Mindfulness - Stress Reducer and Productivity Booster

Workaholics are in fast-forward speed much of the time, trying to get to the good stuff — heading for the nirvana of pleasure and skipping over what’s happening now. You know what I mean. You have to get through the traffic jam to your appointment instead of being in the traffic jam. You have to hop in and out of the shower to get to work instead of being in the shower. You have to rush through lunch so you can complete the project on your desk instead of being present with each bite. The workaholic habit of mindless working often leads to heart or other physical problems.

Is your mind like a market place , with so many thoughts coming and going that you don’t have a chance to pause and catch your breath? Do you frantically work on projects, focused on the next item on the agenda without regard to what it’s doing to you mentally and physically? Are you worried about whether the boss will like the finished product or thinking about what you’ll be doing this weekend? These out-of-the-moment episodes create loads of stress and disconnect you from yourself and your surroundings. Before you know it, you’re mired in your own stress juices.

Your mind could be wandering right now. You could be thinking about what you ate for lunch and what you “should” have eaten. You could be worried about unpaid bills or about an unfinished project, wondering how you’ll meet the deadline. Or you might be replaying in your head an argument you had with your spouse. When your mind wanders too much, it could be stressing you out or at the very least preventing you from actualizing your full potential at work.

When You Stray, You Pay

Are you supposed to clear your mind, or focus on one thing? Harvard University researchers have found that the human mind wanders 47 percent of the time, and that when you stray, you pay. When your mind wanders, you’re more stressed out and unhappy than when you stray in the here and now. The Harvard researchers found that people were happier — no matter what they were doing, even working overtime, vacuuming the house, or sit- ting in traffic — if they were focused on the activity instead of thinking about something else.

It referred to these out-of-the moment episodes as dip in your presence of mind — tuning out the here and now, memory lapses during conversations, or momentary forgetfulness because you’re out of your present mind. But you don’t have to let a mental fog eclipse your self-attunement, submerging you in your own stress juices. Your presence of mind gives you the power to flip the pattern around, landing you in the driver’s seat, putting you back in charge. When you pay attention and fully engage in each moment, you discover your daily world in a completely different way. And your life takes on a fresh glow.

How You Use Your Mind at Work Makes a Difference

Are you supposed to clear your mind, or focus on one thing? Scientists say that the way you use your mind can determine how much work stress or work productivity you have. Keeping your focus on the present instead of ruminating about what already happened (which you can’t change anyway) or about what might happen (which you can’t control anyway) keeps your stress level down, makes you more effective at work, and makes for a happier life. When you get swallowed up by job pressures or career disillusionments, you end up paying the price at some point. If you’re like most people, you have to work — whether you’re caught in the drudgery of a dead-end job, worrying about losing your job, trying to turn a passion into a career, or supporting a family by whatever means necessary. Given that reality, it’s common that workaholics don’t do more to improve their working lives.

Although you’ve probably heard the adage “work smarter, not longer” it’s not easy to translate that philosophy into everyday work schedules. But that’s what mindful working can help you do: bridge that gap. Burgeoning evidence-based studies from the medical, psychotherapeutic, and scientific communities have demonstrated that a mindful approach to work has dramatic pay-offs for professionals, employees and CXOs.

Mindfulness Tips during COVID-19 Pandemic

If we talk about this COVID-19 Pandemic time, How Mindfulness can help us in this uncertain time ?

Let me tell you one thing , Mindfulness is not a panacea. It will not protect you from COVID-19 or an uncertain industry scenario of this COVID 19 time. What it will do, is allow you to move through uncertain times with more grace, calm, spaciousness, and generosity of spirit. Collectively, these will pave the way for wiser choices and more employee engagements.

Be mindful of this possibility and lean into its unfolding. Planning mindfully for the future by staying in the present moment helps you to make good decisions now to better prepare for future uncertainties. If your mind begins catastrophizing about your uncertain future, bring it back to the present, to what you are doing in the moment, to your breath, and to your thoughtful planning. Shifting your attention from “me to we” will help you immeasurably. If you are healthy and relatively secure, focus on what you can do for others to relieve not just their imagined dread, but their very real hardships. we will become more agile and resilient.

When we are mindful, we reduce stress, enhance performance, gain insight and awareness through observing our own mind, and increase our attention to others’ well-being.

Enjoy reading like a student and Learning like a child. ????

Abhinav Sharma - Talent Acquisition Expert ,Writer , Blogger and HR Coach,

To know more about on this or Guest Lectures, Webinar, Coaching and Training .You can reach out to me on linked-chat.

Ref : #Chill-Turn Off Your Job and Turn On Your Life -Bryan E. Robinson