mindfulness

Mindfulness at Work

 

Mindfulness has many definitions but one common theme: being present and aware within the current moment. Based in Eastern thoughts and traditions, mindfulness seeks to help people simplify by delegating focus to one task at a time. In the current world, multi-tasking and efficiency seem to be all the rage, but can leave people feeling exhausted, overworked, distracted, and incomplete.

 

Benefits of Mindfulness

 

Mindfulness steers you away from judgmental thoughts, distractions, multi-tasking, and fixating on the past or future. It takes some discipline to put it into practice, but the more often it is practiced, the more likely one will experience the benefits. Mindfulness has been known to help improve sleep, decrease stress, and lower blood pressure. It also has a place in aiding mental wellness, helping to fight against depression, anxiety, and other contributing symptoms. In addition to these benefits, redirecting your thoughts can help you practice good self-care, which leads to an improved mood and better self-image.

 

On the Job

 

Ever feel like you worked a solid day, but have no clue what you did? Incorporating mindfulness into the workday might make the difference between feeling satisfied and connected with work, or feeling like each day is monotonous and the tasks are never-ending. By taking a small amount of time during the day to shift your focus, it is possible to adjust your productivity and contentment. Some experts suggest spending 10 – 15 minutes in a mindfulness exercise, at least once a day. However, some exercises are as short as a minute. Mindfulness exercises draw your attention to specific internal or external phenomena, such as breathing, observing your surroundings, or turning off technology. The following are some popular mindfulness practices that can easily be added into the work day.

 

• Focused Breathing: Sit quietly and pay attention to your natural breathing. If your mind begins to wander, don’t judge yourself. Gently redirect your thoughts back to your breathing. Focus on the different sensations and movements of your body, such as your stomach expanding and the feeling of the air in your nose. Some experts suggest setting an alarm for each hour and doing this activity for a minute throughout the day to help keep stress down and to help re-center.
• Internal Dialogue: Observe your flow of thoughts and emotions. If you have a thought that keeps popping up, allow yourself to focus on that thought to explore what it means and how it might be influencing you. Perhaps you have an image or saying that helps to keep you focused on your values. If so, take some time to close your eyes and repeat this image or phrase to yourself, and bringing yourself back to it any time your mind wanders. Doing this exercise can help you to understand where you may be feeling pressured, and how that might be affecting your work. Instead of distracting yourself when these thoughts or feelings arise, mindfulness will help you to meet this perceived problem as valuable information to know yourself better.  
• Observations: Without judgement, pay attention to any of the five senses that are being triggered, such as sound, sight, touch, smell, or taste. Staying in the present moment, breathe, and direct your mind away from any negative or stressful thoughts. Put your energy and attention into one sense at a time and allow yourself to be completely enveloped by it. This can help you to enjoy your lunch breaks a little more fully, or help you to be more aware of details that are surrounding you. Practicing this can help you decrease immediate reactions and can help you pause to evaluate the best course of action.
• Tune In: Technology - including phones, social media, or email - can often distract us and give us a false sense of connection. Often, we can perceive messages as urgent, and since the scroll of activity never ceases, it can be overwhelming. Getting caught up in technology can wreak havoc on productivity. A great start for incorporating mindfulness into your day is simply to turn off the radio while driving, put your phone into a drawer while working, or only checking your email during certain times of the day. Decreasing multi-tasking means you are increasing mindful attention.

There are many other exercises that can be done to help aid your work day. Finding the right ones that work for you involve a little bit of research, as well as some trial and error. It is important to remember to start small when starting to add mindfulness into your workday. Mindfulness is a discipline and a process. While it may feel awkward at first, building this habit can pay dividends to greater self-awareness and happiness.

Having the Proper Tools

While mindfulness is achieving greater popularity, and can boast of many benefits, it is not the only tool to have in your tool belt. Mindfulness cannot replace critical thinking, time management, organization, or many of the other skills that contribute to work success. The goal of mindfulness is to help you gain another perspective and help you to better utilize the time and skills that you do possess. The more tools you have, the more likely you will be able to use it when needed.  

 

Want to talk to a counselor today about this? 

Call us at 800-453-7733 and ask for your “Free 15 Minute Phone Consultation" with one of our licensed counselors. We’ll listen, answer questions you may have, and help you plan next steps.

