How mindfulness can help you build your own sense of morality
Mindfulness is a practice that increases your awareness of thoughts, emotions, and reactions in the present moment. By focusing on your inner experiences without judgment, you can better understand yourself and your approach to ethical decisions. This self-awareness can help support your growth.
Self-awareness
Because mindfulness can enhance awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and actions, it can also help you pause to consider whether your reactions align with your values. Instead of making snap decisions based on habit or emotion, mindfulness allows you to take a beat and consider the bigger picture.
Consider this: When you feel pressured to go along with something, you might stop to ask yourself, “Does this align with my beliefs?” This reflection can help you progress through Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, as it encourages deeper thinking about your actions rather than just following the crowd or acting on impulse.
Explore these 10 mindfulness questions to help you check in with yourself
Empathy
By practicing mindfulness, you can become more in tune with the emotions and needs of those around you. This empathy can enable you to consider the impact of your actions, and make decisions that reflect their feelings and wellbeing.
Consider this: When someone wrongs you, your immediate reaction might be anger or frustration. But, mindfulness can help you pause and consider the other person’s perspective: They may have acted out of stress or fear, or not realized what they were doing. Understanding their viewpoint can help you respond with compassion and fairness, and reach higher stages of Kohlberg’s theory.
💙 Check out our session on Empathy from our Relationship with Others series.
Emotional regulation
Anger, fear, or frustration can make it difficult to think clearly and act according to our values. Mindfulness can help you recognize and manage these emotions before they take over, so you can respond to challenging situations with greater clarity.
Consider this: In a heated argument, you might feel tempted to say something hurtful. But if you’re practicing mindfulness, you can recognize feelings of anger without reacting immediately. Instead of lashing out, you can take a breath and respond more thoughtfully — maybe by listening more closely or expressing your feelings respectfully. This can help you stay true to your principles, even in stressful situations.
💙 One way to help regulate your emotions is to journal. Explore our Feelings Wheel & Feelings Journal to get started.
Reflecting on your values
Mindfulness encourages you to reflect on your values and their influence on your decisions. This can help clarify what you stand for and whether your actions align with what matters most to you.
Consider this: If you ask yourself, “Was that really the best choice for my values?” you may be able to develop a clearer moral sense based on thoughtful consideration rather than societal expectations or external pressures.
Here are 20 questions to help you self-reflect.
Reducing judgment
By practicing mindfulness, you learn to observe your thoughts and feelings without labeling them as “good” or “bad.” This can be especially useful when you’re facing complex moral decisions with no clear right or wrong answer. Mindfulness can encourage curiosity and allow you to see different perspectives before rushing to judge.
Consider this: You’re trying to resolve a conflict at work. Mindfulness can help you step back and think more openly about both sides of the situation. This can help you find fair solutions that consider everyone involved.
💙 Explore our meditation on Non-Judgement to help you soften your judgmental tendencies.