The Business Sense of Mindfulness
When frazzled, we often look to Eastern mysticism for inspiration on how to feel more mindful. Why? Because when we become more mindful, we feel less stressed, more grounded, and happier, too. At work, we also find that mindfulness (focusing our awareness on the present moment) boosts our productivity, communications, and how we perform our tasks.
The Buddhist concept of mindfulness has even inspired companies like Google to create popular courses based on mindful being. Search Inside Yourself, an internal course, became so popular at Google it created entry-level versions including "neural self-hacking" and "managing your energy." The resulting book "Search Inside Yourself, The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness, and World Peace, by Chade-Meng Tan became a NY-Times bestseller. But how do we find mindfulness—and how do we stay mindful when working hard (and often from home)? This blog offers tips.
Increase Your Time Outdoors
Research has long shown the positive impact landscapes have on happiness, especially with elder adults. New research shows if we practice mindfulness outdoors, we reap more benefits including lowered stress and anxiety. Researchers found that even mindful walking in nature with a soft focus on the land around may:
Lessen our tendency for mind wandering
Increase our ability to remain in the present and concentrate
Lessen a feeling of complete emotional overwhelm
Breathe Mindfully
We can become more mindful too through centering on our breathing. Schedule yourself time each hour for five minutes of mindful breathing. As studies show, you'll find significantly reduced anxiety and increased positive thoughts. Feeling stuck on how to start? Consider these tips:
Avoid judging yourself if your mind wanders (which is totally normal).
Speak to yourself like your kindest grandparent and gently ask your mind to come back.
Remove yourself from distractions. Try mindful breathing outside, if possible, or from your vehicle just before heading back indoors.
Stay open to having your eyes open or closed. (Chade Meng-Tan says both approaches can work.)
Employ something you love to do as you breathe mindfully. For instance, my best intentional breathing comes when I paint or draw (and especially when outdoors).
Stay Curious, Open, and Accepting
When practicing mindfulness, it becomes vital to accept whatever comes up for you vs. judge. As thoughts enter your mind, stay curious and ask yourself: What else might be there? Feel what you feel and allow all feelings to rise. Stay attentive to what you sense, feel, and see. You might also start with small increments (five minutes an hour) then build your way up.
Now you've three tips to increase your mindfulness, even when working from home. Share with me your own tricks and tips for staying mindful at work!
More blogs on mindfulness, productivity, and executive communications live here.
