If you and your workmates were practising mindfulness, it is just what you do, what difference would it make in the workplace?
Research shows that mindfulness can:
- Reduce stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms
- Increase resilience and peace of mind
- Enhance cognitive performance
- Improve study and work performance
- Improve relationships and overall wellbeing
What is mindfulness and why would your boss want to know?
Many of my previous posts focus on designing your best life, unlocking your best future with the key idea of mindfulness, the self awareness and objective self-observation to help you change your thoughts - change your mind, build your resilience, manage your emotions, new connections in your mind and new connections in your life. Here are links to some of the posts ...
When you are not mindful it can look like this....remember if you do some or even most of these things at times, you are very much normal.
- Breaking things, spilling things, clumsiness, accidents because of carelessness, inattention or thinking about something else.
- Failing to notice subtle or not-so-subtle feelings of physical discomfort, pain, tension etc.
- Forgetting someone’s name as soon as you hear it.
- Listening to someone with one ear while doing something else at the same time.
- Getting so focussed on goals that I lose touch with what I am doing right now.
- Getting lost in my thoughts and feelings.
- Being preoccupied with the future or the past.
- Eating without being aware of eating.
- Having periods of time where you have difficulty remembering the details of what happened – running on autopilot.
- Reacting emotionally in certain ways – feeling like an emotion just “came out of nowhere”.
- Doing several things at once rather than focussing on one thing at a time.
- Distracting yourself with things like eating, alcohol, pornography, drugs.
ref: mindfulness.org
Why your boss wants to know, is that the connection mindfulness can make to a positive and productive organisational culture and climate. A workplace with improved working relationships, collaboration, less stress, more creativity, more focus and change ready individuals.
Here are 7 things about mindfulness your boss wants to know...
Here are 7 things about mindfulness your boss wants to know...
Mindfulness practice...
1. Can improve performance
You will notice clarity in your thoughts and a focus to the end result. No more need for time management courses, you can do away with procrastination and get on with the job. You are calm and confident and can deal with each obstacle as it comes to you.
"I get everything done I have to get done today"
2. Can lessen emotional reactivity
When you are mindful, you are in charge of your mind, you are in charge of your results. You are present in the moment and can discipline your emotions. Leadership is a part of your character, you seek collaboration and look for ways through rather than ways to block. You are developing the skill of self-observation and there is a clear, concise vision and values.
"Everything is always working out for me."
3. Can improve focus and memory
Your mindfulness practice is showing results in your short term memory. You focus more on achieving and completing. Your mind and your thoughts are not wandering as much and your attention is focused on now.
"Let go of small thoughts. See yourself succeeding"
4. Can improve observation and listening skills
Because your awareness is heightened, it stands to reason your observation and listening skills are set to improve. Your mediation skills are sharpening as you focus on alignment and building empathy.
"Win the heart to change the mind."
5. Can increase your solution focus and creativity
When you are in an anxious environment your brain does not store positives, you only recall what has gone wrong. When you practise mindfulness you create an environment of stability, an opportunity to see solutions from a creative point of view.
"Our own limitations are those we set up in our own mind." Napoleon Hill
6. Can improve your stress management
We know excessive stress and our lack of awareness of what triggers us to suffer will show up in our emotional responses, our performance and our productivity. It shows up in less work days and in our physiology. If the practice of mindfulness can take the sting out of your response to situations that cause stress, it is worth it to invest the time and improve your health and wellbeing.
"To be conscious of one's own shadow is the first step to self awareness. " Carl Jung
7. Define your own motivation
If the boss needs to motivate you, they probably don't want to hire you or keep you on.
A spin off from improving your focus and clarity is that you know what will motivate you. An extrinsic motivator, such as goals help to concentrate the mind. The vision and goals map out the why, what and how. When you match this with the intrinsic motivators of creativity and you find your work is something to pursue even in the absence of a return.
"Every man is what he is because of dominating thoughts which he permits to occupy his mind. Thoughts which he deliberately places in his own mind and encourages with sympathy and with which he mixes emotion constitute the motivating forces which direct and control his every moment and deed. ' Napoleon Hill
How to practice mindfulness
Here are a few I use, please discover more practises that will work for you. There are certainly many to apply, it has been around for many centuries.
- Self awareness practices like yoga and meditation are my first go to as it helps me to pay attention and to focus my deep breathing. This will quieten the mind, slow down the beta brain waves and critical buzzing thoughts and to move to the alpha state when the brain waves are slower and I appreciate the creative and imaginative mind I have. As I am in this state I am learning to acknowledge my thoughts, no judgement and then let them go, no reaction or emotion.
- Wake up to gentle music, drink water before any coffee or tea. Appreciate that the day is my best day.
- I give myself the space, so when the negative gets me down or the thoughts I have are not to my benefit, I use the word change as the trigger to observe my thoughts. This usually catches me to raise my empathy.
It doesn't matter what happened yesterday what matters is what you are going to do today.
Unlock your best future
My words are centred in the desire and intention to help people bring about their best and connect to their best future.
http://isucceed.info
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