Mindfulness At Work: 6 Keys To Health And Wellness

Are you stressed at work? Or do you find it difficult to get all your work done at the end of the day? Practicing mindfulness at work is one way to improve your health, well-being and productivity.

It can help you maintain your focus on important tasks, build your self-confidence and reduce the mental and emotional exhaustion that is all too common in the workplace today.

We have all heard of mindfulness. It is so often mentioned on websites and in magazines that it is easy to believe it is just another trend, like spinning, crossfit or even detox smoothies. But do not get the wrong idea, meditation and mindfulness techniques are used as a therapeutic technique in clinical contexts for a variety of purposes.

Mindfulness has only become more and more popular after Joh Kabat-Zinn, a molecular biologist at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), made this Buddhist meditation strategy popular.

To support the benefits, Dr. Kabat-Zinn conducted adequate scientific studies of how mindfulness led to major changes in population groups subject to a lot of stress (inmates in prisons, workers in stressful work environments, people with chronic pain…).

Mindfulness is not just a trend. It is a health and wellness technique that is gaining more and more popularity and recognition. In fact, it can even help patients who have overcome depression to avoid relapse. It is definitely worth a try.

Keeping an eye on your productivity in the workplace before and after practicing mindfulness is a great way to see how it can help you in the workplace. Let’s take a look at how practicing mindfulness can help your work life.

How can mindfulness at work help you?

David Lynch, a well-known film director, screenwriter and artist, often slips away from his own filming several times a day to find a quiet room or a quiet area outdoors. He “runs away” to meditate for a few minutes because he knows it will help him think clearly, be creative, deal with stress, and find himself.

Of course, you are not David Lynch, and your workplace is probably less eventful: an office, a factory, a workshop, a school, a taxi, a hotel or a hospital with rooms to clean, patients to care for, products to market or promote …

But no matter where you work and whatever you do, we are all under pressure, experiencing anxiety and we often have to multitask.

But if you make the effort and try to exercise mindfulness at work, it can help you get the following benefits:

Benefits of mindfulness at work

• It can block overstimulating environments and make you focus on your work.
• It helps you think clearly, brainstorm ideas and react effectively, to get the most out of any situation.
• It can help you deal with stress and pressure effectively.
• Gain self-confidence and self-knowledge, which helps you to know your limits, but also to be able to anticipate opportunities.

• To make you feel in control, and your situation.
• It can foster positive emotions that can improve relationships with colleagues or even better, recognize what is bothering you and find out if you can change it or not.

How can you use mindfulness at work?

Now we will discuss some specific strategies for how to practice mindfulness in the workplace. But first and foremost, keep in mind a simple truth. No one learns to meditate or practice mindfulness in a week or two.

This practice requires time and determination. Exercising mindfulness means thinking about all the thoughts that control your mind and your body, and then focusing on peace and balance.

The following strategies can help you get started.

Your goal

Before you go to work, decide what you want to have arranged that day. Define your goal clearly (it can be as simple as doing your job well and returning home without stress and worry).

Here and now

When you are at work, always be aware of the present moment, what is happening here and now. Focus on what you are working on, not what your colleagues are talking about, street noise, on the message you are waiting for, on your phone, your plans for tomorrow, what to do when you get home…

Restart your mind sometimes

Take a 1 minute mental break. Clearly, none of us have the ability to leave our jobs to go out and meditate for 20 minutes when we need to. However, you can train your mind to take some relaxing 1-minute breaks every half hour or every 40 minutes.

When you take 1-minute breaks, your gaze rests and breathes deeply, holding it for a moment and exhaling slowly. Do not think about anything during those 60 seconds. Just let go of the pressure and worry.

Do not multitask

If all workplaces have one thing in common, it is multitasking. You take a call while answering an email while thinking about what to do, solve, decide, communicate… It’s easy to get carried away with multitasking. We believe that doing many things at once is more productive. However, it is not.

Therefore, one of the keys to mindfulness in the workplace is to do one thing at a time and focus completely on it. This helps you to avoid mistakes or forget details, to achieve an optimal end result.

Use stress to your advantage

Most people think that stress is the enemy of productivity. But if it remains controlled and well managed, inner stress can be your ally. It not only creates motivation, it helps you to be alert and ready to work.

However, stress levels need to be carefully managed so that it acts as a stimulus. Therefore, it is very important to know your limits so that you experience enough stress to be encouraged, not overwhelmed.

Accept the things you can not change

Exercising mindfulness at work also means accepting the things you cannot change. For example, it is not useful every day to get angry at the colleague who is always late for it, at the boss who is always in a bad mood, at the colleague who only gossips and has useless ideas…

Some dynamics and attitudes are like a stone wall. There is no point in knocking on it or trying to move it. You simply have to accept it. But accepting it does not mean you give up. It just means that you become more aware of the situation so that you can handle it efficiently and calmly.

After all, practicing mindfulness at work also means being optimistic. Try mindfulness, see things in a positive light, release the weight of stress and exhaustion, and feel free.

Give these tips a try at your workplace. The results may surprise you.