Have you ever been at home or in the office working on an important project or task, and suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety? Your heart rate quickens, you lose focus or you lash out at a colleague or family member without warning. These could be signs that your stress levels need to be controlled or at least acknowledged.
Mindfulness could be a powerful tool to adopt into your day to help you focus on reaching high performance at work and help you manage the daily stresses of life.
Since 2019 Mindfulness has had an important role in the management of my high functioning anxiety. I used to get more and more stressed until my body would give out. I was not productive and clear headed with making decisions at work because the stress would take over and I would be stuck in the panic cycle. I was desperate to take control of the stress and when the MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) course became available I jumped to the opportunity to learn how to manage my stress.
Mindfulness has become a topic of discussion in the mainstream media and companies are starting to acknowledge the benefits of what Mindfulness can do to help employees manage the stresses of life and work. In a 2018 survey of 163 companies, 52% offered mindfulness training for that year. I believe that Mindfulness is an essential tool to add to your 2021 toolkit as burnout has increased to 75% of employees. I use it in my personal life and at work every day to help me perform to the best of my ability.
Jon Kabat-Zinn developed Mindfulness at MIT in the 1970s. He studied meditation with Buddhist teachers and created the MBSR program and based it in the field of science. It is being practised in more than 30 countries and has proven to improve concentration; the ability to handle stress; be still, and make good decisions in high pressure moments. I define Mindfulness as being able to sit and observe your thoughts, feelings and emotions that surface in situations that present themselves to you.
Mindfulness exercises include things like journaling; doing body scans; mindful breathing; mindful tea drinking; stopping and focusing on your senses like what you hear or what you smell. All these practices help you in developing your ability to sit still and not just react. From the stillness, you will be able to make great decisions and not react with your instincts.
Harnessing the power of Mindfulness into your daily work routine will help you to become a more focused, creative worker as you will gain confidence in your abilities from being able to quiet the noise and make good decisions.
There are plenty of resources out there like the app “Smiling Mind” which guides you through specific mindful meditations. There are also MBSR 8 week courses available in your area. I also provide Mindful Coaching and Mindful Workshops with Credo Growth – which you can read more about.
2020 was an exceptionally challenging year for us all. We had to adapt to a new way of living and functioning as a society. 2020 was the year of surviving, let’s make 2021 the year of thriving. Get in touch to book a spot at our next workshop.
