More companies are incorporating mindfulness practices in their employee assistance programs, as studies say it can boost productivity and mental and physical health. Fortunately, you don't need to wait for your boss to introduce meditation or other mindfulness perks into the workplace to harness your brain's power by being present. You can take several steps right at your desk to relieve your mind of unnecessary thoughts and stay calmer.
Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness
Having an attentive presence at work has multiple upsides.
Improved Focus and Concentration
Practicing mindfulness can increase your ability to concentrate on tasks. Attention is a recipe for productivity and accomplishing more with the little time you're given. When your focus is centered, you tend to be highly vigilant and sensitive to the tasks at hand. As a result, you use your mental resources more efficiently.
Enhanced Emotional Intelligence and Better Decision-Making
Mindful employees are detached from things or situations, which is essential for staying equanimous. They don't label an emotion or a thought as "positive" or "negative." Instead, they remain neutral, allowing them to see better and broader perspectives.
This ability to step back from your own emotions, thoughts or external stimuli allows you to eliminate distractions and negative emotional experiences from the past. For this reason, you cultivate inner peace, better regulate your emotions and make unbiased judgments. For example, when you're mindful, you leave personal problems at home because you know they shouldn't accompany you to work.
Increased Work Engagement and Job Satisfaction
Mindfulness may affect employee engagement in three ways — stable attention, self-awareness and self-regulation. People engaged at work tend to be more satisfied with their careers.
If your productive streak declines, notice where your awareness is. Does your mind hop from one needless thought to another? If you can confine those roaming thoughts, you can connect more with your tasks and make work engaging.
Mindfulness can also increase your perception of the way you think, feel, and behave. Because of this, you become more attuned to your true self and desires, sparking motivation from within to take action in your favor. This motivation spills into your professional life, inspiring you to put more energy and enthusiasm toward the tasks.
5 Practical Strategies for Incorporating Mindfulness
How can you embrace mindfulness in the workplace? Here are some tips.
1. Center Yourself Using the Breath
The workplace is often a major source of stress. When triggered, your body switches to fight or flight mode, increasing your heart rate and blood pressure. While this reaction is normal in some situations, being in this state constantly elevates your risk of anxiety, depression and heart disease.
Breathing exercises help disperse buildup pressure and restore the body to normal. They also provide the necessary mental pause to avoid burnout while increasing productivity. One study reveals giving your brain a break improves your ability to accomplish tasks by 9%, a plus for efficiency.
It’s easy to do. Simply close your eyes, then inhale and exhale using your diaphragm. Repeat this process for a few minutes while observing the breath. End the practice and open your eyes when you’re calmer. This exercise helps reset stress back to normal levels.
2. Practice Gratitude Through Affirmations
Practicing gratitude retrains the brain so you can shift your thought pattern and adopt a more positive outlook on life. This trait is especially beneficial at work.
How can you go about this? One way is to use affirmations through words of encouragement and positive feedback. A survey revealed that 45% of employees enjoy verbal praise and want to be appreciated. If someone has done a great job, remember to compliment and applaud their efforts.
3. Create Mindful Routines With Brief Pauses
Pauses are similar to brain breaks, but this method is useful when you need to shift from one task to another or direct all your focus to the task at hand. Think of this pause as a closure, signaling to the brain that one task has ended and you must move on to the next. Doing so lets you recapture your shattered attention and divert it to your next to-do intact.
For example, pause for a moment of silence before going for lunch. Perhaps you set an intention to eat mindfully by savoring the flavors and chewing the food slowly. This practice helps hone your mindfulness muscle and increase mental clarity.
4. Embrace Mindful Communication
You can also engage in mindful conversations by improving how you talk to colleagues. Start by embodying principles to conscious conversations, such as:
- Active listening
- Empathy
- Being nonjudgmental
- Compassion
- patient
- Attentiveness
- Openness
When you empathize and pay attention to the person's words, meaningful conversations will command the workplace. These nonjudgmental exchanges boost team relationships and increase everyone's resilience.
Have you ever talked to a colleague and thought you'd like to chat with them again because they seem to completely understand where you're coming from? This bond is just one of the benefits of mindfulness communication in the workplace.
Cultivate a Mindful Work Environment
Engaging in mindfulness practice has impressive benefits for mental health and productivity. It can help elevate your mindset, career and personal life. Make it a lifestyle and a priority in your workplace.
