Video: 1-minute meditations for living with cancer By Mayo Clinic Staff Share Facebook Twitter Print details Handling cancer can take a lot out of you. Even when you try to keep a positive outlook, it's natural to feel anxious, tired or tense. But what if you could find a simple way to help lower your stress, clear your mind and even boost your immune system? Enter meditation. Mindfulness — a form of meditation — has been shown to improve both your attitude and your health. Take a look at these 7 simple mindfulness meditations that you can do right now. Bonus: Each takes only a minute. That means you can try them all today — even if you only have 10 minutes to spare. Show transcript 1-minute meditations for living with cancer Practicing mindfulness boosts your body's ability to heal and calms your mind. Try mini-meditations that fit into even the most stressful day. Start your day with gratitude. Picture the faces of 5 people you're grateful for and send a silent thanks to each. Take 5 deep breaths. Inhale and exhale slowly to relax your stress response and boost your immune system. Picture a favorite place. Your brain's neurons will fire almost as if you're there. Look at an everyday object. Put your focus on simple details to clear your mind and calm the moment. Listen closely. Notice the sounds around you to improve focus and cut through fog and stress. Savor a bite. Experience the flavor and texture to focus on the present and away from worry. Try a walking meditation. Repeat a comforting phrase as you step and breathe. Try "I am here. This is healing." Guidance from the doctors, nurses and specialists for cancer care at Mayo Clinic.Get more healthy-action tips delivered daily when you download the Mayo Clinic app. Show references Smith JE, et al. Mindfulness-based stress reduction as supportive therapy in cancer care: systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2005;52:315. Rouleau CR, et al. The impact of mindfulness-based interventions on symptom burden, positive psychological outcomes, and biomarkers in cancer patients. Cancer Management and Research. 2015;7:121. Holzel B, et al. Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research. 2011;191:36. Paul G, et al. A longitudinal study of students' perceptions of using deep breathing meditation to reduce testing stresses. Teaching and Learning in Medicine. 2007;19:287. Carlson L, et al. Mindfulness-based cancer recovery. Oakland, Cal.: New Harbinger Publications; 2010. Hanh T. Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life. New York, N.Y.: HarperOne; 2010. VID-20305523