Mindfulness: What It Is & How It Can Help Your Work

• Colleen K Hamilton
• July 19, 2021
• Newsletter Article

Mindfulness suggests an alternative approach in the workplace that’s better for your health and well-being, and ultimately benefits both you and your employer. In this newsletter article, learn how you can reduce stress, frustration and anxiety you may be experiencing through incorporating meditation and mindfulness into your day to day routine.

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Mindfulness: What It Is & How It Can Help Your Work

By Colleen K Hamilton

 

Have you ever promoted yourself during a job interview as being a multitasker? You no doubt wanted them to have confidence in your abilities, even exceed any expectations, by suggesting that you can literally do two or more tasks simultaneously, and do them all very well. But is it even possible to split your focus with satisfying results? And is it healthy to do so?

 

Research on multitasking claims it’s probably not even possible, given the mind and brain lack cognitive ability to actually do two or more things at once. Further, it makes us less effective, less productive, and more likely to make errors.

 

Mindfulness suggests an alternative approach in the workplace that’s better for your health and well-being, and ultimately benefits both you and your employer.

 

Mayo Clinic experts define the practice as “a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment,” further noting that it relaxes the body and the mind, reduces stress, and helps with anxiety, pain, depression and insomnia. Mindfulness expert and author of the bestselling, “Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life,” Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, explains it simply as “an awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.”

 

And the benefits to your performance in the work environment are considerable.

Through learning and regularly practicing meditation, you become more aware of your thoughts and body, helping you approach them in a more positive way, thus reducing frustration, stress and anxiety you may be experiencing. It can help improve your ability to focus more fully on a task and reduce distractions. Being more mindful helps you control your emotions.

As you mindfully listen to others, it enhances your communication skills, allowing you to be more engaged in the surrounding conversations.

Many large companies such as Google, Nike, General Mills, Intel, Apple, LinkedIn and more have been implementing and encouraging these practices for decades, fully acknowledging the advantages of having employees who are more content, more productive, more creative, more mindful.

 

Examples of programs Google has created for their employees include seminars called Search Inside Yourself and Fundamentals of Mindfulness, and an internal program called gPause that promotes meditation and mindfulness practices. These are all meant to “develop emotional intelligence, enhance well-being, improve team effectiveness and support a culture of respect and inclusion.” Google’s former head of wellbeing and mindfulness learning programs, Ruchika Sikri, offered the following suggestions to Googlers to incorporate into their daily routine:

 

Let your thoughts settle. A five-minute meditation can help provide more clarity when dealing with distractions and information overload.

 

Be mindful of what you say. Practicing mindfulness will help you stay aware of your words and the impact they may have on others, particularly in difficult discussions. Respond rather than react.

 

Commit to a routine.  Initiate a commitment to a mindfulness practice and stick to it. Of course, there’s an app for that. Headspace offers bits of guided meditations you can squeeze into small moments in your busy day.

 

Have the right expectations. Identify what you want to work on, improve on, focus on. Then practice mindfulness regularly as a tool to do those things.

 

Step away from your screen. Get up and move every ninety minutes to help you remain alert and focused. One option for mindful activity during that break is through the Mindful Break Chrome extension, which offers one-minute breathing exercises.

 

If you would like to learn more, there are many online resources. Mindful Communications is one option that offers a variety of exceptional content, training, courses and more. The following is a simple meditation practice the site suggests to help you begin practicing mindfulness.

 

• Sit comfortably. Choose a solid, comfortable spot.
   
• Notice what your legs are doing. Cross them comfortably if on a cushion or rest your feet on the floor if in a chair.
   
• Straighten your upper body. Allow your spine its natural curvature.
   
• Notice what your arms are doing. Situate your upper arms parallel to your upper body. Rest the palms of your hands on your legs wherever it feels most natural.
   
• Soften your gaze. No need to close your eyes or focus on anything in particular.
   
• Feel your breath. Simply bring your attention to the physical sensation of breathing.
   
• Notice when your mind wanders from your breath. Then just gently return your attention to your breathing.
   
• Be kind about your wandering mind. Try not to allow yourself to feel frustrated. It’s normal. Just continue to return your mind back to your breath throughout the exercise.
   
• When you’re ready to end the session, gently lift your gaze. Gradually notice sounds around you, how your body feels, and what your thoughts and emotions are at that moment.

 

Want to try a more active meditation? Check out this 9-minute walking meditation from Jon Kabat-Zinn. He explains “walking meditation” as not being about getting somewhere, but rather just being fully where you are.

 

You may even find that regularly practicing mindfulness helps you outside the workplace as well. As Kabat-Zinn suggests, “Practice sharing the fullness of your being, your best self, your enthusiasm, your vitality, your spirit, your trust, your openness, above all, your presence. Share it with yourself, with your family, with the world.”