Mindfulness and Mental Health in the Time of the Pandemic

A/Prof Wendy Li and Dr Daniel Miller are guest editors of the special issue. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world in unprecedented ways. This research topic aims to explore the impact of mindfulness on the maintenance (and even potential improvement) of psychological well-being and mental health in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mindfulness can provide the cognitive flexibility to actively construct current experiences with curious, open-minded, non-judging, non-striving, and acceptant attitudes. High levels of mindfulness enable greater sensitivity to one’s situation and more openness to new information, thus potentially promoting the evaluation and reorganization of one’s mental resources and capacities to adapt to the evolving demands brought about by the pandemic. Increases in cognitive flexibility, improvements in resilience, the re-establishment of certainty, and the reconstruction of a sense of belonging may bolster emotional regulation and distress tolerance, leading to enhancements in mental health.