Mindfulness and Executive Functioning: How It Helps

Written by:

 Jennifer Schmidt

Filed under: Wellness & Mental Health

Filed under: Wellness & Mental Health

Published: December 9, 2025

Last Reviewed: December 9, 2025

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Research shows that our ability to manage thoughts, emotions, and behavior, known as executive functioning, can be strengthened through simple mindfulness practices.

Mindfulness, a practice rooted in ancient traditions and adapted for modern psychology and education, can help strengthen cognitive skills.

By cultivating present-moment awareness and nonjudgmental acceptance of thoughts and emotions, mindfulness can improve focus and impulse control. Early research also suggests it may support other executive skills, such as shifting attention and managing emotions, although the evidence in these areas is still developing.

This article explores what executive functioning is, how mindfulness affects the brain, the executive functioning skills it supports, and practical techniques to incorporate mindfulness into daily routines.

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1. What is Executive Functioning?
2. What is Mindfulness?
3. How Can Mindfulness Impact Brain Functioning?
4. Executive Functioning Skills Supported by Mindfulness
5. Mindfulness Techniques To Experiment With
6. Additional Tips for Implementation
7. TL;DR – (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
8. Further Reading

What is Executive Functioning?

Executive functioning (EF) is a set of mental skills that help us manage our thoughts, actions, and emotions to achieve our goals. These skills include working memory, planning, organization, time management, task initiation, self-monitoring, and emotional regulation. Executive functioning begins developing early in childhood and continues through early adulthood, playing a crucial role in academic success, social relationships, and overall daily functioning.

Researchers often break executive functioning into three main domains, including inhibition (impulse control), working memory, and shifting (cognitive flexibility). Studies investigating the connection between mindfulness and executive functioning often focus on these domains to determine whether mindfulness improves all areas equally or has a stronger impact on some skills over others.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness has its roots in ancient Buddhist and Hindu practices and has been adapted for use in psychology, education, and other fields. At its core, mindfulness trains two key abilities: present-moment awareness and nonjudgmental acceptance of thoughts and emotions.

According to Lutz, Slagter, Dunne, and Davidson (2008), mindfulness practice involves four steps:

  1. Focusing attention on the present moment or a chosen object.
  2. Noticing when the mind wanders from the present moment.
  3. Bringing attention back from any distractions.
  4. Accepting any feelings that arise while being in the present moment, without any judgment.

These skills closely align with executive functioning, particularly the abilities to focus, shift attention, and regulate behavior and emotions.

How Can Mindfulness Impact Brain Functioning?

The frontal and prefrontal regions of the brain primarily control executive functioning. Because executive functioning develops rapidly throughout childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood through pruning and the formation of new neural pathways, these skills continue to change significantly.

Several brain systems help explain why mindfulness can improve EF; however, researchers are still trying to understand the exact mechanisms and biology behind mindfulness and executive functioning. There is still so much to be learned about executive functioning in general!

  • Anterior Cingulate Cortex–This region of the brain monitors performance by noticing when attention drifts and redirecting it back to the task. The ACC’s role in meditation is unknown at this time, due to mixed research results.
  • Error-Related Brain Signals–Mindfulness appears to reduce over-reactivity to distress and anxiety, helping people to regulate emotions more effectively when mistakes occur.
  • Performance Monitoring–Mindfulness trains the brain to have moment-to-moment awareness, allowing people to notice when their thoughts wander and bring their attention back. This process impacts cognitive flexibility, or the ability to adapt and shift focus as needed.

Executive Functioning Skills Supported by Mindfulness

Mindful practices target core cognitive and emotional processes, making it easier to focus, shift attention, retain and manipulate information, and respond thoughtfully rather than reactively.

Attention and Focus

Attentional control is the ability to focus on specific stimuli in the environment while not focusing on or “tuning out” other stimuli. Mindfulness practices can enhance sustained attention and reduce distractibility, thereby improving concentration. This includes the ability to sustain and shift attention when needed. Learners who struggle with attentional control may have difficulty filtering out environmental distractions and will spend less time sustaining their attention to information.

