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By Erin Moran, MS, LMHC
In today’s busy work landscape, employees are often inundated with information, tasks, high-stakes deals, social expectations, and financial stressors. The pressure to perform can be immense, and finding calm and balance in such an environment can be difficult.
Mindfulness, a form of meditation that allows one to be engaged and fully present in a moment, has been practiced for generations to induce calm and balance amid stressful situations. For those who find themselves mired in the rat race, learning how to practice mindfulness may be just what is needed to gain a different perspective on the workday.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness can carry different in-depth definitions, depending on who you ask and how they apply the practice. However, an overall definition of mindfulness is the practice of being fully present and attentive to what you are doing, where you are, and what is happening around you. While practicing mindfulness, you shirk judgment in favour of simply being present in the moment and being aware of your feelings and thoughts.
The practice of mindfulness dates back nearly 4,000 years to Eastern religions. Since then, many religions and philosophies have incorporated mindfulness, though one needn’t subscribe to any particular religious belief system to benefit from mindfulness.
Mindfulness begins with consciousness of thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. Once we are aware of what is around us, what we can touch, and what emotions we are experiencing, the second step to mindfulness is acknowledging these sensations without judgment or trying to change them. Then, we can better intentionally focus our attention—becoming truly mindful of what is around us.
Mindfulness in the Workplace
When we are beset with anxiety or worry, our minds can wander, creating catastrophe where there may not be any. When we lose touch with the here and now and with how we are truly feeling, anxiety tends to increase.
This can be a vicious cycle that can be difficult to break. While stress at work is not fundamentally bad and can often be a motivator, stress that persists and becomes full-blown anxiety can become a significant issue.
Most of us spend more time at work with our colleagues than with our loved ones. This complete immersion in the working world can come with particular stressors, such as financial pressure or anxiety over the trajectory of one’s career.
Additionally, many of us will develop various coping mechanisms to deal with work stress. These can include keeping ourselves busy, seeking validation, and holding ourselves to perfectionist standards.
Learning how to practice mindfulness in the workplace can help reduce stress and enhance our work performance. When we are mindful and dialled intowhat we are feeling and what we are working on at the current moment, we can be more effective and productive.
Suspending judgment about how we think or feel can also lead to more creativity, which can help us break out of the creative ruts that many of us may find ourselves in at work.
How to Practice Mindfulness During Your Workday
There is no one “right” way to practice mindfulness, but there are guidelines on how to reach the ultimate goals of mindfulness. We are all capable of practicing mindfulness, and the practice can be available to us at a moment’s notice. You don’t need to buy anything or expect an elevated state of pure, detached bliss. What you seek to accomplish when you practice mindfulness is simply presence in a moment.
Many begin with breathing. Try to find a quiet place to sit and focus on deep breaths. Notice the breath going in through your nose and out of your mouth. If you find your mind beginning to wander to the stressors of the day, bring it back to your breathing—focus on that singular motion.
If you have a place where you can lie down or sit comfortably, do so and close your eyes. Breathe in and out, focusing on that action and about different parts of your body. This is called “body scan meditation” and is an important aspect of mindfulness. Start with your toes and move to your head, keeping a mental note of how you feel, what you touch, and perhaps any discomfort. You can also practice this while walking, noting the sensation of your feet touching the ground or the surroundings you are passing.
We can practice mindfulness during any task, such as listening during a meeting. It is all about homing in on sensations, thoughts, and feelings without judgment or straying from that focus.
When getting started with mindfulness, start small and be patient with yourself. If you find your mind wandering to what is causing you anxiety at the moment, gently direct it back to simple breathing techniques to re-focus. It can also help to create a mindfulness routine to establish a habit and acclimate your body to calming itself through mindfulness.
Organizations can foster a mindful culture to help their employees manage stress and create a more collaborative, peaceful work environment. Through mindful breathing, body-scan meditation, and building mindfulness habits, employees can become more engaged—and make more thoughtful, centred decisions—in the workplace and out.
By embracing mindfulness, we can invest in our inner peace and a healthy work-life, leading to more happiness and less anxiety overall.
Erin Moran, MS, LMHC, is a licensed mental health counsellor in the state of Florida and VP of Clinical Operations at Sophros Recovery, an addiction treatment facility where Erin helps clients to heal and transform their lives.
Visit sophrosrecoverytampa.com
