by Tim Stanyon | Aug 4, 2021 | All Blog Posts
I work with leaders and managers in many differing types of organisations but one comment I hear regularly, from all levels is “I am overwhelmed!”. This has been common for many years but I think this may be yet another fall-out from Covid which is exacerbating this issue.
In modern business life, indeed perhaps in modern life generally, there simply isn’t enough time to do all that is being asked of us, or all that we ask of ourselves. I wonder in fact if this hasn’t always been the case. As soon as we move away from a very prescribed role where we are repeating very similar tasks in response to routine requests, we move into the territory of feeling overwhelmed. Being asked to accomplish more than the finite resources of our time, energy and attention allow. If you were offered additional tools or approaches to manage this, wouldn’t you want to take them on?
What to do when feeling overwhelmed.
- I believe Mindfulness can make an important contribution to better managing feelings of overwhelm . Mindfulness practices can give us the ability to slow ourselves down. This is a vital skill especially amidst a hectic life. Just paying attention to our breath or noticing our feet grounding us for a few seconds has the effect of taking us off the treadmill just long enough for us to notice and to sense more of what is around us, giving us that bigger picture, the context which can inform how we respond. Slowing down enables our physiology to change, dropping out of that adrenalin fuelled frenzy and beginning to move to a calmer state.
- Seeing what is really in front of us, free from judgements and “stories”, can enable us to better understand what is being asked of us and what might be needed most. Often these are not the same things. Mindfulness gives us the ability to notice the stories, judgements, biases, and preferences that might otherwise sub-consciously shape our decisions. Having sight of them at least gives us the opportunity to better assess what is really ‘there’ and to decide what we really see as needed now.
- Slowing down and being able to see better creates a pause in activity. That pause offers us the chance to create a little space amidst that activity. That space can be vital for us. As Viktor Frankl said
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
In our busy lives finding that space and that moment offers us the opportunity to see more options and to choose from them what we do next. Without it we are doomed to follow a reflex response, do what we always do which may be to just tick the next task off the list. This may not be our most effective choice in that moment. We want to move away from reacting (automatic) and move to responding (intentional). This helps us with feelings of overwhelm by enabling us to choose what we do next based on its impact or effectiveness in achieving more of what we are aiming for rather than slavishly doing that ‘next thing’.
- Bringing a beginner’s mind to more of what we encounter further enables us to see new possibilities by freeing us from habitual responses. This in turn can encourage us to see recurring problems in a new light and thus create new responses to them. It might also enable us to see beyond the initial presenting problem to more underlying causes which in turn may remove or at least reduce the frequency and volume of those recurring issues, thus contributing to reducing our sense of overwhelm.
- But perhaps the biggest contribution is an amalgamation of all of these aspects of mindfulness. By seeing what is truly in front of us in a calmer, less frenetic state we can begin to understand the true nature of overwhelm. If we continue to live in the fantasy that one day with more and more effort we will eventually get ‘on top of our to-do list’ overwhelm will be a near constant state for us. Being able to bring acceptance to understanding that we will, in most instances, never achieve that (because it IS a fantasy) enables us to see what overwhelm truly is a refusal to see that our responsibility is to better manage our commitments to others rather than just try to achieve everything in front of us. This will require prioritisation, choices, negotiations sometimes leading to declining requests and a greater more present sense of what our ‘north star’ is by which we navigate, often referred to as ‘purpose’. All of this is more likely to be achieved by those who can draw on mindfulness as a way of being and a way of leading.
Without the ability to notice, to pause, to see new options, to respond rather than just react, to choose and to do all of this from a place of calmness and intention we will live in a near constant state of overwhelm.
Mindfulness, when part of our ways of being, with regular practice, can help us to counter that and live with greater ease and, I contend, to have more of the impact in the world we wish for.
by Kate Elliott | Aug 3, 2021 | All Blog Posts, Tutors
My journey to where I am today, has been a winding road! I have always had the ambition to help people to be the best they can be but found myself stuck in the path of the corporate world for many years, without the confidence to step out and do what I love doing.
About 15 years ago I took my first steps to helping others by training to be a yoga teacher and then a yoga therapist, and I then went part-time in the corporate world to gain more experience.
Inspired by my Mum, I then decided to stop hanging around and I wrote a 5 year plan to get me to where I wanted to be, and that is when I discovered MindfulnessUK and completed the Integrating Mindfulness and Compassion qualification, with Karen Atkinson.
How mindfulness changed my mindset.
I then switched my mindset and rather than feeling trapped by the corporate world, I used the corporate world to build my mindfulness teaching experience by sharing it with my colleagues.
Lockdown was in some ways a gift for me (and in some ways not), as working from home gave me the flexibility to further build my mindfulness business and run more courses for individuals, businesses, and children. With this experience I then had the confidence to step away from the corporate world and embrace my mindfulness career further.
Becoming the new Compassionate Mindful Resilience tutor at MindfulnessUK.
It’s such a privilege for me to be the course lead for the Compassionate Mindful Resilience course. This course is designed to support those who care for others. As a single adoptive mum, to a lovely little girl who experienced neglect in her early childhood, I feel so lucky to have mindfulness as a tool to navigate the challenges that parenting a child with developmental trauma throws in the way.
I am passionate about helping others who are in the same boat, be it adoptive parents, foster carers or social workers, as I understand first-hand the pressure that they are under whilst investing so much in supporting the lives of the little people in their care.
My ambition is to teach as many people as possible, to be able to expand the reach of this course to all sectors of society and see first-hand the difference it can make to people’s lives.
If you would like to experience the course for yourself, why not join me on 14th September or if you are ready to get teaching then the next teacher training course starts on the 16th of September.
For more information visit the website or email kate.elliott@mindfulnessuk.com
by Claire Kidd | Jul 29, 2021 | All Blog Posts, Mindfulness at work
During the pandemic when we saw a lot of changes in working practices, a large majority of businesses have been exceptionally conscious of their employee’s wellbeing and mental health. The shift in acknowledging the need to not only facilitate and offer support but to live and breathe a compassionate mindful approach to team management has been accelerated, but are we in danger of that shift being temporary?
Mindfulness research and the longer-term effects.
Research proves to us that mindfulness in the workplace is effective and can have longer-term benefits to a business’s ROI. Overall employee job satisfaction in turn also shows the business and brand in a positive light, making it an attractive option for talent.
But how do we differentiate between what is a ‘tick the box’ exercise versus a true desire to support employees through their career journey. There is a place for the use of mindfulness apps, but these should be supportive tools alongside a consistent approach of providing mindfulness workshops and programmes that help to embed the practices and develop deeper knowledge and understanding at individual and team levels.
Mindfulness and compassion workshops and programmes.
Each mindfulness programme and workshop that MindfulnessUK At Work offer has been developed and thought through from the end user’s perspective. Both Stephanie Unthank and Vera Dubrovina-Thompson from MindfulnessUK At Work have worked in corporate sectors (primarily in financial services and legal sector) and therefore know from direct experience the type of pressure and stress that employees can be put under.