Emotional Regulation

Emotional regulation sometimes called emotional control, is how we manage and respond to emotional experiences in the environment. When emotional regulation feels difficult, some learners may avoid work, put off responsibilities, or have strong emotional or physical reactions when they are upset.

Mindfulness can help by teaching individuals to pause before reacting, notice bodily cues, and make more deliberate decisions. Developing executive control over attention, thoughts, and body sensations allows learners to recognize emotions as they arise and respond thoughtfully.

Working Memory

Working memory is the ability to hold information in your immediate awareness long enough to use it in the moment. Learners who struggle with working memory skills may have difficulty completing multi-step tasks, recalling strings of information accurately, and keeping track of belongings.

Mindfulness is believed to support working memory by cultivating present-moment awareness, which helps with holding and manipulating information. Research linking mindfulness directly to working memory remains limited.

Cognitive Flexibility

Cognitive Flexibility, or shifting, is the ability to move between tasks or ideas and adjust to changes. People with stronger flexibility skills may find it easier to move from one activity to another when asked or to understand different perspectives.

Mindfulness is one way to increase openness, adaptability, and perspective-taking. Shifting happens in mindfulness when you notice your mind drifting and bring it back to the present moment. Practices such as labeling thoughts and using acceptance strategies encourage adaptability and perspective-taking.

Impulse Control (or, Behavioral Inhibition)

Impulse control, or inhibition, is the ability to pause before acting on an automatic or impulsive response and consider the possible consequences. People who experience challenges with impulse control may find it harder to resist urges and may sometimes feel less in control of their emotions and actions, especially in stressful situations.

Mindfulness practices help slow down automatic responses and build intentional behavior. By focusing on a single task and ignoring distractions, learners can tune out unimportant information and respond more deliberately. Research indicates that impulse control may be the executive function most consistently improved by mindfulness, while results for working memory and cognitive flexibility are more mixed.

Mindfulness Techniques To Experiment With

Implementing mindfulness techniques into your regular routine is a great way to support your emotional health and cognitive control. Mindfulness techniques can be integrated into pre-existing morning and night routines to help establish a new habit, and take less than 10 minutes to complete.

Mindful Breathing

Infographic Titled “7 Mindful Breathing Exercises To Support Executive Functioning,” Summarizing Simple Steps For Seven Breathing Techniques That Connect Mindfulness And Executive Functioning.

Mindful breathing is done by focusing on the physical sensation of one’s breath entering and leaving the body. When your mind wanders, return to your breathing to practice focusing on the present moment.

One study with college students found that a short daily mindfulness practice led to measurable improvements in working memory and attention compared with a control group. In this program, students practiced about 10 minutes of breathing meditation each day for two weeks (study of mindfulness training and working memory in college students). Making this a consistent habit may yield similar benefits.

Mindful breathing exercises use slow, steady breaths to calm the nervous system and support skills like focus, emotional regulation, and impulse control. Recent reviews of breathing practices for stress and anxiety reduction suggest that slow intentional breathing can increase parasympathetic activity and improve stress, anxiety, and mood in many groups.

In everyday life, the best technique is usually the one that feels simple to remember and comfortable to use in real situations.

