Margie Ireland* says real-life practical use of Mindfulness in organisations is proving its more than just a fad.
Mindfulness originated from Eastern traditions including Buddhism and Zen and has since become popular across far broader settings, including the workplace where Leaders and their teams are gaining benefit from practicing on a regular basis.
Some may see Mindfulness as a fad for this spike in interest, while the research and real-life practical use of Mindfulness in organisations is proving to be more than that.
Those who practice Mindfulness can navigate strong emotional responses with more considered responses and can also improve bottom line financial outcomes and reduce employee sick leave.
So, Mindfulness could be here to stay.
Three tips on starting Mindfulness
It’s pretty simple to do, the key is to keep doing it.
The evidence of the positive outcomes are based on regular, i.e. a minimum of 4 times a week, preferably for 20 minutes.
If that seems unachievable, try 10 minutes most days.
- Download any of the many free Mindfulness apps out there.
My favourites are Smiling Mind, Insight Timer, 10% Happier: Meditation.
If you don’t mind parting with some small bucks, Simple Habit and the ACT Companion™ are my go-tos.
These apps have a variety of types and lengths, so you can choose what suits you best.
Smiling Mind also has a workplace section.
- Instead of putting your earpods in during your commute to work, or when walking or exercising at the gym, try tuning into what is happening around you.
On your commute, notice how many people are wearing the colour red, or on your walk count how many houses have the colour red, or at the gym, notice how many red faces you see!
Think up your own, colour or ‘thing’ to notice, but also notice how hard it is to do this, as our mind loves to wander.
Try doing this for 10 minutes and then increase to 20 minutes.
- Mindful cooking, cleaning, showering and driving can also be a good way to start.
Doing any of these activities for 10 minutes without your mind drifting to a conversation you hear earlier in the day at work, or an email you forgot to send, or a meeting you have tomorrow that you are not looking forward to, is a challenge I often set for the Leaders I work with.
Most find this very difficult at first!
Overall, it is okay for your mind to wander and drift, however when it starts drifting into worry territory about the past or future, it can be helpful to have mindfulness strategy that helps you reset.
By practicing Mindfulness more often, it is the same as going to the gym.
You are building muscle, in this case in the form of neural pathways that can help you reset faster.
Some call Mindfulness, mindgym.
Mindfulness has some great benefits that can live way beyond a fad.
It could be the next thing we incorporate into our daily health regime, like exercise, taking important medications, eating healthy food and getting good sleep.
And the best thing about Mindfulness, is it free, and you can start it, now.
*Margie Ireland is the author of The Happy Healthy Leader – how to achieve your potential even during a crisis. Margie is a registered Psychologist, Leadership Coach and Workshop Facilitator. She can be contacted at margieireland.com.
