Mindfulness@Kyndryl Newsletter -October/November 2022 - Letting Go

EDITORS NOTE

by Rachel Formella

In the October to November newsletter, we choose "the beauty of letting go" as our theme. As nature let's go of one season to bring space for a new one, we too can learn to let go of everything that no longer serves us and make space for something new.?

We already know that we can count on a?thoughtful article from Yolanda. She is sharing her own ups and downs with letting go. Thank you kindly for sharing your experiences with us.

Podcast chosen for this month's newsletter corelates to our theme and talks about letting go and moving on. Those are very important life skills. I recommend to listen on an autumn walk and when podcast will finish you can continue with mindful walking, observing colourful nature around you.

We also nominated mindful art, book and champion of the month - to find out who/what have been chosen this time please scroll down and see for yourself :).... plus, Patrick?had a mindful moment during The Kyndryl Way Managers Summit.?

Oh and check out the amazing research done mindfulness identified as the most effective workplace intervention

We are grateful for your interest. Thank you for?taking?time to?browse?through our Newsletter from Mindfulness@Kyndryl community. I hope you will find something of value in it.

Thank you kindly for being and doing what you do.?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PODCASTS OF THE MONTH

The Mindset Mentor

#How To Let Go & Move On

One thing that holds people back the most in their lives is their inability to let go of the past. It's almost like everyone has at least one thing that they continue to hold on to. In this episode, I am going to teach you how to let go of your past, so that you can finally move on to create the future you want.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Beauty of Letting Go?

by Yolanda Hernandez

?Hola, thank you for taking the time to read this Newsletter. It is not easy to let go especially if you have love for it. It can be a person, pet, job, something you like to do, an object or just your feeling of your security. Just think about it. What have you had to let go of? Was it easy for you? It is not always easy to let go but letting go can be achieved.

Letting go comes with risk as usual. You must weigh the risk against the good that it can bring. Will it bring you sadness for the moment or will letting it go bring you good things that will be the better for you in the future? Letting go may be one of the hardest things you have ever done. Letting go could also be the best thing you have ever done for yourself. Why are you hanging on to it? What are you afraid of?

We need to be more like a tree. Think of the stages of a tree. First the tree is planted in the soil. Then the tree gets sunlight and the nourishment of the soil. The tree receives water. The taproot of the tree grows straight down and the lateral roots branch out. The tree starts growing. The trunk of the tree has an outer layer that protects the inner wood layers from disease, injuries, and pests. In the Spring or early summer, the flower of the tree becomes a fruit and the crown of the tree which is the part that is above the trunk, develops a full protective covering of leaves on the tree. In the fall the chlorophyll in the leaves of the tree break down and green colour starts to fade on the leaf. When this happens, yellow, orange, red, pink, and purple are visible on the leaves of the tree. What affects the colour of the tree is the climate it is in.

If the tree is to survive, it will depend on its external stresses not how vigour the tree is. The tree could be the healthiest tree but, if someone lights a match on the leaves or branches the tree will have so much stress on it that the tree can die, if the fire is not extinguished. Did you know that trees bring oxygen to the air? When trees die, it brings about climate change. So, we must take care of the trees. Trees are vital to our survival. Trees not only need water to survive, but the branches also need to be trimmed so it will grow more beautiful. The structure of the tree will improve which prevents the development of broad or weak branches.

Now read the two paragraphs before this one but, in place of the word tree, put in the word human. Then come back to here and continue reading.

Taking care of what our external stresses is causing us, is so much more important than how vigour we are. It is so important to our survival as human beings. Vigor is physical or mental energy and enthusiasm. Society teaches us to buy this, eat this, drink that, etc., for vigour. Why don’t we spend more time and money on taking care of our external stresses? If we took better care of our external stresses, there would not be so many unhappy people in this world and so many deaths by suicide, drug overdose, violence with guns, alcohol abuse, heart attacks, high blood pressure, diabetes and the list can go on. If we could only learn to take care of our external stresses.

