mindfulness at work

Use mindfulness techniques to increase your productivity, get on better with colleagues and enjoy your job.

In 2015/16, a shocking 45 per cent of all sick days taken in the UK were attributed to
stress, according to the Health & Safety Executive, with tight deadlines, workload pressures and too much responsibility being the main culprits. Of course, some people thrive on pressure, and while you may think people are either naturally resilient or not, surprisingly perhaps, resilience is a skill you can learn. Mindfulness techniques can go a
long way to helping you manage work-related stress better, improve your communication skills, increase productivity and, most importantly, be more compassionate towards yourself, teaching you to accept what you can’t change about a situation. Sometimes, for instance, acceptance is all it takes for you to realise that a role is not for you, and that it’s time to move on. On the other hand, if a problem at work does arise, and you’re in a relaxed, mindful state of being, your creativity has free rein to come up with an often unusual or overlooked solution to the problem. The result? You end up enjoying your job far more. Read on to learn how to feel more comfortable and confident at work.

T’S GOOD TO TALK One of the key ways to benefit from mindfulness at work is through clearer communication. We’ve looked at communication skills in greater depth in mindfulness for relationships (p94), but in a professional context, the boundaries are different. When you’re multi-tasking, working to tight deadlines or have several people making demands at the same time, it’s easy to be distracted and only take in part of what is being said to you. When the pressure’s on, all too often we give an answer or opinion before we’ve fully absorbed the content or context of the discussion. Being present in a calm and centered manner means you can get to the essence of issues more swiftly, and reply in a more measured and complete way. To bring more mindfulness to your communication at work, follow these three steps:

LISTEN: Use centering skills (breathing into your belly, connecting to the ground beneath you, being aware of physical sensations in your body) to listen fully to what is being said. Allow the other person to finish what they’re saying before you reply and, if needed, check that you have understood them correctly. For example, ‘So, as I understand it, you’d like me to… Is that right?’ Again, be as centered as you can as you give your answer.

CLARIFY: If there is a difference of opinion, acknowledge the issues that you agree on to create a common ground and sense of teamwork before going on to tackle any areas of difference.

COLLABORATE: Work as equals to find a mutually agreeable solution or compromise, listening fully and exploring all potential avenues. Being as mindful as you are able to be in the situation will help your creativity! Alternatively, you may have to respectfully accept that you disagree.

JUST A MINUTE
Whenever your work piles up and you feel the tension rising, take a moment to reconnect to a mindful state of being. First, connect to your breath. Take three deep, slow breaths, breathing right down to your abdomen, feel your weight sinking downwards as you do. Then take your awareness to your sitting bones (if you’re seated), your legs and the floor. Finally, notice your thoughts. Without trying to change anything, simply observe them, accept them and let them go. When you feel ready, continue with your day. You may decide there’s something you want to change. If so, follow what your new, mindful connection is saying that you need to do.

BODY SCAN 101
Few of us have the luxury of being able to do a body scan during the working day, so this quick body check is a useful tool for helping you identify areas of tension in your body. It only takes three to five minutes so you can do it at your desk, but if you can find a completely quiet area where you won’t be disturbed, even better (perhaps you can book a meeting room for 15 minutes?). Mentally divide your body into
three areas – your pelvis, legs and feet; your chest and arms; your shoulders neck, head and face – then take your attention to each of them in turn, in the order listed, starting with your feet and travelling up your body. Become aware of any sensations you feel such as heat, cold, constriction, palpitations, tingling and numbness. Once you’ve registered the sensation, let it go on an outbreath and move on to the next area. Stay still for a few moments breathing into your belly to finish. Notice what you are feeling now.

COME BACK TO YOURSELF
Research by Harvard University shows up to 47 per cent of your day can be lost in mind-wandering! Remind yourself to return to a more mindful state of being with a Tibetan bell alarm on your mobile, an inspiring screensaver, a small post-it note with the word ‘Breathe’ or an inspiring object on your desk. I have a tiny bronze statue of Ganesh, the Indian God known as the ‘remover of obstacles’, but you can use whatever works for you – no one need know its purpose, as long as it serves to remind you to tune back into yourself. You could also use certain activities to remind you to check in with yourself, such as every time you take a sip of water, or when you begin a new task.

