Mindfulness Tidbits for Your Workplace

How to be Mindful in Your Workplace

You may not have the time (or resources) to take mindfulness courses or programs, but this shouldn’t stop you from being mindful. Below are some practical tidbits on how you can be mindful in your workplace.

Forget multitasking. You understood that right. A 2019 research study from Ohio State University found that multitasking makes people feel better about themselves, but negatively impacts their overall productivity. Multitasking is doing two or more tasks simultaneously or trying to switch back and forth between tasks. In the process of switching back and forth, your busy brain loses data, focus, and attention, making you less productive. Try single-tasking this time with the main goal of finishing your task.
Slow down to accomplish more. Sounds counterproductive, right? Not really. Slow down and pay attention to someone speaking (or giving you instructions). Stop rushing towards that deadline. You waste a lot of energy and may make bad decisions when you rush things. Reflect on the things you have accomplished. Of course, in your mind, you acknowledge the fact that you slow down to accomplish more and become efficient. That’s the difference. Rest when you can, have a power nap during your break, and get enough sleep at night.
Please, be "consciously here". This is perhaps the most important aspect of being mindful, being consciously present. Be aware of the things happening in and around you. When your mind wanders off to Neverland, bring it back as soon as you realise it. Don’t zombie your way from 9 to 5, Monday to Friday. It would be best to tell yourself that you’ll be consciously present at work throughout the day. It helps your mind to stay committed and fully engaged with your tasks at hand.
Stress is not an enemy. When you feel stressed out at work, try to observe your mind and body’s reaction to it. Your breathing may become heavy, your heart pounds and races, and you may experience a headache. Realise that these responses are there to stimulate you and bring out your creativity in dealing with stress. In this way, you react positively to your stress. A 2012 research study published in the journal Health Psychology concluded that people who view stress negatively had poor mental and physical health with increased risk of premature death. Also, it helps a lot if you determine whether you’re dealing with physiological or pathological stress. Too much stress can also make you sick.
There are some things you can’t change. Being mindful includes awareness of things in and around you and accepting them without judgement or too much thinking. The judgement part includes accepting things you can’t change. It’s probably most applicable to a mistake (or mistakes) you have made on the job. You can’t turn back time and undo them. There’s no undo button in life. Life does accept facts and people who admit their mistakes. The best you can do is to learn from them, find a solution if it’s still possible, and move on. Imagine the amount of energy saved when you realise this early enough.

Mindfulness in one of its most basic forms can also consist of the following set of steps: sit, set a time limit, focus on your breathing, when your mind wanders, simply return, and don’t think or judge. If you want to know more about these basic steps, click here.

All of us have the ability to be mindful. We just have to be aware of how to use it and apply it whenever we can. We have more articles on mindfulness you may want to take a look at: (Please attach the links to the article topics below. Thank you.)