The workplace can be a stressful environment. Dealing with stress for a significant amount of time is detrimental to one’s health. Appropriately, jobs allot employees break time to relieve stress and decompress, which helps with performance and overall functioning. It’s a short respite from a long day of work. Embracing distraction or focusing on something else can ease
the mind for a short period. However, it is also an opportunity to seize the moment and improve daily life by using it to meditate. Practicing meditation routinely will help cognitive function, decrease hostile work environments, and increase focus and productivity.
Mindfulness and Meditation
Meditation isn’t just transporting the mind to another state. It’s also an effective tool in becoming mindful. Mindfulness meditation is about being present and accepting the moment with clarity. Studies have shown that mindfulness has many long term benefits . It is a state of self-awareness where a person can accept the current situation for what it is without judgment. Trying to practice mindfulness daily will improve your experience in your work environment and will help you cultivate better relationships.
Mindfulness begins with slowly releasing your thoughts and focusing on the present moment and any sensations that arise for you as a result of your state. It can also involve breathing techniques to help you ground, connect, and center. Try your best focus on the present and calmly let go of any negative thinking or reactions and be in the moment. The ability to do this will help you to stop ruminating on issues that arise. Practicing mindfulness helps improve productivity and wellbeing, and decreases reactiveness and stress.
Reaping the Benefits and how to Begin
It has been shown that ruminating on stress can negatively impact a person’s physical and mental health by exasperating anxiety and depression. Meditation will decrease rumination by being more present. There are many techniques including grounding, breathwork, and yoga.
Guiding oneself might be difficult, so practicing at home with the help of the internet is a great start. You can use our Azulfit Youtube channel or also a channel like Online Yoga Aid which teaches breathwork, and meditation simultaneously. Once you have tools and this becomes a regular practice, it is easier to relax in a workplace environment and you can begin a meditation practice that fits your busy lifestyle.
Meditating at Work
To begin at meditation work, it’s best to find a space alone or go outside, undistracted and begin. If this isn’t possible, release the mind from the current activity and practice good posture with palms touching the desk or lap. Next, close the eyes and begin breathing in and out slowly by counts of four. Try not to focus on anything and let your thoughts slip away. The transition into a state
of calm awareness is key. While continuing breathing and maintaining a still, sturdy and comfortable position, allow the mind to realize this moment without thought or judgment. It is a calm, focused body inhaling positive energy and exhaling negative. If something comes into the mind, acknowledge it, then allow it to float away. Be present and accepting of the surroundings. Finding peace in your current space is an important tool of mindful meditation. When the break is over, take a deep breath, and try your best to move forward with peace and awareness. It becomes easier to stay in this mindset throughout the day and reduces long term stress.
Leading a Better Life
Implementing these tools at every opportunity will lead to greater success at work. It’s okay to embrace just taking a break from time to time. That’s also part of embracing the moment, and a vital aspect of it! Just remember that any type of meditation practice, even imperfect, becomes the benchmark for a productive and fulfilling day. Embracing this idea will lend positive outcomes and practice will become second nature. It will enhance the work experience in a variety of areas, making life more manageable and enjoyable all around. Dealing with negative stressors becomes passive acceptance. Being present and undistracted improves cognitive thinking. The ability to accept without judgment unifies coworkers. It is a conscious decision on improving life and overall health.
We hope this benefits you as you close the year and get ready for a great start to 2020! To learn more, or start a meditation practice with amazing teachers, join us in Santorini this August for a Mindfulness and Yoga Retreat.
