Is mindfulness in the workplace just another corporate trend?

With companies all over the world introducing mindfulness programmes and providing meditation apps for their employees, many are asking: is it actually useful?

The workplace is fast-paced, competitive and bloody stressful at the best of times. With increasing challenges, teams are facing more pressure than ever to smash targets, drive the company forward and be the highest performing unit they can be.

It’s no wonder, 76% of employees report moderate to high levels of stress. On top of that, the most common cause of stress is work-related stress, with 79% saying they frequently experience it.

That’s where mindfulness steps in.

Mindfulness is something that’s been around a long time. However, more and more people are learning the power and finding out the benefits for themselves.

It’s not just some New Age practice or corporate trend; it’s a practical tool that can make a real difference in the workplace.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness isn’t about silencing your thoughts, chanting, or sitting cross legged at sunrise. It’s simply about being intentional and aware of yourself and your surroundings in a particular moment.

At its core, it helps us to be fully present in the moment, improving our ability to see things for how they are, without judgement. Resulting in deeper insight into how to manage our own thoughts, feelings and emotions when faced with challenges in the workplace.

Why you need to be practising mindfulness

There’s a long list of benefits to introducing mindfulness into your work routine — and plenty of research to back it up.

One study that measured the relationship between a leader’s mindfulness and employee wellbeing found that increased levels of mindfulness reduced employee stress, increased work-life balance, improved performance, and enhanced engagement.

On top of that, regular mindfulness practice has been proven to reduce conflict, improve creativity, increase emotional intelligence, lead to better decision-making and build resilience — to mention a few key benefits. And who wouldn’t want that for their teams?

How to introduce mindfulness into your daily?ritual

There’s a lot of misconceptions around mindfulness. You don’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn or meditate everyday. All it takes is a few minutes a day to focus on yourself and your surroundings. To help kick you off, here’s a few things you can try.

1. Take regular breaks

Make sure to take regular breaks from your work to just check in with yourself and reset. Getting away from your desk and practising some mindfulness can work wonders on your mental and emotional state.

There’s plenty of small, but powerful, things you can do to quickly reset yourself in the middle of the working day chaos. Try getting outside, meditating, journaling or deep breathing. Although it might not feel like much, these small moments can help you navigate the rest of the working day with more ease and intention.

2. Turn off distractions

In today’s busy world, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the constant barrage of emails, social media notifications, last minute requests and knocks on your door from people looking for a ‘quick chat’. With so many demands on your time, you need to be more mindful with how you use it.

Start by making the intentional decision to silence notifications at certain times of the day and create dedicated time slots for team catch ups and checking your email.

By turning off distractions, you can be fully present and engaged in the task at hand — enhancing your engagement, productivity and overall quality in whatever you’re doing at that moment.

3. Mindful meetings

When it comes to meetings — or any interaction you have with another person — mindfulness can make a huge difference. Creating a space where everyone can be fully present, engaged, and focused on the discussion at hand helps you have more meaningful and productive interactions.

Mindful meetings go beyond just going through the motions; they foster a deeper connection and understanding among team members.

Try introducing some simple rules that encourage all members to be present during a meeting: no phones or computers (where possible), give everyone the opportunity to speak, and introduce reflection into your ritual to take a moment to pause and think about what has been said.

4. Allow for gaps in your daily schedule

Far too often people have back to back meetings in their diary with no time in between to reflect, recharge or take a break in any way. Although it’s good to be busy, without breathing space you just end up constantly late, overwhelmed and unprepared; mentally, emotionally and physically.

It’s important to intentionally create gaps between meetings and any other tasks in your calendar that might require some sort of break afterwards. This gives you the opportunity to decompress, gather your thoughts, and mentally prepare yourself before you move on to the next thing.

5. The most important thing? Make it a habit

Unfortunately, mindfulness isn’t a magic bullet that will cure your problems overnight, but with regular practice it won’t be long until you see the results. The good news is, it doesn’t take much. Just a few minutes every day can have a huge impact.

Schedule time into your calendar to take time to practise mindfulness and make sure to do some breathwork, get away from your desk, or do whatever it is that’s best for you to make space for yourself and your thoughts.

Wanna hear?more?

In this month’s episode of the Braver Leaders Getting Leadership Right… and F**king it up podcast I’m talking more about mindfulness at work.

I’m joined by Isabelle Campbell, a true legend in the field of all things mindset, mindfulness and resilience.

Isabelle is a Mindfulness and Yoga teacher, Speaker, Resilience Trainer AND VP of Portfolio at the Financial Times. She returns for part 2 to continue her discussion this time focusing on her work in mindfulness — and how we can use it to be better leaders and build mindful organisations.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE

One Last?thing…

High performing teams aren’t the default and Braver Leaders Team Coaching focuses on providing you with the tools you need to be the cohesive unit you have the potential to be.

Book in a chat with me here to find out about the different workshops and coaching programmes available.