With this deep-rooted knowledge and guidance, they have created a number of workshops and programmes that can be either tailored to a specific business need or delivered based on what they know will work. For example:
- The 4-week or 6-week programme focuses on mindfulness and compassion but in a short and targeted way, aiming to reduce stress and anxiety and start the employee on their journey to a balanced approach to life.
- The MBSR eight-week course has been designed and tested to deliver long-term lasting changes. This evidence-based course is proven to change brain activity, improve employee happiness and resilience and lead to a sustainable cultural change. The MindfulnessUk at Work team is able to deliver bespoke programmes based on MBSR curriculum to suit specific company goals.
These structured programmes, as well as bespoke introductory days, workshops, and executive away days, can be delivered to a business of any size or within any sector.
The value of a mindfulness strategy, in any business.
It is very unlikely that the workplace will go back to how it used to function and there are a variety of tools available to support employees but getting the right fit for your business is taking the front seat to ensure employee retention and job satisfaction.
The need to embed a different way of working within a business culture might be looked at within an organisation but the ‘know-how’ and the understanding of the difference that mindfulness can make to day-to-day operations is still not widely understood.
The approach has to be based on the employee’s needs, which will differ by sector, and not just be a ‘one size fits all’ or ‘tick box’ exercise. It should also be noted that it is often down to the individual employee i.e.: how they are feeling and therefore how they react to the support being given. Mindfulness is a very inclusive tool to use to engage with employees as a team or as individuals, as highlighted in our blog ‘Team mindfulness and the importance of taking it seriously’.
As more companies move towards flexible or blended (office-based/virtual) working approaches, when it comes to team and project-based tasks, the mindful approach will act as an enabler for faster integration and a way of reducing reliance on an auto-pilot approach to work.
Employers needs to ask themselves – do they want the same business that they had before COVID, or do they want to continue to build on all that has been learnt?
To discuss the best fit for your business and to discuss your options further with the MindfulnessUK At Work team then please get in touch with Vera Dubrovina-Thompson or Stephanie Unthank.
by Steph Unthank | Jul 14, 2021 | All Blog Posts, Mindfulness at work
Research to support the benefits of creating a mindful workplace culture is growing. At MindfulnessUK At Work, we want more people to understand and learn the power of mindfulness and how to consider creating a thriving mindful workplace.
In our previous blogs ‘Mindfulness and how it can support today’s leadership challenges’ and Team mindfulness and the importance of taking it seriously’, we highlighted more about the effectiveness and impact on the workplace that comes from the implementation of mindful leadership and team mindfulness.
In this blog, we explore ways of creating a mindful workplace culture and how, if this is developed, an organisation could look and feel positively different, reaping the benefits in the longer term.
How the Approach to Wellbeing in the Workplace is Changing.
The approach to workplace wellbeing has shifted significantly, particularly since the start of the pandemic. Organisations are beginning to think more broadly about employee wellbeing, moving away from the traditional approach of one-off sessions that focus on specific wellbeing-based themes like nutrition, exercise, or mental health to a more holistic approach. This latter approach starts to touch on changes in organisational culture to accommodate changing employees’ expectations of the workplace.
Of course, organisational culture is a very broad term. Edgar Schein’s[1] classic definition talks about a shared pattern of assumptions that guide organisationally accepted behaviour in the face of internal and external organisationally relevant problems. We know that organisational culture is acquired over time and is often based on a set of principles (written and assumed) that is present at the businesses’ foundations. However, if the culture and behaviours within the organisation are no longer fit for purpose, can mindfulness practice help to shift it to a place where the culture helps organisation and employees to thrive?
The Benefit of Mindfulness in an Organisation.
Use of mindfulness in organisational context has been extensively researched for the past two decades. Having already explored the effectiveness of team mindfulness over individual practice, we can safely infer that making mindfulness part of the culture and strategic focus of the organisation is likely to reap benefits in the future. It will allow the organisation to stay dynamic, fluid, constantly evolving and enabling organic alignment with the changing times, where employees’ needs are recognised and met.
Essentially mindfulness can become the key ingredient in the “secret sauce” of culture that keeps employees motivated and engaged. How as Peter Drucker allegedly once said “culture eats strategy for breakfast” so how can we implement mindful organisational culture with real changes without it becoming a token gesture towards a popular trend?
The importance of informal mindfulness practices.
Mindfulness at organisational level is not about availability of training courses and meditation rooms, if the workload and stress remain the same. It is often about what we call ‘informal mindfulness practices’ where we practice on the job, moulding the principles and practices into an organisation’s culture.
Sometimes it is easier said than done and as Dr Jutta Tobias noted in her research on organisational mindfulness, a systematic formula for ‘making an organisation mindful’ does not and cannot exist[1] because each organisational culture is unique and first we need to develop a better understanding of it before bringing the changes. However, we can talk about a few elements that we believe can play an important role in creating a mindful workplace culture such as communication, trust, and empathy. Let’s look at each one in detail.
Key Ingredients for Creation of Mindful Organisation.
Communication:
How we communicate, both in and out of work influences our lives, relationships, happiness and even our levels of success. At an organisational level, mindful communication must be honest, open and transparent. It is key to consider the reader and how they will be affected in receiving the content.
The pandemic has meant that many employees have been living in a world of uncertainty for long periods of time. Communication with employees from a place of mindfulness should aim to reassure, be consistent in message and tone and would do well to reflect the thoughts and experiences of employees across the matrix.
Achievers.com talks about the four elements of mindful communication that can support and develop a mindful culture in the workplace:
- Is the message truthful?
- Will the message be beneficial for the person or the situation? If not, how can you effectively communicate to ensure a positive outcome?
- Can your message be organised to not disturb the mind and emotions of the recipient?
- Can your messaging be structured so that it is pleasing to the recipient?
Communication in the context of mindfulness is of course wider than that as it brings everybody onboard, raises awareness of mindful approach. We communicate our aligned values and vision and constantly bring attention back to ensure that short term objectives are in line with that vision and there is a clear feedback mechanism between organisational structures and individual employees. Mindful and compassionate interaction that stays attentive in the present moment without judgement will ensure that conflicts either do not arise or are swiftly resolved, leaving more time for productive and creative work.
Cultivating trust among employees:
In communicating well, trust can be cultivated. Strong storytelling, which is underpinned by supporting mechanisms and developing capability of employees, can help to shape the picture of a changing culture and in turn build trust among the employees.
It is described that trust can sometimes be seen as the bridge between “the known” and “the unknown” (Boser 2018). Trust is to believe despite uncertainty (Misztal, 1998) and given the amount of uncertainty we have had to cope with since early 2020, we cannot underestimate how important building trust is for employees in terms of achieving organisational effectiveness.
One of the biggest challenges during the pandemic is the fact that a lack of face to face interaction in a live physical environment can diminish trust as we lose the connectivity at a human level beyond the working context (remember those famous conversations at the coffee machine). Now, we need to work harder at our social interactions so that trust is re-gained, particularly in the context of leadership
Ultimately, individuals follow good leaders when they can be supported to feel safe (Sinek, 2009). Trust in a leader is a follower’s belief that a leader can and will act on the basis of the leader’s words, actions, and decisions (McAllister, 2005). In mindful organisations it becomes collective leadership where people share collective responsibility because they trust each other knowing that their backs are covered.
