Mindfulness has many definitions and this 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 our current world, multitasking 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, multitasking, and fixating on the past or future. It takes some discipline to put into practice, but the more often you do, the more likely you’ll reap 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, depression, anxiety, and other symptoms. In addition, 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’ve worked a solid day but have no clue what you did? Incorporating mindfulness into the workday can be the difference between feeling satisfied and connected with work or feeling like each day is monotonous and the tasks never-ending. By taking a small amount of time during the day to shift your focus, it’s possible to adjust your productivity and contentment.

Mindfulness exercises draw your attention to specific internal or external phenomena, such as breathing, observing your surroundings, or turning off technology. Some experts suggest spending 10 – 15 minutes on a mindfulness exercise at least once a day. However, some are as short as a minute. The following are some popular mindfulness practices that can easily be added into the workday:

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 doing this activity for one minute every hour throughout the day to help lower stress and recenter.
Internal Dialogue: Observe your 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 a saying that helps to keep you focused. If so, close your eyes and repeat this phrase to yourself, 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 thoughts or feelings arise, mindfulness helps you see this perceived problem as valuable information that allows you to get to know yourself better.
Observations: Without judgement, pay attention to any of the five senses (sound, sight, touch, smell, taste) being triggered. Stay in the moment, breathe, and direct your mind away from negative or stressful thoughts. Put your energy and attention into one sense at a time. This can help you enjoy lunch breaks more fully and be more aware of details surrounding you. It also decreases immediate reactions and gives you space to pause to evaluate the best course of action.
Tune In: Technology - including phones, social media, or email - can often steal our focus and give us a false sense of connection. We may perceive messages as urgent, and that can be overwhelming. Getting distracted by 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, and only check your email during certain times of the day. By decreasing multitasking, you’re increasing mindful attention.

Keep in Mind

There are many ways to practice mindfulness. Finding the right ones that work for you may involve a little research as well as some trial and error. Start small. 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.

Sources

Harvard Business Review. How to Practice Mindfulness Throughout Your WorkDay. Accessed February 3, 2023. https://hbr.org/2016/03/how-to-practice-mindfulness-throughout-your-work-day

Forbes. Increasing mindfulness in the workplace. Accessed February 3, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2020/10/05/increasing-mindfulness-in-the-workplace/?sh=5fe4ea1d6956

Society for Human Resources. Mindfulness at work. Accessed February 3, 2023. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/exreq/pages/details.aspx?erid=1090http://mindfulnessatwork.com/

Mayo Clinic. Mindfulness exercises. Accessed February 3, 2023. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356?pg=2

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