 

 

Sources

• https://hbr.org/2016/03/how-to-practice-mindfulness-throughout-your-work-day
• https://hbr.org/2015/02/there-are-risks-to-mindfulness-at-work
• http://mindfulnessatwork.com/
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356?pg=2

 

Mindfulness

When we’re constantly busy and judging our performance in life, work, and relationships, we can easily become stressed.  This pressure and consistent negative thinking puts you at a greater risk of anxiety and depression.  Excessive planning and problem solving can be taxing.  Mindfulness is one way to redirect you away from these thoughts and start living in the moment.  A meditative and relaxation practice, mindfulness is focusing on the present moment and your senses.  Mindfulness reflects on these experiences in a non-judgmental way.  You begin to see the world around you through a new lens, and instead of seeing life critically you start to become curious.      

Why Practice Mindfulness?

There are many benefits to incorporating mindfulness into your life.  From an emotional and physical standpoint, mindfulness helps fight depression, anxiety, and other mental health symptoms.  Researchers have found that practicing mindfulness meditation may improve your memory, your ability to learn, and your self-esteem.  Redirecting your thoughts can help you feel better about yourself, take better care of yourself, and raise your mood.  Many times our minds dwell on past mistakes, fears, or even hopes for the future.  Mindfulness helps us to stay in the present and keeps us calm enough to practice good decision-making.  Our work life can also improve when we spend less time on negative thoughts.  Mindfulness allows us to be more creative and thoughtful in our work.      

 

How to Practice Mindfulness

Learn the meditative practice of mindfulness by following the steps listed:

1. Focus and practice good breathing. Begin by sitting up straight in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.  Pay attention to what it feels like to breathe in and out.  Relax your mind and dismiss other thoughts.  Notice your abdomen as it rises and falls with each breath.  If your mind does begin to wander, don’t judge yourself.  Gently redirect your thoughts back to the exercise.  If you are finding it difficult, search online or watch YouTube clips for breathing exercise instructions.
2. Pay attention to your senses. Focusing on your senses can help you feel calmer.  For example, find a piece of fruit and smell, feel, and look at the fruit.  Take a bite, chewing and tasting it slowly.  This practice can relax you and possibly teach you more about your relationship with food.  You can also try paying attention to your senses while walking outside.  Whether you’re in your backyard or at a busy street corner, you can stop and pay attention to what you hear, see, and smell.  Take a deep breath.  Direct your mind away from any negative or stressful thoughts and towards the present moment. 
3. Look at what’s familiar. Focus on an object you use or encounter every day.  Look at it with fresh eyes, in a way you’ve not noticed it before.  You might find a new appreciation for the world when you stop and truly pay attention. 
4. Listen carefully to others. Truly listen to people you’re meeting for the first time and those you’ve known a long time.  Hear what they’re saying with new ears.  Consider what they’re trying to convey and how they might experience the world differently than you do. 
5. Delay judgment. We tend to size people up immediately.  When we are slow to judge others, we may be less negative about the world around us.  This gives us an opportunity to discover what’s special about the individual and what we can learn from people.

When to Practice Mindfulness

The following tips will help you discover the best time to engage in mindfulness:

• Look for patterns. Do you find yourself getting more stressed or negative at certain parts of the day?  Begin to look for patterns to your thinking.  If you notice a particular event, environment, or time of day that triggers these reactions, consider engaging in mindfulness beforehand to counteract them.
• Find your space. Set aside a few minutes every day to practice breathing techniques.  Create a special, quiet place for you to relax.  Begin to feel yourself unwind.  A safe and positive place can make all the difference when releasing stress and tension. 
• Use every moment. Some mindfulness activities, like listening carefully and engaging your senses, can be practiced any time during the day.  Likewise, almost any activity lends itself to mindfulness, from checking your email to shopping at the grocery store.  Simply tune in to your breathing, your other senses, and who is around you.    
• Establish a routine. Mindfulness might seem awkward or uneasy at first.  However, as you practice it every day for several months, mindfulness will begin to feel more natural.  Researchers suggest committing to mindfulness techniques for six months to establish a solid routine.    

When you practice mindfulness, great things can happen.  Instead of mindlessly eating in front of the television each day to deal with stress, you can experience all this world has to offer.  In short, being mindful takes you off autopilot to notice new things with greater enthusiasm.    

 

Want to talk to a counselor today about this? 

Call Amplified Life at 800-453-7733 and ask for your “Free 15 Minute Phone Consultation" with one of our licensed counselors. We’ll listen, answer questions you may have, and help you plan next steps.

 

Sources:

www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Jan2012/Feature2