Ability, integrity, and benevolence are all important factors of building trust with employees and can contribute to creating a mindful workplace culture. Trust is all about interconnection, working within individual teams and across an organisation without boundaries, creating an environment where people experience appreciative joy at work.
Empathy
One way we can create a mindful workplace culture is to practice empathy. What is empathy? In simple terms it’s about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes, but this isn’t easy. How can we begin to even comprehend what someone else is going through?
We have a strong belief that our experience is our experience, and no one will ever know what it’s like to experience ”inner me”. Let’s face it, there are thousands of reasons why we all behave the way we do, from past experiences, childhood upbringing, engrained values, and behaviours so it can seem like an impossible task. To this end, is empathy for others really achievable?
Even though building empathy for others might feel difficult, we have to try and find ways to build relationships in order to build trust and to empathise with colleagues to the best of our human ability. If we take a moment to listen well, learn to understand, build compassion and empathy we will in turn build trust and create a more mindful culture at work.
Empathy is important to those leaders working to cultivate mindful skills in their approach to leading and managing others. A simple moment of carving time out of your day as a leader to intentionally get to know a member of your team on a personal level without agenda or work-related discussion sneaking in, can be a good place to start. Letting an employee know that you are as interested in their wellbeing (genuinely) as much as their ability to meet objectives is vital during this covid-19 period and for that matter, in the long term.
But ultimately building empathy will help to cultivate cultural diversity which is a paramount ingredient in building a mindful culture. It will help to dimmish the cultural and cognitive biases and avoid misunderstanding and miscommunication because you show up at each interaction being in the present moment with beginner’s mind (both are key tenets of mindfulness practice)
Mindfulness in the Workplace is More than a Nice to Have.
To finish the series of our blogs we would like to stress that mindfulness practices in workplace cannot be just a nice to have. We have shown the benefits of mindfulness to individuals that extends into team mindfulness, but ultimately, we would like to see the change in culture. This progression will lead to more organisations that are open, honest, authentic, and true to their vision and values. Those that are able to learn and grow stronger when faced with challenges, which of course will lead to employee satisfaction and a positive effect on the bottom line.
If you are interested in working with us, please reach out to Steph and Vera (vera.dubrovina@mindfulnessuk.com and stephanie@mindfulnessuk.com.) to work with you on your journey.
www.mindfulnessuk.com
[1] a former professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, has made a notable mark on the field of organizational development in many areas, including career development, group process consultation, and organizational culture
by Bernie Leonard | Jun 15, 2021 | All Blog Posts, Graduates
Stepping out of autopilot and a cortisol fuelled existence and embracing every aspect of reality has truly transformed my life. Prior to finding mindfulness and beginning the practice I worked as part of the senior leadership team in a large, tough inner city secondary comprehensive school, a school located in one of the most deprived areas in the UK. In my last year at the school, I saw both colleagues and pupils present symptoms of stress. On reflection my SNS (sympathetic nervous system) was constantly triggered, and I could only plot myself at the extreme end of the stress-performance curve.
Most days I maintained a positive external relationship with both students and staff, but internally my thoughts were often negative and often inaccurate. Some days I just about managed to keep myself together whilst holding agenda driven discussions with people at all levels of the organisation, but once the office door was closed, I found myself in a sorry heap at my desk.
After doing 12-hour days I regularly arrived home frazzled, conversations with both friends and family were dominated by work, and the next Ofsted visit. I found it difficult to remember what friends and family had said during a conversation and I found myself sending constant reminders to myself just to remember the basics. I truly was a remarkable actress and my decision to leave the school came as a massive shock to all across the organisation. My loved ones simply rejoiced!
How mindfulness really did change my life.
I write this article almost a year after I made the tough decision to leave and I feel a warm glow throughout my body. Through self-reflection and studying mindfulness and compassion I have come to recognise that being in the present, stopping the constant negative rumination and appreciating the small things in life enables us to be fully aware, not just of ourselves, but of all we come into contact with. By being aware and allowing the PNS (parasympathetic nervous system) to take a major role in my life I am now in a position to have open, enriched conversations, where instead of dominating the conversation I often just set my intention to whole-heartily listen to the other person. Yes, set my intention, I’m on a journey, but I’m not quite there just yet.
As I look back, I can see that my distorted negative thoughts fuelled conversations with friends, and we would both find ourselves getting embroiled in a downward spiral. Conversations held with close family members often became quite heated as I projected my low mood and toxic nervous energy onto my nearest and dearest. Emotional reactivity has been replaced with mindful pauses and an ability to start regulating my emotions. Yes, there are relapses, but these are now relapses and not the norm.
I’m a great fan of the 3-step breathing space, it gives me the space I need to respond mindfully in potential stressful situations. Just simply grounding my feet and taking a breath is often all I need to avoid being reactive, which I find diffuses the most difficult of conversations.
Introducing self-reflection and compassion into my toolbox for life has been truly enlightening. As I let go of past negative relationships and bring my awareness to what that person might have actually been going through at the time, I’m healing. Being compassionate to others throughout everyday is actually helping me to avoid having those negative relationships in the first place.
To truly cultivate mindfulness both in ourselves and others I now accept will take years, it’s a journey, but I’m going to enjoy the ride. Before embarking on the mindfulness voyage, I would never have got into the car or cooked a meal without the latest tunes blasting, now I feel life is my signature tune. I still appreciate listening to music when friends are over or when the children are in the car, but much to their dismay I’d prefer a mindful conversation.
Taking my daughter shopping has changed dramatically as now I take the time to control my responses and overall behaviour, patience is most definitely a virtue I’m starting to develop.
Mindfulness and Compassion go hand in hand.
Reading research on ‘Self-Compassion’ has been pivotal and thinking ‘is that kind?’ is a wonderful way to question our behaviour both to ourselves and to others. This has really helped me develop self-compassion, that and the wonderful Kirsten Neff from Self Compassion.
When reflecting on my practice, the major turning point for me was incorporating 30 minutes of mindful walking into my day whilst on holiday. Before mindfulness I would never have got up at 7.30am every morning on holiday and gone for a walk. A walk without headphones, just simply to appreciate the surroundings! This simple change has been transformational both physically and mentally. I now walk every morning for at least 30 minutes, and I’ve promised myself to do my upmost to incorporate this into my daily routine no matter how hectic life may get. Walking gives me time to be self-compassionate, it’s time for me, and it gives me time to be present, to just simply observe life without making a judgement. It’s also developing my resilience; I actually feel an inner strength and it sets the tone for a calmer day ahead.
Being self-compassionate and giving myself time to practice and develop my mindfulness skills is not only enriching my life, but my relationships with everyone around me. I even find myself questioning my own thoughts; is that kind? Could there be an alternative explanation? Being less judgemental, setting my intention to be kind and appreciating all I have in life are all fruits of mindfulness and on reflection I can now see the seeds of this fruit dispersed throughout my relations with others.
Using all I learnt on the IMC Qualification to influence health and well-being in the education sector.