What are external stresses? It is stress that comes from the environment we live in. The pollution, the noise, the trauma you have been through, the problems with your significant other, family, work, illness, finances, major life changes, or just daily issues you have at home and at work.

(Thank you to Texas A&M Forest Service for the education.)

One thing that has helped me in my journey of life is practicing mindfulness. It has changed the way I think, I am taking better care of myself, I am making better decision, I am more empathetic and a better listener. Mindfulness has helped me also to be more grateful for what I do have, it has taught me to be more patient, to be more kind to others, to take better care of the customers as well as the employees. Mindfulness has helped me to be myself at work and at home. Mindfulness has taught me to not give up on myself, on life or even on others. I am more devoted, more confident in myself, and I also know that it is okay to let go of what is not good for you in your life even though it may really hurt. Just knowing that I have mindfulness in my life has helped me in letting go when I need to let go. What are you waiting for? Just let go.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MINDFULNESS CHAMPION OF THE MONTH

Nikola Zelinkova

Nikola is great asset to our community as well as just a wonderful person. She has a background in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and?hypnotherapy. Nikola stepped up recently and became one of our Introduction to mindfulness course facilitators. She is also helping with creation of Newsletters. We are very grateful to have her with us. Join me in congratulating Nikola for all that she does and being here with us - thank you kindly from the bottom of our hearts!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BOOK OF THE MONTH?

Recommended by Patrick Kozakiewicz

Finding the Space to Lead: A Practical Guide to Mindful Leadership.

The Book brings the principles of mindfulness into everyday life through specific exercises that address real-world situations. It will help you with your calendar, meetings, to-do lists, strategic planning, and the interpersonal challenges of the workplace. Whether you lead all or part of a company, a non-profit, a class, or a family,

Finding the Space to Lead can help you do just that.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MINDFUL ART OF THE MONTH

Pencil sketch by Rachel Formella

Quick sketch of my Pyrenean Shepherd - Lee. It reminds me to let go of perfection and just share the art as it comes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Letting Go Practice

Letting go is the practice of gently letting go of what no longer serves us. This practice is a basic body scan that includes our intention to let go of what no longer serves us in life. Practice with curiosity, patience, and kindness.

Find a comfortable sitting position. You can also lie down or stand up for this practice. It depends on your preference.Have a relaxed back and possible support for the spine. Let your hands rest comfortably.

Take 3 deep breaths and exhale.

You can slowly begin to scan your body from head to toe.

Notice any areas of tension or thought you come across. Whenever you come across some type of tension, take a few deep breaths into this part, or thought.

As you inhale, silently whisper:?I see you.

As you exhale, silently whisper:?I am letting you go.

Continue to scan the body with breathing mindfully and whispering.

After finishing the scan through the entire body, hold the entire being in full awareness and breath mindfully for another few minutes.

If any other thoughts or feelings arise, repeat the same whispering alongside each breath.

When you feel that it is time to end the practice, take a deep breath, stretch the whole body, open the eyes, and welcome back.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mindful Moment

Patrick Kozakiewicz had the joy and honor of hosting a mindful moment, for?Maria Bartolome Winans ,?Nelly Akoth , and countless other leaders during the Managers Summit?in the?Kyndryl ?CIC Poland. Their contribution to the ongoing cultural transformation is inspiring to say the least.?It is the real mindful?#theheartofprogress in action!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mindfulness identified as the most?effective workplace intervention.

“the committee agreed that?yoga, mindfulness (overarching majority?amount of studies)?and meditation?were most effective overall?in reducing job stress and mental health symptoms and having a positive effect on employee mental wellbeing. The evidence showed that these interventions were effective when delivered either in a group or online”

Source: NICE Review?–?published 2nd?March 2022 (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng212 - Review of 7000 studies, expert interviews, panel consultation over 6 months)