Forbes writes about this, Google already applies it and countless other websites such as The Daily Muse spread this idea to the world. The Daily Muse firmly believes that mindfulness in the working environment is not just another short-term buzzword that will lose its power after a time.
Have you ever felt uncomfortable after a serious conversation with your boss? Are you afraid of what might happen if company restructuring occurs? Do you have any idea how you would feel in a new position? All these situations are inherently linked to feelings of uncertainty or stress and increase your level of anxiety.
If you are struggling with similar thoughts, mindfulness could help. According to the Mayo Clinic, this principle is based on an intensive awareness and feeling each moment without interpretation or judgment. This continuous awareness can be effectively used for stress reduction, reducing self-deprecation and improving your quality of life. It is not, of course, possible to learn it overnight, but the fact is, this ability can be learned. How?
1. Are you right-handed? Try the left hand
Try simple activities such as dialing a number or typing short messages using your non-dominant hand. Why? It is a great example of how unconscious movements accompany our lives. We do not think twice about how to use our dominant limb, but in the second instance we have to think about our movements many times. It is a new experience...
2. Absorb knowledge
When conversing with someone, avoid using electronic devices or taking notes and pay full attention to the other person. What is this good for? This type of focused listening requires calming your body and mind, and, giving your full attention, you will be able to accept more of what the other person is saying.
3. Listen to your surroundings
Try going for lunch alone once and listen to the sounds and events around you. Do not think about what each signal indicates or where it comes from. Just listen, as if it were the first time you heard something like that. Conscious listening is another tool that calms your mind, if it is caught up in the tension and stress of past and future activities.
4. Adopt the posture
Pay attention to your posture during the workday. If you slouch, straighten up. Dr. Jan Chozen Bays, the author of the book devoted to mindfulness How to Train a Wild Elephant, believes that posture is directly related to attention. If you improve your posture, you may also increase your attention and awareness of the present.
5. Breathe deeply
Before you pick up a ringing phone, take three deep breaths. It will help you tune your mind and improve your attention to the next calls. Thanks to this, you will handle responding to a caller with greater ease, kindness and openness than if you transferred your ordinary stress to the call.
Do you feel mindful? Then you should feel the difference after a week. Your job worries will not disappear, but these methods will help you distract yourself from them more thanks to fully concentrating on the current situation. Start with yourself and see what happens.
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