After successfully graduating from the Integrated Mindfulness and Compassion Qualification by MindfulnessUK in October 2017, as a qualified teacher of mindfulness and compassion, I was on a mission to fully utilise all the skills I’d acquired from over the last two decades in the world of education and devise a comprehensive ‘Mindfulness for Life Tool Box’.
Mindfulness has truly transformed my life and I felt ready to share the fruits of the practice with organisations, individuals, and schools in order to alleviate the negative effects of stress and improve emotional health and well-being.
Practising mindfulness, not only gave me the confidence to set up my own company, Mindful Me Health and Well-Being, but also unleashed within me a creativity, enabling me to craft a programme (which became known as my Mindfulness For Life Tool Box) that was accessible and impactful for people.
Up until March 2020, I supported individuals, through Mindful Mates (a programme I designed for couples and small groups of friends), Organisations and Schools to cultivate their very own skills of mindfulness. The impact of the practice has been so far reaching, from enabling an amazing Y11 student to take control of her anxiety to such an extent she felt empowered to return to GCSEs and achieve success in every single one of them, to a new mum using her newfound skills to completely take the heat out of the bedtime routine, which resulted in a calm, happy baby and an even calmer, happier mummy who was no longer sleep deprived.
Bringing mindfulness into the workplace has enabled colleagues to step off life’s merry-go-round, creating time for them to plan and prioritise and allowing them the space to respond rather than react, which has led to healthier and more effective relationships.
The biggest impact of mindfulness was when teaching children.
I saw mindfulness having the biggest impact whilst I was teaching children in Y5 & 6. They not only religiously practised their techniques each week and completed their investigation journals, but in many cases, they also got their whole family involved.
The weekly feedback sessions were filled with fascinating applications of the STOP practice and the 3-Step, and tales of how the techniques had helped avoid playground altercations. This also led to others opting for mindful family discussions opposed to their daily technology fix. I’d read the research on the benefits of the practice for the education sector but seeing it first-hand and hearing how they put their techniques into practice whilst preparing for one of their biggest transitions in life was truly remarkable.
Hearing the children speak so maturely and with passion about ways in which they can stay calm and focussed and being greeted by their teachers’ feedback on how their concentration levels had improved was music to my ears.
Many people have asked me – What was the catalyst for my book? These moments described above were the catalyst. I felt compelled to reach out to even more primary schools to share with them the power of mindfulness to, ultimately, increase social mobility, by supporting young people and the people who care for them to become mentally stronger.
However, when I wrote the script in February 2020, little did we know what was just around the corner. With the lockdown restrictions initially putting a halt to my delivery I pressed fast forward on my book!
Seeing the importance of mindfulness for children led me to writing a book and creating the Parachute Project.
Moban and Sky, written by Bernie Leonard
Moban and Sky’s Mindful Adventure, is an illustrated guide with a series of seven mindfulness techniques. The book is specifically designed for parents and teachers to support children at home and in the classroom, helping primary aged children become more calm, confident and in control of their emotions.
This new book also forms part of a wider education project called ‘Parachute’ which I put in place to support primary schools across the UK to promote positive mental well-being in children. The programme enables pupils to have a very strong understanding of how to recognise and deal with mental health problems such as stress. It also offers pupils strategies and support to protect their own mental health and develop their resilience.
Parachute, which can be delivered as part of the PSHE curriculum, equips teachers with an imaginative resource which secures pupil’s’ interest and active participation. The package includes, a short-animated film, a series of videos, a class set of the book and downloadable, time saving teaching and learning resources. A nominated teacher will also receive online training from me, to support the programme.
You can take a sneak peek at my animation to support the book and the primary programme here.
As I sign off in May 2021, my ten fingers of gratitude are almost worn out, over the last year I’ve seen my book being published, my characters come to life in an amazing animation and over the last week ‘Moban and Sky’ have appeared in three classrooms across the UK and are already starting to make a positive impact on the well-being of our young people, as part of my Parachute Project.
To find out more about a career in mindfulness go to www.mindfulnessuk.com
by Vera Dubrovina-Thompson | Jun 14, 2021 | All Blog Posts, Mindfulness at work
Mindfulness training in the corporate world is increasing in popularity both in major corporations like Apple, Google, GM, LinkedIn, Ford, and HSBC as well as government organisations like NHS, military, prisons, and first response services. However, from experience when working on a pitch to deliver a mindfulness programme to a corporate business, it sometimes feels like the process is more of a token gesture towards the ‘improvement of employee well-being’. Rarely, are Steph and I asked questions about how the mindfulness programme can contribute towards change in culture of the organisation. So, we have been asking ourselves – is this a fad or is there a place for long-term ‘team mindfulness’?
The impact that mindfulness can have on productivity.
When we mention the word mindfulness or mindfulness practice, we tend to associate it with the individual practice, a personal choice that people make when striving to achieve a better balance in their life. Based on well-documented research over the past 50 years, we know that having a regular mindfulness practice helps to support mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and stress in general, as well as enabling measured decision-making and heightened focus. Increased resilience to day-to-day challenges and continuously changing workplace environments will all ultimately lead to increased job satisfaction.
Being realistic, we all know that an organisation or team culture always takes priority over personal values, regardless of how deep the individual mindfulness practice runs. Particularly true if the culture is toxic and unsupportive, it becomes harder to thrive. This is one of the reasons why many organisational researchers both in the UK and US are now advocating that the way forward is adopting team mindfulness. So, let’s define this term and assess if there are real benefits in implementing it, how it can be done and how the success can be measured.
What exactly is team mindfulness?
Team mindfulness is less about individual members of the team having a regular practice or being dependant on individual thoughts and response patterns but applies to the group or organisation as a whole.
It is about creating a collective ethos, cultivating a collective awareness or as highlighted by Science Daily team mindfulness refers to “a shared belief within a team of focusing on the present moment and ensuring team members interact with one another with compassion, without judgement and prejudice.”
Yes, this is not rocket science and maybe would be expected behaviour in the majority of corporations, but surely team mindfulness should be more than that? Could a mindful approach act as the right ingredient to create that cultural shift so that team members, whilst collectively aware of team’s objectives, tasks, roles, and dynamics, are able to build healthy collaborations with open and positive communication, without fear of being blamed and enabling optimal productivity, use of time and resources?
One of the prime benefits of team mindfulness is conflict resolution and increased collaboration.
What is a likely outcome when a team of people with a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, working styles and skillsets are asked to perform a challenging task to a tight deadline? Experience tells us that it may lead to a conflict of opinions, beliefs, approaches and it is not always productive. Often conflict can turn personal leading to resentment, relationship conflict and social undermining. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
According to a study by the University of British Columbia, a key component to team mindfulness is being committed to paying attention to the present moment – “excluding recall of past interactions and predictions about future situations… the team’s focus is just on the task itself and not on any kind of prejudgment based on past experiences”.
The researchers found that when team members in the test groups employed these principles, interpersonal conflict decreased and the teams as a whole remained focused on the task in hand. This focus on team tasks helps reduce emotional or reflexive responses, harnessing diversity and creating potential for greater achievement for the teams where previously the conflict was more likely to arise.
