Making Mindfulness Meditation a Healthy Habit
Mindfulness December 1, 2023 Eleanor Miles, Faith Matcham, Clara Strauss et al.
Viewing mindfulness meditation as a health behavior, rather than only a technique, can help people develop and sustain a long-term practice. The Sussex Mindfulness MEDitation (SuMMed) model synthesizes health behavior theories with research on mindfulness to describe the stages people go through as they build a meditation habit and the processes that help them move from one stage to the next. The model highlights the need to support individuals to continue practicing after formal instruction ends and suggests how maintaining a meditation habit can be facilitated, offering a roadmap for future research and practical suggestions tailored to different stages of behavior change.