Mindfulness Skills Worksheet
A reflective worksheet built on the five core facets of mindfulness, to help you see which skills come easily and which are worth practicing.
About this tool
Mindfulness is often described as a single thing, but researchers have found it is made of several distinct skills. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), developed by Ruth Baer and colleagues, identified five facets that tend to grow with practice: observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging of inner experience, and non-reacting to inner experience. Seeing mindfulness as five separate skills is useful, because most of us are naturally stronger in some than others.
Each facet is concrete. Observing is noticing sensations, sounds, and feelings as they arise. Describing is putting inner experience into words without getting lost in it. Acting with awareness is doing one thing at a time, the opposite of autopilot. Non-judging is meeting your thoughts and feelings without labeling them good or bad, or criticizing yourself for having them. Non-reacting is letting thoughts and emotions come and go without being swept into them or having to act on them immediately.
This worksheet is not the formal questionnaire and does not produce a clinical score. It is a reflective tool that borrows the five-facet framework to help you take stock. By noticing which facets feel natural and which feel hard, you can aim your practice where it will help most. For example, someone who observes easily but judges harshly might focus on the non-judging skill, while someone who lives on autopilot might practice acting with awareness during routine tasks.
Treat the result as a starting point, not a verdict. All five facets strengthen with regular mindfulness practice, and picking one to work on for a week makes the practice specific and doable.
- Baer RA, Smith GT, Hopkins J, Krietemeyer J, Toney L. Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment. 2006;13(1):27-45.
- Baer RA, et al. Construct validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in meditating and nonmeditating samples. Assessment. 2008;15(3):329-342.
Mindfulness Skills Worksheet FAQ
What are the five facets of mindfulness?
Observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging of inner experience, and non-reacting to inner experience. They were identified in research on the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and tend to strengthen with practice.
Is this the official Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire?
No. This is a reflective worksheet that uses the five-facet framework. It does not produce a validated clinical score and is meant for self-reflection, not assessment.
What if I score low on a facet?
That is useful information, not a problem. The facet you find hardest is often the most rewarding to practice. All five can grow with regular mindfulness practice.
Is my information saved?
No. Everything stays in your browser and is never uploaded or stored. The PDF is generated on your own device.