As more companies move towards flexible or blended (office-based/virtual) working approaches, when it comes to team and project-based tasks, the mindful approach will act as an enabler for faster integration and a way of reducing reliance on an auto-pilot approach to work.
Naturally, being mindful makes people more observant of what is happening around them both in face-to-face and the virtual world encouraging trust and driving better outcomes for the team goals.
So, does the evidence support it?
Indeed it does and it is very encouraging to see more and more studies confirming that mindfulness in any type of business will benefit all employees and productivity. For example:
- In a 2016 study, Kathleen Sutcliffe, Ph.D., and a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Business and Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, found that there is a correlation between mindfulness and reductions in emotional exhaustion, along with an increase in job satisfaction.
- In a 2018 study, Lingtao Yu, Ph.D., a professor of Organizational Behaviour at the UBC Sauder School of Business, showed that the use of mindfulness techniques helps improve a team’s focus, productivity, and work relationships. The researchers found that, when teams are more mindful, the degree of interpersonal conflict decreased.
- In 2020 a study at School of Management at Shanghai University concluded that team mindfulness moderates the relationship between individual mindfulness and work engagement. This conclusion may bridge the relationship between mindfulness and work engagement theory.
How do you go about implementing team mindfulness?
Implementing team-based mindfulness in the workplace could certainly be a challenge. Whilst it needs to be incorporated into corporate wellness programs, it is also important to make sure that the implementation is not dogmatic and represents one of the pathways to achieve a more coherent approach to organisational culture.
Here are some tips on adopting a soft implementation method:
- Introduce mindfulness education sessions, followed by 4-, 6- & 8-week programmes that are offered in the workplace to set the foundation. From our experience this can also be supported with weekly sessions to maintain momentum.
- Set the expectations about behaviour that will help to support the practice and introduce the concept of mindful meetings – shorter, focused agenda, engaged listening (no phones or side conversations), practice open and respectful communication and allow time and space for differing opinions and disagreements, without judgement.
- Introduce “pause” moments by offering daily intention setting, creating a positive start for the day. This might sound slightly left field but we know that positive reframing, regardless how your day may have started outside of work, can set you in the right direction and create a moment to establish all those needed human connections within the team.
- Create a more engaging environment to unwind, for example a meditation room, regular breaks from the computer, lunch outside, lunch together as a team, no answering emails after you have left for the day.
- Finally, and more importantly, demonstrate mindful leadership! This behaviour needs to come from the top as leaders set cultural expectations within the team and whilst not every member of the team needs to have the mindfulness training, mindful leaders will influence the behaviour of others.
In essence the introduction of team mindfulness is the first step in creating mindful organisations where the culture continues to evolve and respond to external and internal changes whilst at the same time supporting mindful awareness and compassionate leadership.
To find out more about how we can help you embed mindful teams into your business get in touch – vera.dubrovina@mindfulnessuk.com and stephanie@mindfulnessuk.com.
by Angie Ward | May 27, 2021 | All Blog Posts
In this video Angie Ward, our Head of Teacher Training, explains her experiences of coming out of lockdown. For some this is a tricky time but we are all in this together and our team at MindfulnessUK have all had different experiences which we wanted to share with you.
by Karen Atkinson | May 20, 2021 | All Blog Posts
Easing out of Lockdown with Compassion and Kindness.
As we all ease out of lockdown, we believe that mindfulness is one of the greatest tools to help everyone stay connected. All of us at MindfulnessUK have been reflecting on this change with lots of people telling us that they are feeling fear, even a trembling of the heart and don’t really know what that is about.
Karen Atkinson, Senior Partner at MindfulnessUK, has been reflecting on her own experience:
“Coming out of lockdown, after all that we have experienced in the last year reminded me of the time that I had cancer, a few years ago. After my treatment and when I started to get back to being ‘ok’ it was then that I really hit a difficult time.
I can only describe it like when you watch an animation or a cartoon as a child and one of the characters has to run really fast and they leave something behind, like a shadow or a puff of dust or air. That is what it felt like, going back to work, and everything around me looking normal but me feeling completely disconnected and that half of me had been left behind.
I recognised that I hadn’t had a chance to process my feelings and as we come out of lockdown, I know that some people are experiencing this same feeling. During lockdown we experienced collective trauma and some of us connected with things we maybe had either not connected with before or had forgotten. Some of us woke up and realised the importance of kindness and compassion and how nature can fill our hearts with joy. Now we are going back into the vortex of life but haven’t yet caught up with it which causes this feeling of disconnect.”
With so many people not aware of this feeling or emotion or not truly being able to understand it everything can feel so much more challenging. The collective emotional trauma that we have experienced hasn’t yet been processed and we are all really keen to reconnect with loved ones, work, and society.
Mindfulness and Compassion.
Awareness is really key to ensure that we can move forward, as well as a deep sense of compassion, and the need to look after ourselves. This process takes time, catching up with the present-day experiences, will take time and we need to be very kind to ourselves.
Self-compassion, giving ourselves time, remembering and reconnecting in whichever way we can. The importance of family, community and nature and keeping those resources close to hand. Share those collective experiences, it is ok to talk about it. To be kind to yourself and others around you and experience this vulnerability, takes courage. As the process of lockdown took bravery this next phase also takes nerve. We need to pace ourselves and try not to do just go with the expectations of people or society around us, and instead do what is right for you.
Go well and take care of yourself, take your time and use all of the resources around you to help you flourish and blossom.
www.mindfulnessuk.com / info@mindfulnessuk.com / 01823 697890
#lockdown #compassion #kindness #awareness #reconnect #connect #mindfulness
by Vera Dubrovina-Thompson | May 17, 2021 | All Blog Posts, Mindfulness at work
Last week’s #mentalhealthawarenessweek highlighted the importance of the need to respect the health or fitness of our mind. And of course, one of the popular and effective techniques to achieve this is a mindfulness practice.
Mindfulness is the ability to stay in the present moment and being focused on what is happening here and now without dwelling on the past or jumping into the future. This ability to observe what is happening now allows us to build a greater awareness and enables us to make better choices, build stronger relationships, and remain calm among daily life’s ups and downs. Mindfulness practice helps us to build better mental health habits which make us more productive, improve sleep and bring enjoyment to life on a very different level.
Incorporating mindfulness practices into your life.
Given most of us have had over a year of self-isolation, the last thing I want to talk about is ‘sitting on the cushion’. As a mindfulness teacher, I will always emphasise the importance of the informal mindfulness practices that can be easily adopted into daily routines especially if you are trying to fit the practice into a life that is trying to balance commitment to family, work, and friends.
Listed below are a few practices that we cover in greater depth through the process of inquiry and practice during the eight-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course andat the very least gives you a glimpse of what can be done to bring balance without adding stress. These small practices can easily be incorporated into your daily life and are particularly important if you continue to work remotely and spend a lot of time in front of the computer screens.
