My Mind on Mindfulness

It is no secret that working in non-profits is stressful work. This month, a goal of mine was to start being more mindful, especially during the work day. To assist with being mindful, I have started to meditate in the morning and sometimes during my work day as well. With discipline and patience it has started to become routine and I've truly never felt better.

Meditation

When I started practicing meditation I found it very frustrating because I couldn't clear my mind with all the stress. Through guided meditation I was able to clear my mind and found success in my practices. Meditation is not an easy process and is definitely not natural to the untrained mind. It is easy to get discouraged but after a week of determination I started to learn to clear my mind, I found that for me, personally, focusing on a candle flame was the key to my success.

Organization

During my busy day I was able to carve out 10 minutes of my time to escape my cluttered desk and clear my head. Through the clearing of my headspace I was able to be a lot more productive as well as it helped me be more organized. As I learned to organize my headspace, my office space has slowly started to reflect that, whereas before, the thoughts in my head were scattered as was my office space. I even felt the sudden urge to rearrange the front desk I oversee, removing all paper and creating a organized system for all up to date information for the front desk staff to access with ease when working with members.

Repetition Creates Habits

Neuroplasticity is the act of training/retraining your brain and is helpful in forming habits. The best way to accomplish this is through repetition. After days of meditating, meditation became a part of my day and it stopped feeling like a chore.

The Result of Mindfulness

Having a clear mind is an easy way to become more mindful. Working in a position where I connect with people daily it is important to be mindful. I found that having a clearer headspace allows me to be more present when connecting with staff as well as the members in my branch. I feel as though I have been able to create more genuine connections with those around me and the people in my life have noticed that. I have been more productive at work than ever and I plan to keep mindfulness and meditation a part of my daily routine!