Mindfulness at Work: The Benefits

05 Nov 2024

What is Mindfulness?

Interest in mindfulness techniques has grown exponentially in the past few decades. While the practice can be traced back to Buddhist meditation principles, advances in psychological research have further informed our understanding of mindfulness and its therapeutic applications.

The practice involves paying full attention to what is happening both around you and inside yourself, physically and mentally. This is done deliberately, with all happenings evaluated in a non-judgmental, open-minded fashion. Rather than trying to control your thoughts or the things happening, the goal of mindfulness is to just observe and accept them.

Through this process, practitioners are able to create a healthy distance between their thoughts and their feelings, which can be invaluable when it comes to combating stress or anxiety.

Common Mindfulness Meditation Exercises

There are many ways to practise mindfulness, but here is a selection of common techniques that you can practise for daily mindfulness:

• Focused attention: Use deep breaths through your nose to anchor your thoughts. If your thoughts wander from your breathing, try to guide them back. Focus on the rise and fall of your chest and how it feels for the breath to circulate.
• Noting: While practising focused attention, note down any thoughts that distract you from your focus. By putting the thought to one side, you may be able to focus more easily.
• Body Scan: Similar to focused attention, this technique encourages you to focus not just on your breathing but on how your body feels, from head to toe. By slowly scanning your entire body, you can identify areas of stress or discomfort. Once identified, you may find it easier to relax any tension, thereby reducing discomfort in the area.

The Benefits of Mindfulness at Work

1. Improved Mental Health

Stress at work is common, but how you react to it can go a long way towards determining its impact. Being consumed by stressful thoughts or lashing out at others just makes things worse. By being mindful of your thoughts, you can recognise you’re feeling stressed without reacting. Through this process, you can better understand your triggers and take steps to avoid them.

2. Better Productivity

While it may seem that we get more done when we multitask, the evidence suggests otherwise. A mindful approach to work tasks can be a powerful tool for improving performance and efficiency. By improving your focus and freeing yourself of distractions, you may find that you’re able to do better work in less time.

3. Overall Wellbeing

The benefits of mindfulness at work extend far beyond the workplace - sleep and diet can also be improved substantially. The sense of relaxation that comes from mindfulness can make it easier to get to sleep and have higher-quality sleep. Similarly, by focusing on your food while you eat, rather than eating in a distracted state, you can make your relationship with food more healthy.

4. Mindfulness Programs for Employees

Are you ready to bring mindfulness into your workplace?

Whether it’s mindfulness meditation for beginners or a broader corporate wellness program, our team is here to help.

Get in contact with us today, and we can discuss options to help you and your employees enjoy the benefits of mindfulness.

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