- Mindfulness in daily activities – there are lots of routine things that we do every day that we often do on autopilot or with the distraction of music or tv in the background like taking a shower, eating, brushing teeth, travelling/driving to work. We repeat these things so many times that we are no longer paying attention to what or how we do them. To break away from this process I would recommend brining awareness to the task that you are doing and becoming interested in it anew, observing it with a beginner’s mind and noticing the thoughts and feelings that start to arise. And whatever you do, switch off the music or tv especially if you are eating and savour the food. The added bonus is that you will start eating more healthily and in smaller quantities as the satiation point will come earlier.
- Multitasking is a myth – if you focus on one thing or task at a time you will complete it in shorter timeframe and with better quality. Allow yourself to be absorbed in that one task and see for yourself how many you accomplish in one day with that unwavering attention. Another good tip is to keep distraction to the minimum and if you get distracted with the beep of incoming email, bring your awareness back to the task in hand.
- Connect with nature and take a short walk outside – take regular breaks from the computer screen and if you have this opportunity at least once a day try going outside to connect with nature. If possible, leave the phone, music, any other distraction at home (read again the above point about multi-tasking if in doubt) and enjoy and connect to things that surround you. Since I started doing this I have discovered so many things, plants, insects, smells, sounds that I have not noticed before. It enriches your awareness and calms the mind.
- Mindful communication – life is too short to spend it looking at the phone screen and if you are talking or meeting someone, give them your full attention, really listen to what people have to say and pay attention to your responses – this type of communication reduces the conflict because this are less likely to be misinterpretations because your focus remained 100% throughout the conversation.
- Staying positive and practicing gratitude and compassion to self and others – when we practice gratitude (and I honestly do that when I get the green light all the way home when cycling) we focus our attention on positive things in our lives, no matter how small, so regret then doesn’t enter into our thoughts and we expand our hearts to express more kindness and compassion to people around us (and yes, that smile to the older lady that you met on the walk in point 3 above is important as it establishes the basis for the human connection). And when we practice compassion to ourselves, it stops us constantly judging, analysing and comparing ourselves to others, so we are truly in the present moment.
It takes practice but I would urge you to give it a go. Or if you still struggle, please reach out to MinfulnessUK At Work and see what we can do together.
Written by Vera Dubrovina-Thompson, Director at MindfulnessUK At Work, Yoga therapist and Doula
by Claire Kidd | May 13, 2021 | All Blog Posts, Mindfulness at work
What are the benefits of mindfulness?
When we use and integrate mindfulness-based techniques into our day to day lives, we can achieve a higher state of awareness and focus that brings us into the present moment. This present moment awareness supports and nurtures a sense of calm in our thoughts, emotions and body which allows us to see, feel and understand what’s happening in our moment-to-moment experience, accepting things just as they are without judgement but with kindness and compassion.
But can we apply these tools and experiences into today’s place of work and why would learning to be mindful as a leader of teams make a difference? To answer this question, we need to understand what makes a leader more effective and what the current workplace landscape looks like.
What are the challenges that today’s leaders face?
Leadership has changed. Today it is all about building engagement and connections, as most teams have adapted and are now working remotely. Working life has simply become more complex and to a certain degree faster. In the past 14 months the majority of us have stopped working face to face turning the professional life for some into a myriad of continuous online meetings and making us at times to become more distant. We tend to go into autopilot, happily settled into established routines, yet feeling exhausted and uninspired so everything just becomes another task that needs completing. We disengage from the work and from our lives, falling into familiarity and drifting between past and future worries. This inevitably increases stress and anxiety and makes us less efficient at what we do.
This more complex workplace landscape means that leaders are facing different challenges and therefore need to adapt their style accordingly. Turning up and tuning into the present moment can help to break these routines, reduce stress, stop procrastination, start to rebuild resilience, and increase motivation.
How can mindfulness support today’s leaders?
Leading from a place of compassion and understanding improves the ability to connect to yourself and others in a way that will keep people inspired and help with leading change effectively.
According to the Mindfulness Edge by Matt Tenney and Tim Guard, leaders who practice mindful leadership are seen to have higher levels of emotional intelligence, have better decision-making skills and business acumen. They are also often more innovative and have improved strategic thinking compared to their peers.
Mindful leaders are able to build stronger teams and long-lasting relationships as they engage their audiences by being authentic in leadership style that encourages and creates greatness in others.
In short, Mindfulness is an essential skill for effective leadership as it significantly improves both the ’soft’ and ’hard’ skills of emotional intelligence and business acumen. The discussion on emotional intelligence and the skills required to develop a deep understanding of one’s level of emotional connection with others are now seen to be, by definition, leadership skills.
Different from management skills, as the Mindfulness Edge explains, the leadership skills are about inspiring high levels of performance across teams and businesses so it’s fair to say that the competencies required in inspiring, engaging and driving high performance in others is truly connected to those skills identified as being emotionally intelligent. In practical terms mindfulness is ‘awareness training,’ so it is no wonder that mindful leadership is now being seen as a great way to develop emotional intelligence. Mindfulness practices help to sharpen a few fundamental tools that will certainly make leadership effective.
How does mindful leadership translate into the day-to-day?
Stephanie Unthank, Director at MindfulnessUK At Work says “through the practice of awareness, mindful leaders are able to create space in their thinking by tuning into and noticing what is happening around them. This building of awareness sharpens the mind to focus on the present and sustain the attention when we are solving problems. You can easily spot the leaders who practice mindfulness as they stay in the focused zone listening deeply, without interruption.”
Mindful leaders show up in other ways too and this comes in the form of compassion, deep empathy and understanding, so that your actions as a leader no longer cause or continue suffering. This develops both through showing compassion for self and others. For instance, they may say no to something or decline an invitation to an extra meeting that could compromise personal selfcare. As well as the personal effect on the leader, these actions may also have a downstream impact on their team in several ways, for example: better role modelling through leading a more balanced lifestyle by avoiding late working or working through unsociable hours
Being an effective mindful leader will heighten conversational skills, allowing engagement in a conversation to come through eye contact and body language and giving moment to moment interaction a priority with minimal or no distraction. This brings much needed clarity both from what needs to be done but also clarity of understanding without judgement, conditioning, or biases as you approach each problem with a beginner’s mind. It is no longer about “what if” but more about “what is in front of me”. Being in a present moment with clarity wastes less of resources and creates space for opportunities and creativity because everything becomes possible, we are no longer held ransom to old schemes and models.
Mindfulness also heightens our awareness and compassion for others . Being the employee on the receiving end of communication, objective setting, task and project introduction, even bad news can feel quite personal, sometimes even punishing. Mindfulness nurtures a sense of awareness that supports a more empathetic approach to leadership. It moves leaders away from transactional relationships and towards a more compassionate and importantly human relationship where communication, language and engagement with kindness and a sense of understanding become the norm.
Let’s not confuse compassionate and mindful leadership with being a soft touch, often frowned upon in the corporate world. Think of it more as seeing the world through the eyes of an employee and being mindful that your actions as a leader do not cause pain and suffering on individuals. Leaders can still lead, manage underperformance, and drive delivery of outputs in a compassionate and mindful way, it is possible. Like most things it takes practice, skill, and continued development.