Technique (links open YouTube videos) How to do it Best for / when to try it Executive functioning focus Notes and options
Box Breathing (square breathing)
  1. Sit upright and rest your feet on the floor.
  2. Inhale through your nose for a slow count of four.
  3. Hold your breath gently for a count of four.
  4. Exhale through your mouth for a count of four.
  5. Pause for a count of four while you imagine or trace the four sides of a square, then repeat.
 Quick reset during stress, test anxiety, before a hard task, or between classes. Often easier for older children, teens, and adults. Younger kids can count to two or three instead of four. Attentional control through counting and tracing. Impulse control with built in pauses. Emotional regulation when the body feels tense or keyed up. Cleveland Clinic and Healthline describe box breathing as intentional deep breathing that can lower stress and activate the parasympathetic system that supports rest and digestion. Stop or shorten the counts if someone feels dizzy, has heart or lung concerns, or dislikes breath holding.
Rainbow Breathing
  1. Stand or sit where you have room to move one arm.
  2. Reach your arm out and begin to trace an arc like a rainbow.
  3. Inhale through your nose as your hand moves up over one color.
  4. Exhale through your mouth as your hand moves down.
  5. Repeat the inhale and exhale pattern as you move across all the colors of the rainbow.
 Younger children who enjoy color and movement. Helpful after recess, before transitions, or when shifting from play to schoolwork. Attentional control through focus on color and movement. Emotional regulation during transitions. Shifting between activities and states of mind. A playful way to practice slow deep breathing when sitting still feels uncomfortable. Can be shortened to a single rainbow or repeated several times depending on energy level and time.
Star Breathing
  1. Draw or find a simple star on paper or a card.
  2. Place one finger at the bottom of the star.
  3. Trace up one side of the star while you inhale slowly through your nose.
  4. Trace down the next side while you exhale through your mouth.
  5. Continue around the star, inhaling on one side and exhaling on the next, with a brief pause at each point if that feels helpful.
 Bedtime wind down, classroom brain breaks, or any time the body feels tense and the mind feels busy. Works well for kids and adults who like visual anchors. Attentional control and emotional regulation. Impulse control when learners pause at each point before moving to the next side. A star drawing or printed card can stay on a desk or in a calm space as a concrete visual cue. Many educators use a shared star breath as a routine starter such as one star together before a quiz or after lunch.
Figure 8 Breathing (lazy eight or infinity breathing)
  1. Picture a large number eight on its side like the infinity symbol.
  2. Place a finger at the center of the shape.
  3. Trace one loop of the eight while you inhale through your nose.
  4. Trace the other loop while you exhale through your mouth.
  5. Repeat the same smooth pattern for several cycles while keeping your breath steady and even.
 Busy or racing minds, especially for learners who benefit from gentle hand movement. Useful before homework, after a conflict, or when settling into a longer task. Attentional control and cognitive flexibility as attention moves between the two loops. Emotional regulation when the body feels keyed up or restless. Many classroom calm spaces use lazy eight breathing mats so students can trace the shape while they take slow breaths. The simple hand motion can make breath work feel more approachable for students who find stillness stressful.
4-7-8 Breathing
  1. Sit or lie in a comfortable position.
  2. Place the tip of your tongue lightly behind your upper front teeth.
  3. Inhale quietly through your nose for a count of four.
  4. Hold your breath gently for a count of seven.
  5. Exhale through your mouth for a count of eight with a soft whoosh sound, then repeat for three or four cycles.
 Older teens and adults who are winding down at night, easing strong anxiety, or coming down after a stressful event. Less ideal for young children or anyone who dislikes longer breath holds. Emotional regulation and impulse control through the built in pause. Attentional control while tracking the four, seven, and eight counts. WebMD describes 4 7 8 breathing as a way to relax the sympathetic fight or flight response and support deeper calm. Research on slow paced 4 7 8 style breathing, such as a study of sleep deprived adults that used this pattern, suggests benefits for anxiety, cardiovascular markers, and sleep quality when practiced regularly in experimental settings.
Belly Breathing (diaphragmatic breathing)
  1. Sit or lie down and place one hand on your chest and one on your belly.
  2. Inhale through your nose so the hand on your belly rises while the hand on your chest stays mostly still.
  3. Let your belly expand gently as the air moves down toward your diaphragm.
  4. Exhale slowly through your mouth so the belly falls and the chest stays relaxed.
  5. Continue for several breaths with a slightly longer exhale than inhale.
 All ages in almost any setting. Helpful before tests, during sensory overload, or as a daily grounding routine in class or at home. Emotional regulation, attentional control, and self monitoring of internal body signals. A study with healthy adults found that eight weeks of diaphragmatic breathing training improved attention and reduced negative emotions and cortisol compared with a control group. Other research on abdominal breathing in older adults suggests that slow deep breathing can reduce anxiety and increase parasympathetic activity that supports calm heart and breathing patterns during stress.
Candle and Flower Breathing (smell the flower, blow out the candle)
  1. Imagine holding a flower in one hand and a candle in the other.
  2. Lift the flower toward your nose.
  3. Inhale slowly through your nose as if you are smelling the flower.
  4. Move your attention to the candle.
  5. Exhale gently through your mouth as if you are blowing out the candle, then repeat for several breaths.
 Younger children and learners who respond well to story like images. Useful as a quick calm down routine, during transitions, or before leaving for school. Emotional regulation and impulse control when learners pause to smell before they react. Attentional control as the breath is matched with the two images. Often used as a first step toward belly breathing because the images make the instructions concrete. Adults can model gentle birthday candle breaths so kids avoid strong blowing that may cause dizziness or a feeling of breathlessness.

