Did you know that actively participating in mindfulness interventions in the workplace results in higher work engagement and lower stress? Mindfulness has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its numerous benefits for both personal and professional life.
Practicing mindfulness in the workplace can help reduce stress, increase productivity, and improve overall job satisfaction.
According to a recent massive open online course tracking 130 participants over a 6 week period, nearly 75% of participants who experienced positive outcomes to their mindfulness intervention training reported the mindfulness training having a direct effect on their perceived levels of stress and work engagement.
This article will explore the benefits of mindfulness at work, how to incorporate it into your daily routine, and answer frequently asked questions about mindfulness in the workplace.
The Advantages of Mindfulness in the Workplace
Mindfulness training has many advantages backed by science. Below are some of the most common benefits you might experience by incorporating mindful practice at work.
- Improved Productivity: One of the main benefits of mindfulness at work is increased productivity. By practicing mindfulness, you can improve your focus and concentration, leading to higher levels of productivity and a more efficient use of your time.
- Reduced Stress: Mindfulness can help reduce workplace stress, which not only benefits your well-being but also improves relationships with coworkers and enhances the work environment.
- Enhanced Creativity Mindfulness: can lead to enhanced creativity by allowing you to clear your mind and focus on the present moment. This can result in more creative problem-solving and innovative thinking.
- Boosted Focus: Giving yourself attention training of being present in the moment while practicing mindfulness will allow you to have more focus on the multitudes of tasks that are required at work.
- Memory and Emotional Control: It can be easy to get lost in your emotions, but giving yourself attention to when to when you need to take a break, will help with outbursts of frustration, annoyance, aggregation, or anything else in between. It will give you the discipline while dealing with difficult managers and relate to them on a much more broader perception and with new skills.
- Better Problem Solving: Practicing mindfulness trains you to be more effective on any venture and can relate to the world with a managed nervous system by calming down. Leaders can become more effective at solving difficult problems by becoming more aware of the present moment instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the potential negative fallout of a decision.
Winter Mindfulness in the Cafeteria
As a lunch server in a college cafeteria during the winter, the days were long and draining. Surrounded by negative co-workers and drama, it was hard to keep my energy up. However, I made a conscious effort to be mindful with my time. Even when going to the bathroom, I would focus on my breathing and find a space in the corner of the room or outside in the frozen grass bundled up warm to perform kundalini technique fist of anger to release my aggression.
Incorporating Mindfulness into Your Work Routine
- Take a moment to yourself: When you have a moment away from meetings, bosses, and co-workers and sitting at your post or station, close your eyes and focus on your breath. Take a deep inhale in through your nose and exhale from your mouth. If any thoughts come to mind, just act as an observer to them without judgement.
- Take Breaks Regularly: stepping away from your desk, or normal environment and moving around can refresh your mind and reduce eye strain and headaches. If you are working inside a room within a building, or certain space.
- Move Your Body: Try walking outside of that environment so you can get a fresh perspective with healthy movement of walking or some other type of body movement. For example: Swaying your hips in a figure 8 is great way to release tension at your lower spine and hips shaking up anything that is there.
- Mindfulness Meditation: Find a quiet place to sit and focus on your breath for a few minutes each day. A Kundalini Yoga practice called Fist of Anger is a great meditation to bring oxygen to your brain, filter your blood, and release tension and stress.
- Limit Distractions: Turn off notifications on your phone and avoid checking email or social media during work hours. This will help you stay focused and present in the moment.
- Have a variety of drinks near by: A part of mindfulness is knowing what your body needs. Having water, a caffeinated drink, and a fun drink of juice like a brain boosting or energizing drink will be the perfect combo for you to never get bored while being mindful in what type of fuel your body needs.
- Brain Dump: If you have a lot of thoughts ruminating through your mind about something not related to the task you are doing, write that all down on paper to get it out of you head. this doesn't need to be long it can be short, just allow yourself to have an outlet of release.
- Create a List: Creating a list of tasks needing to be performed for the day can be extremely helpful. But what happens when you don't know where to start or what to focus on first? This is where numbering your tasks from importance will help boost you in the present moment being mindful of what is important first and where to focus first.
- Listen to Focus/Study Solfeggio Tones: If you are able, pop in your headphones and listen on low to focus or study music on YouTube or your platform of choice to help keep you present in the moment and focused on your tasks. Studies have shown that listening to these types of tones will help improve focus, concentration, and overall cognitive function.