The core competency of emotional intelligence is self-awareness. There are many studies that support this thinking. We highlighted the benefits of mindfulness in our blog – Why Mindfulness Isn’t Just a Buzzword but it is also worth noting that mindful leadership is not a new concept but with increasing pressures and with most of the workforce now adopting a new a more remote way of working the need for good leadership has become increasingly vital.
To find out more about how we can help you integrate mindful leadership then why not get in touch for a chat.
References:
6 Steps Towards Mindful Leadership | Psychology Today
Mindful Leadership: A Simple Way to Lead Better | CCL
by Steph Unthank | Mar 4, 2021 | All Blog Posts, Mindfulness at work
The benefits of mindfulness for you and your business.
As highlighted in a previous blog there are many benefits in bringing mindfulness into the workplace but will investment in mindfulness-based programmes make commercial sense?
Numerous surveys and reviews indicate that adopting mindfulness as a part of wellbeing initiative across the corporate space is gaining traction. Pre-COVID, employers were already looking at ways to improve employees’ general health and wellbeing, with a particular focus on developing strategies that support mental health.
Now, one year on from the first lock down, there is to support that the employees’ mental health agenda has moved from a place of discussion to real action. A recent article from Inc.com highlighted how @Aetna have gone so far as to quantify the benefits of mindfulness programmes and the effect on employee productivity, and many large organisations like Nike, Google, and Goldman Sachs have become famous for adopting mindfulness in the workplace. Since 2016 the number of employers offering mindfulness by way of supporting employee wellbeing has reportedly doubled in the US, from 22% to just over 40% between 2016 and.
No longer is it a question of whether it is good to adopt a mindfulness programme into a business and more a case of why wouldn’t you as there is more and more evidence being reported by those companies that are firm advocates and the facts speak for themselves.
There are multiple ways for companies to utilise mindfulness techniques, from offering a structured group programmes to provision of a quite space for employees to use for practice, as well as offering the tools as a way of one-to-one intervention during stress leave.
When we get under the skin of mindfulness and we consider the benefits from a more an individual’s , the impacts of mindfulness on an individual are truly wonderful for so many who practice mindfulness in day-to-day life. And still, these benefits will have an overall impact on a company’s performance.
Mindfulness practitioners often report of having developed better, deeper listening and communications skills, able to keep a cool head in a crisis and remain balanced. Those who practice mindfulness are often described as being more patient, able to take time to think deeply and respond rather than react to requests and demands. Those who practice mindfulness are generally more aware of their surroundings, the needs of others and are more open to moment-to-moment experiences, often embracing change without a fight and see it as an opportunity for growth.
As society continues to move through this prolonged period of uncertainty, we develop deeper appreciation why some of these tools and ways of being can be both helpful from an employer’s perspective but also how mindfulness supports mental wellbeing of the individual.
Those practicing mindfulness, evidentially, are less stressed, able to cope better generally with life’s challenges big or small and because of this tend to be physically, emotionally, and psychologically ‘well.’
So, what can be done to embed mindfulness in the workplace and get the benefits that we talked about?
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programme for the workplace.
With the growing interest in using mindfulness techniques in the workplace, the awareness and spread of the MBSR programmes has increased and is being used within organisations and not just for individuals.
This programme developed back in the 1970s has become popular for a number of reasons. The MBSR programme is internationally recognised and adopted world over due to its clear evidence-based and continuing research and studies across various sectors; its secular nature and approach allows it to be adopted by people with different religious and philosophical views making it highly accessible and diverse in application; and importantly, those who teach the MBSR must carry evidential proof of having completed a full teacher training qualification and hold the appropriate certificates and insurance whilst also holding registration with the British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA).
Globally, companies are hiring professionals to work with them in order to adapt and adopt the MBSR approach due to its efficacy and credibility as well as its successful outcomes for employer and employees.
How MindfulnessUK can support you.
MindfulnessUK is one of the longest, well established mindfulness-based business’ in the UK. Established in 2010, the team boasts a wealth of experience among them. The directors of MindfulnessUK At Work have corporate backgrounds themselves so when it comes to teaching and integrating mindfulness into business’s the team is able to bring the principles of mindfulness and the MBSR programme to life for various audiences.
MindfulnessUK At Work are knowledgeable, qualified, and competent.
Stephanie Unthank is a qualified, experienced, and registered mindfulness teacher. With a previous career in the corporate banking sector Stephanie has a deep understanding of the benefits of wellness in both body and mind and is a strong advocate for sustainable cultural change.
Vera Dubrovina-Thompson is an experienced yoga therapist and mindfulness teacher and following a 21-year career in the financial sector Vera has a wealth of knowledge in how mindfulness can make a real difference in the workplace.
Both Vera and Stephanie take an approach based on delivering simple, effective, and research-based mindfulness tools that help reduce stress, build resilience, and drive employee well-being.
Companies looking at integrating mindfulness into their workplace should consider the skills of those they hire to do this work and ensure that the teachers they choose have the appropriate capabilities to not only teach mindfulness in the workplace but carefully identify a team that can make a difference to their workplace through understanding the corporate cultural landscape.
Integrating mindfulness in the workplace is more than meditation, it’s often about managing change, changing culture, and engaging employees which can result in improved performance, happier customers, and increased revenues.
Prioritising well-being can foster a more positive business culture.
We are in a world where there is now an expectation of employers to deliver more than just a decent, competitive salary and a few weeks of holiday entitlement.
Particularly, millennials are looking at employers to show up in supporting their broader needs, where tangible benefits that support general wellbeing with mental health is at the top of the agenda.
Companies that are able to broaden their offerings to support good employee wellbeing strategies that work, will inevitably find that in turn, they will nurture a more positive, balanced, appreciative, and engaged workforce. Employees are far more likely to be well intended in their actions, grow in loyalty, and even promote their employer to others as a great place to work. It’s these employees that feel a sense of purpose when getting out of bed in the morning to sign on to their laptops or sometime soon, bounce back into the office.
Wellbeing initiatives that centre around mental health are no longer a maybe or a nice to do, they are a necessity. Let’s have a conversation and discuss how we can help you and your business.
https://mindfulnessuk.com/at-work or call Stephanie on 07712 420 441 or Vera on 07957 468 895
by Mindfulness UK | Aug 13, 2020 | All Blog Posts, Mindfulness at work
Between us, the team at MindfulnessUK@Work have been teaching mindfulness in the workplace for many years. Even with the increase in awareness of mindfulness we still get asked “What is mindfulness” or “Is it not a bit of a fad” and “does it really work”? Recently, I was asked whether mindfulness is just the buzzword of the moment, a bit like wellbeing, and I quote “is being overused and overrated.”
This way of thinking does evoke a sense of sadness for me, but also gives me hope as at least mindfulness is being discussed and it is my job to demystify, answer these kind of questions, and explain how I know and can prove that mindfulness can make a difference to people personally and in the workplace.
Those that are professional, experienced, and qualified just like us at MindfulnessUK@Work, have the skills and capabilities to break this cycle of cynicism and help others really understand why mindfulness can be a true benefit for many and life changing for most.
