The first time I’d ever heard the term mindfulness, I was participating in a trial group at a local hospital. The hospital was just beginning to introduce a DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) group for patients with mental illness, in which mindfulness is a key component.

I remember being handed a raisin and being told to move it around in my hand and squeeze it between my fingers, feeling its weight and the space it took up, before putting it inside my mouth. The idea was to become completely focused on the raisin, so focused that no other thoughts were present in your mind.