- Add Affirmations at Your Work Station: Adding affirmations to your work station allows your eyes to look somewhere when you mind begins to wander to something else from your task. This will help you be mindful, boost your brain power, self confidence and remind you why you are here right now, doing the task you are working on. For example: If you work on at a desk top computer, taping a notecard or post it to your monitor that says, "Today I strive to do my best", "Every day I am learning to become a better me", or "My value doesn't decrease by someone else's opinion". These mindful quotes for work will help bring you back to center and here and now.
- Prepare Your Work Ergonomics: Knowing proper care for sitting ergonomics can benefit your life tremendously if you sit often. This means from keeping your shoulders relaxed and back straight so you are not slouching, to your monitor at a height that is directly in front of you at eye level, and making sure you feet are flat on the floor, and your keyboard is close directly in front of you leaving a gap of 4-6 inches in front of your desk so you have space to rest your wrist.
- Prioritize Self-Care outside of work: Make sure to take care of yourself outside of work by exercising, eating a healthy diet, getting enough, enough alone time and even sleep. All of these things can help reduce stress and improve your overall well-being.
Mindful Work Hack While On Break
Oh, that feeling while you are on break is wonderful and glorious! Instead of ruminating on what just happened, or anger about a co-worker, or stressed out by the things outside of your control be mindful of where you direct your energy and cultivate success by performing Kundalini Technique: Fist of Anger.
How to Perform:
- Choose length of time you wish to practice between 1-5 minutes and set timer before you start.
- Sit on your heels, in chair, or perform while standing up, and apply a light neck lock by tilting your chin gently down and lengthen your neck upwards and close your eyes.
- Touch each thumb to the base of the pinky fingers or as close as it can get. Close the rest of the fingers over the thumbs to make a fist. Raising the arms, begin a backstroke type movement over the head, alternating each side from your right and left as you swing up, over and back around again.
- During this arm movement make an O-shaped mouth and breathe through your mouth with a strong, rhythmic inhale and exhale that is in sync with your arm movements. If you are a female on your first, second or third day of your cycle, please only do long deep breathing.
- Begin the backstroke with your arms and the coordinate with your breath with a strong and continuous movement. Remember to keep your spine straight.
- During this movement and breathing, intentionally think about anything and everything that makes you angry and focus your attention and gaze at the center of your forehead, your third eye.
- Start slow and work your face to faster to laser focus on bringing up the anger throughout the meditation, increasing the movement and breath. Literally anything and everything bring it up now.
- Squeeze up and in your sex organs to create a sturdy foundation at the base of your spine.
- Continue this process for 1-5 minutes. You can start small and work your time up to longer.
- When your timer goes off, interlock the fingers, stretch the arms up over head, palms facing up and deeply inhale through your O mouth, roll your eyes to the center of your forehead, your third eye, gently lifting your sex organs; picture yourself surrounded in white, healing light, grounding your energy into earth.
- Cannon Fire out your exhale through your O Mouth.
- Continue steps 10-11 two more times.
- Slowly bring your arms down, and place your hands on your lap, or plug them into the floor feeling the energy you just cultivated.
Empowerment and Resilience with Mindfulness at Work
When I started practicing mindfulness techniques at work, including stating affirmations out loud to myself, moving my hips and dancing while feeling tired, and having various types of brain boosting and energy teas nearby. These practices helped me feel more energized and positive, even when surrounded by negativity.
Over time, I found that my coworkers started to notice the change in my attitude and energy. They began to join me in my affirmations and dancing, and the cafeteria became a more positive and uplifting place.
Through my mindfulness practices, I learned to take control of my energy and my environment, and to focus on the positive moments in my day. Winter mindfulness in the cafeteria became a daily practice for me, and it helped me get through even the toughest of days.
In the end, I realized that I could make my situation better by taking small steps to improve my mindset and energy. And with that realization came a newfound sense of empowerment and resilience.
FAQs
What is Mindfulness at Work?
Mindfulness at work is the practice of being present and focused in the moment while at work.
Why is Mindfulness Important in the Workplace?
Mindfulness is important in the workplace because it can help reduce stress, increase productivity, and enhance overall job satisfaction. It can also improve relationships with coworkers and create a more positive work environment.
How Do I Practice Mindfulness at Work?
You can practice mindfulness at work by taking deep breaths, taking breaks, meditating, limiting distractions, and prioritizing self-care, adding affirmations to your station, prioritizing your lists, to brain dumps and preparing your desk ergonomics.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Incorporating mindfulness into your workday can have a positive impact on your overall well-being and job satisfaction. By taking time to focus on the present moment, you can reduce stress, increase productivity, and enhance your work experience. Start incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine and experience the benefits for yourself! Let us know what you find most helpful and useful in the comments or your favorite way to be mindful at work.