So, I thought I would do this via a blog (another buzzword!?).
Demystifying mindfulness.
Mindfulness has been around for more than 2,600 years and relates back to the meditation practices (Vipassana) that were established by Gautama Buddha for seekers following the noble eightfold path. Whilst we acknowledge its roots, it is also helpful to know that this is really where the connection to Buddhism ends. Mindfulness as a practice and term that we have learnt to understand was coined by Jon Kabat-Zinn in late 1970s and in the west is secular in nature.
Mindfulness is not religious or spiritual but often it is reported that those who take part in mindfulness practice and embed the tools, techniques and teachings into their day to day, develop a deeper sense of meaning and connection to life. It is not uncommon for practitioners to feel a deeper sense of joy, notice the good in life, and learn to develop a more optimistic outlook.
Let us not confuse mindfulness with yoga asana-based practice or traditional Buddhist meditation. Mindfulness is about reflection, contemplation, is accessible to all and can be practiced anywhere at any time. You do not need special equipment or a place to practice mindfulness and it does not require long hours of dedication. We can practice mindfulness by simply paying attention to our sensory organs, for example: sights, sounds, touch, taste, or smell. We can bring the attention to the movement whilst walking, eating, drawing, and writing. Most of the activities we busy our-selves with each day, on auto pilot, can be explored mindfully and often take just a few moments.
Mindfulness meditation, on the other hand, is a more formal way of bringing mindfulness alive in our day to day lives, by taking part in longer meditative practices such as body awareness, focus on breath or grounding. There are several options, but I would always recommend starting with ten minutes of practice and gradually build up to twenty or thirty minutes when you feel ready.
And it is that simple! Practicing mindfulness can take as little or as much time as you want or need to. It can work around your schedule and should never feel like a chore. Mindfulness in the workplace can easily be adopted to fit in and around your team’s priorities and allow a more collective approach to helping each other through stressful times. But do not just take my word for it there is a large amount of evidence, research, and science behind mindfulness, proving its credibility.
Evidence, research, and science.
People often ask, how can sitting quietly meditating reduce my stress and anxiety? How can doing a body scan help me to cope better with pain? Why does mindfulness improve my relationships with others and help me to become better at communicating and listening? Well this is the compelling part!
Mindfulness practice, of all kinds, develops an ability to pay attention through the process of inquiry. As we develop this ability, we start to notice more about our experience, for instance our thoughts, our physical bodies, and sensations, and ultimately how we feel emotionally. It is this noticing that creates a heightened sense of awareness and once we are aware, we have choices. We have the choice to respond, rather than react to stress triggers. We have the choice to decide who we are being in any given moment. We have the choice to change the pattern of events and how something unfolds. Victor Frankl, a Jewish neuroscientist in WW2, explained that “between stimulus and response there is space, it is in this space that we can find freedom and choice.”
On a more scientific level the brain has the most tremendous capacity to change and adapt. This is what we call neuroplasticity. When we pay attention in a mindfulness practice and we do this over and over again, we start to rewire the connections in our brain that results in a cycle of paying attention, noticing what is arising, becoming aware of how that makes us think, feel or react and then respond in a way that is more helpful and causes us less personal suffering. This is how a mindfulness body scan can reduce stress.
Of course, it takes practice, but studies have shown that mindfulness-based interventions are effective and new students often notice the start of something changing in just 5 days. Programmes such as the 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course, is supported with very solid evidence. This is a programme where students develop their mindfulness practice and develop tools and techniques whilst also learning about the theory, neuroscience, context, and background of mindfulness.
In a study of 50 nurses in 2015, the group was equally split into two groups. The first group took part in the 8-week MBSR programme, which consisted of 2 hours of Mindfulness learning and home-based practice each day. The second group had no intervention. Clinical standardised self-administered questionnaires, focusing on depression, anxiety and stress scales were administered at the baseline prior to the MBSR program and again at completion, 8-weeks later. The MBSR participants reported significantly greater decreases in depression, anxiety and stress, and a greater increase in mindfulness including a heighted sense of well-being and an ability to cope. Proof that mindfulness works!
What are the benefits again?
Having taught mindfulness to several businesses, in a variety of sectors, and to individuals, I get to see first-hand the benefits of mindfulness in the workplace. I have watched how many of my clients and their teams have flourished after completing a 4 or 8-week programme of learning because they have embedded the practice and learning into their day to day lives, for the long term. For some its life changing, and for others the course is an opportunity to learn something new, develop new skills and tools that they can access. Either way everyone can benefit in some way from mindfulness.
Reducing stress:
Simply put, mindfulness practice is proven to reduce stress and anxiety and can be useful in supporting those with depression. Moreover, mindfulness nurtures calm, helps us to become better listeners and gives us an ability to focus and concentrate. It can support and promote better sleep, bring attention to habits related to poor diet or our relationship with alcohol and drugs in a mindful way that supports change.
If that’s not enough for you, the physiologically benefits of mindfulness have proven to reduce blood pressure, alleviate pain, improve gastrointestinal difficulties, reduce heart rate, improve blood flow, develop breathing and even support a change in posture for the good.
In the workplace, mindfulness has proven to increase engagement, boost morale, and improve a sense of value and worth for employees and teams. It is this heightened engagement and feel good factor from workplace mindful initiatives that evidentially lead to increased profit and lower attrition.
Communication:
With mindfulness, our ability to communicate and listen well is developed in a way where relation-ships can thrive. This is because mindfulness teaches us to respond rather than react; it helps us to create space to breathe and pause in conversations and most of all, mindfulness helps us to no-tice our habits and urges. As we learn to pay attention to who we are being in our conversations with others and we learn to notice and recognise our behaviour we become much more aware of when we interrupt someone or when we try to shift a conversation in a different direction.
When teaching mindfulness in the workplace over a period of 8-weeks, students have stated that they have become far more aware of how they are behaving in conversations with colleagues and that it was in this awareness they were then able to create some space for others to share their views which allowed creation and innovation to flow far more freely.
Focus and productivity:
In this ever-busy modern society, and especially now as so many of us work from home, we should not lose sight of how much we are surrounded by things that distract us. Long periods on our lap-tops and computers working from home or in the office, whilst contending with outside near and far distractions can be really tiring and sometimes even a little soul destroying.
Those who practice mindfulness, report being able to spend a longer period in a more focused and concentrated way. I am sure that those reading this remember times when they read the same paragraph of a document repeatedly, on autopilot.
Through the practice, we can also become far more aware of our needs for self-care. We do this by, for example, spending 30 minutes with extreme focus on a piece of work and once complete, we learn to step away from our work, take a stretch, get a drink and move around a little. Breaking things down into bite size chunks throughout the working day helps us to manage tasks and priori-ties more effectively without developing fatigue. Mindfulness will support this way of being if we invest and take the time to practice.
Employee well-being is important, now more than ever, and it is essential for responsible businesses to find the best solutions for their workforce. Reducing stress, improving communication, and increasing focus and productivity are the formidable goals which can be supported by the team at MindfulnessUK@Work.
To find out more go to MindfulnessUK@Work
Ref https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0260691714002226
