and emotional loops that feel impossible to break. But mindfulness gives us a powerful way through!

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the moment without judgment. It’s not about getting rid of your thoughts or forcing yourself to feel better. It’s about observing what’s happening inside you and around you with kindness and curiosity.

When you can notice what you’re feeling without trying to push it away or fix it immediately, you create just enough space to respond instead of react. You give yourself breathing room. And in that space, there’s freedom.

Mindful vs. Unmindful Thoughts

Let’s say you walk into a room and no one immediately says hi.

• Unmindful Thought: “They’re ignoring me. I must’ve done something wrong. They don’t like me.”

• Mindful Thought: “I noticed no one said hi. I feel a little anxious. I’m having the thought that I’m being excluded, but I’m not sure that’s true.”

The first version spirals. The second observes. This doesn’t mean the uncomfortable feelings vanish, but it does mean they don’t run the show.

Naming Emotions Without Judgment

In therapy, we learn to label emotions and thoughts as just that: emotions and thoughts. If you feel anxious, you can say to yourself, “I’m noticing anxiety,” rather than, “I am anxious.” That tiny shift helps create distance. You are not your feelings. You are the one observing them.

And here’s something powerful: just naming what you feel, “sadness,” “shame,” “fear,” “guilt”, calms the nervous system. It’s like your body says, “Oh, you see me. You’re not ignoring me anymore.”

How to Unstick from Negative Thoughts: Mindfulness Exercises

Sometimes, we get so tangled in our thoughts, it feels like we can’t breathe. When that happens, I like to turn to these mindfulness tools to help get unstuck:

1. Leaves on a Stream

This exercise is helpful when your thoughts feel sticky. It reminds you that thoughts are like leaves, they come and go. You don’t have to hold on to them.

• Close your eyes and imagine you're sitting beside a gentle stream.

• Each thought that comes to mind, whether it’s a worry, a memory, or a judgment, gets placed on a leaf.

• Watch the leaf float by on the stream.

• Let it go, and wait for the next thought to arise.

• You’re not trying to change the thought. You’re just noticing it and watching it float away.

2. The Red Balloon

Both of these visualizations allow you to practice the art of noticing and releasing, without judgment or pressure.

Picture a big red balloon in your hand.

• Imagine placing your negative thought, or even your entire mood, into the balloon.

• Gently release the string and watch the balloon rise.

• It doesn’t mean you’re ignoring the thought. It means you’re letting go of the need to grip it so tightly.

3. Five Senses Grounding

• 5 things you can see

• 4 things you can feel

• 3 things you can hear

• 2 things you can smell

• 1 thing you can taste

When anxiety takes over, this sensory-based exercise can gently anchor you back to the here and now.

4. Write Without Solving

Grab a notebook. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Let your pen spill everything in your mind. Don’t edit. Don’t judge. Just write.

When the timer goes off, take a breath and ask, “What do I need right now?”

Often, we don’t need to fix everything. We just need to be heard—especially by ourselves.

5. Compassionate Reframe

Ask yourself: “What would I say to a friend who was feeling this way?”

Now say that to yourself.

Mindfulness and self-compassion go hand in hand. It’s not about sugar-coating life, it’s about meeting yourself with gentleness, even in the mess.

Final Thoughts

Mindfulness isn’t about being perfect. It’s about practice. It’s about noticing when you’re caught in a storm of anxiety or weighed down by depression and gently guiding yourself back to shore, again and again.

If you're a woman or teen girl in Jacksonville, FL, trying to cope with overwhelming emotions, please know you’re not alone. At Something New Counseling and Wellness, I offer a space where you can learn how to unstick from the thoughts that keep you spiraling and return to the present with more grace and strength.

You deserve tools that work. You deserve to feel steady, grounded, and more like yourself again.

Let’s start where you are and grow from there!