India, Oct. 1 -- Feeling stressed, distracted or mentally overwhelmed? You do not always need a long meditation session to bring your attention back to the present. Harvard Health says small mindfulness practices can help you focus on what is happening around you and may ease perceived stress and anxiety over time.

Mindfulness means paying attention to what is happening in and around you with an attitude of acceptance, according to Ronald Siegel, an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School.

You do not need to stop your thoughts to practise mindfulness. Instead, you gently move your attention away from your thoughts and towards your present sensory experience.

Harvard suggests mindful breathing as one way to begin. Fi...