Gratitude Journaling

Regularly practicing gratitude is a powerful way to reduce stress, increase optimism, and promote overall well-being. Keeping a gratitude journal encourages individuals to shift their focus from daily stressors to positive experiences and emotions. This practice helps cultivate a more balanced perspective, allowing people to recognize and appreciate the positive aspects of their day rather than dwelling on the negative, while also supporting cognitive flexibility.

Body Scan

Body scans are done by bringing your attention to different parts of your body, noticing any sensations without judgment. This can help increase bodily awareness and self-monitoring. A helpful walk-through on how to make this part of your routine can be found on The Mindfulness Teacher’s YouTube channel. Though this video is titled “for children,” it’s helpful for any beginner to body scanning and has visuals on the process.

Walks in Nature

Take short walks in nature to connect with your surroundings and the sensations in your body. This is meant to be a time to disconnect from other methods of taking breaks, like using technology, and will help to clear the mind and support focus.

Nature walks have been shown to replenish focus and reduce stress. Research suggests that these effects can support planning, organization, and self-control in daily life, including in a systematic review of nature exposure and cognitive functioning in young people and an overview of how nature supports attention and mood.

Research also highlights broader benefits, including reduced stress and depression, enhanced well-being, and improved physical health.

Yoga

Yoga incorporates mindfulness techniques through postures, breathwork, and meditation. Long-standing practices in yoga have emphasized self-awareness, focusing on the present moment, and finding inner calm. These practices help strengthen attentional control and enhance the ability to self-monitor both physical responses and emotional states in the moment.

Additional Tips for Implementation

Mindfulness doesn’t need to be lengthy; practices can be done in just a few minutes, multiple times a day, and adapted to fit your routine.

School-based and clinic-based professionals can add mindfulness practices to existing supports for executive functioning, social skills, and regulation. Mindfulness can also be used during natural transitions in the day, such as the start of class, after recess, or before dismissal.

Wherever they are incorporated, it’s important that they are part of the natural routine and practiced regularly, so that students know how to use these skills when they need them. You can also explore age-appropriate mindfulness curricula, printable activity sets, and simple breathing tools to bring mindfulness resources to your classroom.

TL;DR – (Too Long; Didn’t Read)

Executive functioning is a group of thinking skills that help us manage our thoughts, actions, and emotions. These skills include attentional control, emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, working memory, and impulse control.

Mindfulness focuses on training one’s attention and nonjudgmental awareness of thoughts and feelings, which closely aligns with key executive functions. Mindfulness benefits include improved attention and focus, stronger emotional regulation, and better impulse control. Improvements in working memory and cognitive flexibility are not yet well established.

Practical techniques such as mindful breathing, body scans, walking in nature, and yoga can be integrated into daily routines in as little as 10 minutes per day to support EF skills.

Further Reading

About The Author

Jennifer Schmidt

Jennifer Schmidt is a Wisconsin-based school psychologist. Jennifer earned her Master of Science in Education, with an emphasis in School Psychology, from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She also holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology, with a minor in Family, Health, and Disability studies from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. As an early career professional, Jennifer works in rural Wisconsin by partnering with teachers, school administrators, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments that strengthen connections between the school, home, and community agencies. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, and video gaming.

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