Mindfulness and CBT: how they work together
CBT helps you question unhelpful thoughts. Mindfulness helps you notice them without being swept away. Here's how to use both.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is built on a simple idea: the way you interpret a situation shapes how you feel and what you do. Mindfulness is about noticing what's happening right now, without judging it. They can sound like opposites, one changing thoughts and one accepting them, but they work well as a team.
What each one does
- CBT helps you catch a thought ("they must be annoyed with me"), look at the evidence, and find a fairer view.
- Mindfulness helps you notice the thought in the first place, and step back from it when arguing with it isn't working.
Four ways to combine them
- Steady yourself first. When a feeling is very strong, it's hard to think clearly. A minute of slow breathing can bring it down enough to do a thought record.
- Notice, then question. Mindfulness helps you spot the moment your mood shifts. That's the moment to ask "what was going through my mind just then?"
- Let some thoughts pass. Not every thought needs a thought record. For worries that keep coming back, practise noticing them ("there's that worry again") and letting them float by.
- Stay with discomfort. When facing a fear step by step, grounding can help you stay in the situation long enough for the anxiety to fall on its own.
In SteadySelf, these are linked for you: a breathing break is offered when a thought record feels intense, and grounding is offered before an exposure step.
Some therapies formally combine the two, such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), which is taught as a group course. SteadySelf isn't MBCT, but uses some of the same skills.
Written by the SteadySelf team. Updated 17 October 2026. This article is for general wellbeing and isn't medical advice. If you're struggling, talk to your GP, or refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies. If you need help now, use the Need help now? button.