We live in a world where the boundaries of work and life are blurring. The term “work-life integration” has become the norm and the stress of the 24-hour connection to our jobs can take a toll on our wellness. Especially during this time in which many of us are working from home, it’s more important than ever to find a way to reduce work stress.
Taking care of mental health is just as important as caring for one’s physical health, but mental health is often overlooked in work environments. It can be difficult to manage the stressors of our jobs while finding time to care for our mental well-being. Mindfulness can be an effective way to prioritize our psychological needs and reduce work stress while remaining dedicated to our jobs. Below are several tips for incorporating mindfulness into your work life.
Read more: The Everyday Benefits of Mindfulness
Benefits of mindfulness to reduce work stress
Burnout, interpersonal conflict, and self-esteem issues can all cause stress. Not only does mindfulness promote stress reduction, but it also supports optimistic attitudes, positive affect, and a focus on proactive health. These practices encourage effective management of time and interpersonal conflict. They also help to prevent mental health issues through conscious awareness and compassion for oneself. Mindfulness is all about deliberately slowing down, paying attention to your surroundings in the moment, and noticing how you are impacted. All this leads to improved productivity, adaptability, and problem-solving, while facilitating creativity, bolstering capacity for learning, and increasing vitality. So how can we build mindfulness into the daily grind?
Self-compassion
Sometimes life is stressful. It’s not just normal, but completely okay, to have feelings about that. Self-compassion makes space for understanding and warmth toward oneself during the most vulnerable times. This conscious awareness of feelings in the moment is the foundation for a mindfulness practice. When life feels stressful, taking even a few moments to check in with your body and your thoughts can go a long way in preventing long-term mental health issues.
Keep it simple
Simple mindfulness techniques can bring awareness to how you’re feeling and help you find strength to manage stress in the moment. Writing down thoughts and feelings as you have them can be a great way to process your stress at work. Grounding yourself by putting your feet flat on the floor and acknowledging what your senses are picking up, such as something you can see, hear, or touch can assist you in staying present. Even something as simple as taking a few deep breaths can calm your nervous system and bring you back into the moment.
Find your flow
It can be challenging to live in the moment when you are multitasking. With today’s technology, multitasking has become the norm. Finding time to focus on one task at a time can bring us into a state of flow that allows for full immersion into the project or activity of the moment. Not only does this provide an opportunity to be productive without the interruptions that come with multitasking, but it is often in a state of flow where people find the most energy and enjoyment in their work.
While it can be challenging to make changes in the way you approach work, adopting small mindfulness practices in your everyday work life can be beneficial in reducing work stress. No matter where you are on your mental wellness journey, it’s never too late to incorporate mindfulness into your work life.
For more help with stress reduction through mindfulness, check out our monthly Meditation and Mindfulness Group.
What are some strategies you use to be mindful while working? Leave your answer in the comments below.
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3 comments
This is a great post, Ashley, and another great reminder of how mindfulness practices can help in so many areas of our lives! I appreciate how you discuss the impact of technology on workflow and how multitasking isn’t as efficient as it may seem. I know, for me, some work tasks can seem much more pleasant and enjoyable if I let myself engage with them more fully. As a therapist, I also think mindfulness is such an important part of my job so I can be fully present for my clients. Thanks again for this great post!
Thank you for such a great as well as important post! I truly appreciate how you emphasized that just a simple mindfulness technique can go along way. I know for me, engaging in long mindfulness practices can seem daunting. This was a great reminder that just taking a moment to check in is beneficial. I find that setting a daily alarm as a reminder to check-in and take a few deep breathes, reduces stress and allows me to fully immerse myself into my task. Thanks again Ashley!
This is such a great reminder that life should not just be about work. Especially in NYC, we are used to the constant hustle and this can leave out time for mindfulness. I love the point you made on self-compassion, keeping it simple and finding what works for you. It is so important to have a work-life balance especially now with the pandemic it can feel that this line is blurred more often than not. I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a thoughtful important blog post, thanks Ashley!