Mindfulness creates space for us to move from old mindless reactions to mindful responses.  Mindfulness allows us to look at difficulties with an open mind.  Rather than focusing attention on the difficulty itself, we instead look within to discover how we can best meet the difficulty.

For instance, if you find yourself stuck in traffic and know you will be late for an appointment, you can either fall into reactivity or choose to respond mindfully.  If typical reactions involve worry and obsessing about possible consequences, bring your awareness to the current moment.  Realize that the most important thing you need to do is focus on getting yourself safely to your destination.  If worrisome thoughts dominate your experience, you run the risk of putting yourself into more difficulties.  Ground yourself in the reality of the current moment.  You are stuck in traffic but you are also alive and well.  Breathe deeply, feeling satisfaction from this truth and await for more mindful responses to arise.