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Introduction – Mindlifespirit 6 Mindfulness Techniques to Practice at Work
The workplace can cause many to operate on autopilot. Instead, use mindfulness to reconnect with everything around you and foster a stronger mind-body connection.
What is Mindfulness and Why Is It Important?
Mindfulness is the state of being fully in the moment. This means being able to sense everything occurring around you and within your mind with an accepting nature. You’re able to notice both the small and large things without their presence bothering you. Mindfulness means being more grounded, aware, but not reactive.
Existing in a state of mindfulness is helpful for a variety of reasons. Have you ever noticed your mood shift but not understood why? Mindfulness could have helped you to notice what triggered you. Mindfulness helps with reducing stress and anxiety, depression, and noticing and regulating emotions. It also is proven to improve physical health too. According to Harvard Health, mindfulness can, “help relieve stress, treat heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, and alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties.”
Mindfulness is especially important at work. The workplace can be a location that increases stress and anxiety due to the pressure to perform. This pressure to perform can leave many feeling disconnected from reality. Mindfulness brings you back in-focus. Centering yourself and focusing attention on your inner thoughts and feelings can also help to increase productivity. You’re able to recognize what’s derailing your work at the moment and work with yourself.
Techniques You Can Practice At Work
Making time for yourself and your peace of mind is just as important as any other task at work. Here are 6 quick and easy techniques you can use to become more mindful at work.
Allow Yourself Breaks
Short breaks throughout the day have been proven to increase productivity. Breaks are even better if you can exit the office and head outside for a moment of fresh air and sunshine. During your break, refrain from scrolling on social media. Instead, take in everything around you and see how you’re feeling. If you’re feeling a negative emotion, don’t let this alarm you. Acknowledge it, and explore it without any hard feelings toward yourself.
Do Not Multitask
Although you may feel you’re completing more work while multitasking, many studies have found otherwise. Instead, focus all your energy into one task at a time. You’re guaranteed to produce better work in a quicker amount of time and feel less stressed while doing it. For example, dedicate a time block in the morning to answer emails. Then, turn off notifications and only look at emails again the next day. Notifications popping up while you’re working on a task distract us, cause increased anxiety, and reduce mindfulness.
Utilize Breathing Exercises
Simply taking conscious breaths has been a useful tool for centuries. Focusing on your breathing will center you and bring you closer to the present moment. It will slow your mind and prevent it from racing with stressful thoughts about deadlines.
If you find yourself becoming agitated during a task, allow yourself to pause for a moment. Take a 10 minute break and clear your mind. Take slow, deep breaths, and feel the air in your lungs. Take note of all the noises, activity and sights around you without letting it bother you. Just be in the moment and let go of whatever you were working on a moment ago. Then, return to the work feeling refreshed and less stressed.
Set Time for Gratitude
Doing similar things each day can lead to life feeling dull and unenjoyable. A great practice to remind yourself of everything you have is to set a time during the day where you go over the big and small things you’re grateful for. Right when you get to work and sit down at your desk, take note of things like the beautiful weather, your delicious drink, the good news you received in your inbox, your nice shoes, your high-tech phone, and your family and friends.
Everyone can find something that they’re grateful for. It may be hard to recognize all the great things in your life at first, but the more you do this exercise you’ll find it becomes easier. A gratitude exercise sets the tone for the day and helps us to notice everything we normally don’t pay attention to.
Incorporate Movement
Office jobs often result in sitting and not moving for hours on end. Being stagnant like this can take a huge toll on the mind and body. If you realize you’ve been sitting for a few hours, get up and take a walk outside or just around the office. Find a place to stretch your arms, legs, neck, back, and hands. You’ll be able to break through the feeling of autopilot and strengthen your mind-body connection. When you return to your work, you’ll be refreshed and more centered.
Make Conscious Choices
Becoming more mindful is a process that can take time. Don’t expect it to happen overnight. However, you can start to implement small habits that improve your state of mind throughout the day. First of all, don’t let distractions such as notifications on your phone send you spiraling. It may be hard at first, but turn off notifications at work.
Distractions like those can leave you feeling more stressed and further away from the present moment. Another example could be a chatty co-worker. Dedicate time specifically to interact and catch up. Don’t let anyone talk to you while you’re finishing a task. When you’re done, then spend a 10 minute break away from work and talk.
Watch How Mindfulness Impacts Your Life
Take the time and pick just one practice you can easily incorporate into your daily life. Try it everyday for a week and take note of how it has changed the way you feel and operate. Then, add something else. You may think that implementing mindfulness into your routine takes up too much time. Instead, it will likely give you more time. Mindfulness can pull us away from damaging habits such as browsing social media and procrastinating. Put in the work and see the benefits of mindfulness.
Featured Image Credit: Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Unsplash
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