We spent most of our days inside our office, working. When we enter the office, the first thing to do is sit down and work. This goes on for the next 12 hours with eating breaks in between. We are so focused on work that we forget to stop, breathe and think. Doing this will improve the quality of your work.
Benefits of Mindfulness
The workplace is full of conflict and stress especially when the workload or task at hand becomes hard to bear. Doing something to relieve your mind and body from this stress is essential for a good day’s worth. Here’s why mindfulness is recommended to be done at work:
- Stress Reduction – it is the number one and most popular benefit that one can get from practicing mindfulness at work especially since stress is also the most common cause of workers absenteeism.
- Better Understanding – Working requires you to be able to absorb new information or ideas. Studies show that letting the brain take a break once in a will further improve one’s problem-solving, critical thinking and skills development. They are able to process information much faster leading to a more efficient work.
- Adaptability – The ability to adapt at work is a must. Having this skill proves that you are able to easily acclimate to different situations and be able to think fast on different situations. Mindfulness increases your adaptability and will improve your leadership skills and performance.
- Creativity – Since mindfulness focuses on the mind, it also enhances one’s creativity. It motivates people, making you think more innovatively. Also, mindfulness lessens distractions and focuses on what’s important.
Mindfulness at Work
Practicing mindfulness at work does not consume so much of your time and space. You don’t need a lot of equipment or items. You may use whatever you see around you that is available. Here are the ways you can practice mindfulness at work:
Be Aware and Awake
Mindfulness is – overall – a state of awareness. It works when one is being conscious about his or her present state at the moment of mindfulness. At work, our mind is mind blown with all the task and to dos. To be mindful at work requires you to be consciously present on whatever task you are doing, while you are doing it, and as well as being able to manage both your mental and emotional state. You may not even realize but by focusing on a report or task, you are already practicing mindfulness. Don’t forget to bring back your thoughts to the task at hand whenever you feel that it’s slipping away.
Short Mindfulness Exercise
Mindfulness exercises may also be done at work without needing any kind of mat. Here are some short mindfulness exercises you can do:
- Body scan meditation – Lie on your back on your swivel chair and gently extended your legs and arms at the side with palms facing up. Close your eyes and gently bring your mind to focus on every part of your body from head to toe and vice versa. Be aware of any sensations, emotions, and even thoughts that are associated with each part of your body while you are doing it. You may do this for as short as a minute or longer.
- Sitting meditation – Sit comfortably on your working chair with your back straight and feet resting flat on the floor. Put your hands on your lap. Close your eyes and start breathing through your nose. Focus on your breathing in and out and the sensations that you feel. Bring your mind to focus when you notice it lingering everywhere else.
- Walking meditation – if you are tired of your working space, you may opt to go out for a short walk. It may be done around the office or up on the rooftop. Find a quiet place then begin walking slowly. Focus on the overall experience of walking, notice how you keep your balance and the movements needed to keep walking. If you find yourself at the end of the path, you may go for another walk if you want.
Be a Single – Tasker
People mostly multi-task these days because they think that they are able to achieve more if they do so. Little did they know that they are doing much less when they do two things at a time. Try to start being a single tasker. Let your mind focus on one task at