HAVE A BREAK
Whether you’ve got too much to do or you’ve already done too much, when you are mentally stressed or exhausted, your work suffers. Known as the Yerkes-Dodson curve, your quality of performance rises and falls in relation to your level of alertness. There’s a period after your optimal level of mental activity and quality of work performance called the zone of delusion. Here, stress and anxiety have kicked in, but you still think you’re achieving your goals. But mistakes, poor quality of work and a wandering mind mean time spent in this zone is unproductive. The good news is that the sooner you realise this, the quicker you’ll refresh your mind and return to peak productivity. As soon as you notice you’re in the zone, do a mindfulness exercise to check what you need to do next. Connect with your breath, observe your thoughts and tune into your body, then ask yourself what you need to do such as eating food, getting fresh air or talking to a colleague.

TECHNOLOGY ADDICT?
Research shows the neurohormone dopamine causes ‘seeking behaviour’ – not just for the basic need for food, shelter or warmth, but for information also. When your need is met, by eating a meal, for example, your brain produces those feel-good opioids such as endorphine. When it comes to technology, if you’re feeling low, the ping of a text, email or twitter feed will trigger dopamine release, so checking your computer/mobile feels imperative. And the shorter/more incomplete the message, the greater the dopamine release and the more compelled you feel to check for the latest update. Constant distraction from the task at hand is draining and compromises your focus. To stay productive and on task, turn the sound cues off your devices, and timetable when you’ll check emails/messages and twitter feeds.

TAKE THREE
Do you feel your stress levels rise the minute your office phone rings? Or perhaps you leave it for the answering machine, all the while hoping it’s not important? In his book Peace is Every Step (Rider, £9.99), Thich Naht Hahn suggests waiting for three rings before answering any phone. If it’s urgent the caller will wait that long to speak to you or leave a message. And it means you can take three deep breaths to create space, not only to choose whether you want to take the call, but also to let go of what you’ve been doing and centre yourself in this new moment, so you can be fully present when you speak to the caller.

SUSPEND YOUR JUDGEMENT
Being contradicted or having someone disagree with your point of view can be challenging and when it happens in a big meeting with your entire team and line managers present, it’s even tougher. Perhaps you go on the defensive and argue your case even more strongly, or perhaps you retreat into yourself, feeling a sense of shame or humiliation? Next time someone disagrees with you, use it as an opportunity to practise mindful breathing, and see if you can allow yourself to listen deeply to what your colleague is saying. Be curious, as if you were an impartial observer. Is she really saying her opinion is right and yours is wrong? Are there valuable elements to both points of view? Keep breathing into your belly as you listen, and use your sense of touch to stay grounded (p52) by feeling the seat of your chair and the floor beneath your feet. With practice and mindful self-acceptance there will come a time when, even if your colleague’s opinion is ‘better’ than yours, it will make no difference to your sense of self worth.

BE THANKFUL
Gratitude diaries have become a hot trend in recent years, but don’t just write down what you appreciate at the end of the day, tell co-workers how much you value their input. Being grateful and showing your appreciation for any help you receive benefits both parties. Not only will they feel valued, in giving yourself a voice and making your feelings known, you are also increasing your sense of presence in the workplace.

#COMMUTING
Almost four million Brits spend two hours a day travelling to work, with the average being almost an hour. Add to this accidents and cancelled trains, and it’s no surprise journeys can leave you feeling unmindful. Here are our tips for taking the stress out of your commute.

ACCEPT YOUR LOT
The fact that your travel time is unpredictable is a big stressor. The best way to manage the dis-ease is to accept there’s nothing you can do to change it. Practise the mindful techniques in this book to minimise the stress and use the time to learn that language you’ve always wanted to speak or finish that report for your boss.

PRACTISE KINDNESS
Have mindful connections with your fellow travellers. Notice the difference to your mood and energy if you let a car go in front of you or offer your seat to someone. It will lift your mood, as your brain produces more endogenous opioids, which elevate levels of dopamine, so giving you a natural high.

FOCUS ATTENTION…
…on something other than the slowness of the journey. Notice other people’s faces in the train. Observe your thoughts and feelings without judging them. Simply let them register then let them go, and notice the difference this has on your experience of the journey.