Mindfulness is the practice of being fully aware of your present moment. It is a state of heightened awareness, free from judgement, that takes in your surroundings, feelings, sensations and thoughts with acceptance. Perceiving your current situation objectively rather than automatically is a powerful tool for coping with day-to-day life.
From an occupational health perspective, mindfulness at work is an effective way to process the workplace, environment, employees and relationships experienced during the working day. Analysing reactions, emotions and interactions, and responding in a more considered, conscious way benefits the workplace as employees have a heightened awareness of their behaviours.
Mindfulness training can benefit everyone in an organisation. All that is required is an openness to understanding how to slow down and attend to what you’re thinking and feeling. This can be hard at first, but mindfulness courses teach how to practice mindfulness, taking you through the necessary steps to filter out automatic responses in favour of a more considered approach.
Learning mindfulness techniques transcends the workplace and equips managers and team members with the ability to focus on the here and now, which can help process feelings of stress, anxiety and negativity as they happen.
Mindfulness activities can be done at work and at home, and include mindful breathing, mindful meditation, mindful walking and mindful eating. Slowing down and thinking consciously about the moment as you eat, walk, breath or relax, helps focus attention and recognise feelings.
Awareness of these emotions is an important step to dealing with them consciously and not reacting in anger, haste or frustration.
Bringing a mindful awareness of how you work helps identify issues, stressors or triggers that causes conflict or reduce productivity. Mindfulness techniques help with emotional regulation and building resilience that improve both communication and focus at work.
Moreover, practicing mindfulness exercises regularly can promote a better memory, better sleep and increase overall wellbeing by lowering blood pressure and reducing stress and anxiety.
The benefits of mindfulness extend to opening your employees to new ideas and new ways of thinking which leads to innovation, growth and increased resilience – all of which are good for business.
Mindfulness in the workplace can also bring acceptance of others, understanding and compassion which will improve communication, relationships and collaborations.
Choose Occupational Health supports businesses with mindfulness training courses that equip your employees with the skills needed to negotiate their work environment calmly and with rational thinking.
Whether you’re looking for a one off mindfulness course for your team, or supporting your managers as they develop leadership skills, mindfulness can boost creativity and nurture innovation, which will ultimately benefit the business.
Get in touch today to discuss how we can help your employees with mindfulness training that will make a real difference to your business by using our health surveillance services.
