The function of our mind is to think in order to better understand the world, make better decisions and thus ensure our survival.
This is visiting past experiences and bulk data anticipating future situations, in order to extract new learnings and avoid potential threats.
This type of mind, which we call the wandering mind, has a completely adaptive purpose, but it can also play tricks on us.
Psychologists from Harvard University (Gilbert, Matthew A. Killingsworth and Daniel T., 2010) claim that we can spend almost half of our waking hours in this mental mode and that it is during these moments that we feel most unhappy.
Mindfulness allows us to be aware of this turbulent torrent of information that springs forth from our wandering mind and, in this way, make it conscious.
By unmasking it, we allow ourselves the possibility of detecting when this content is tormenting or limiting us in our daily lives and, if we so wish, move our attention to another more productive place.