Mindful Working: The art of being crazy about your work with peace

Mindful Working: The art of being crazy about your work with peace

Posted By: Sweety Rai

Monday, June 20th, 2016

Some days feel like they aren’t long enough, and they haven’t even started! You arrive at work and the messages have already piled up, there is a new project or commitment added to your plate, and your boss expects the work done yesterday. You can feel your blood pressure rising, your teeth beginning to clench and the headache creeping over your skull. Sound familiar? If so, you are not alone. The American Institute of Stress found in their research that 46% of workplace stress is from the workload alone. For many people getting through the day is challenging, and is the only goal.

What if you could change the dynamic so that even in the midst of the stress that swirls around, you stayed calm and mindful? Could it be possible to have a sense of serenity when there is so much chaos, frustration and urgency? Yes, it is possible, but it takes discipline and practice. Most people have not learned how to deal well with overwhelming stress. Fox News reported on a study by Ohio State University which was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. According to Fox News, “The study found that dealing with persistent, long-term stress (like that from a toxic boss or from caring for an elderly parent) can actually change your genes, leading to an increase in inflammation that can bring on a variety of health issues.”

If you are at a point where the job may actually be killing you, it might be time to practicemindfulness in the workplace. To be mindful doesn’t necessarily mean to meditate in the middle of your worksite. If you are on a highway crew and suddenly everyone stops to sit on the median and hum “OM” while you close your eyes, you might cause others to have an accident! If you work in a busy office in the reception area and can’t greet new visitors because you have your eyes closed, it might not bode well for your customer service ratings. So while meditation can be a very useful practice to do in the morning before you leave home, or even sitting in your car before you enter the workplace, it may be difficult to do during work hours. And if you start your day with meditation, it can help to support your quest for mindfulness.

Becoming mindful at work, in the midst of the chaos, gives you a form of power that can’t be obtained any other way. Imagine if your difficult boss or the increasing workload did not have the ability to bring you down and stress you out. Mindfulness when conditions are chaotic is not easy. It requires a commitment and dedication to practice, practice, practice. If you are ready to shake off the stress and put on the coat of bliss, here are five practices you can employ starting today in your workplace.

1. Become aware of your self-talk. Among the things that most people are unaware of are the voices in your head. The process goes like this – you see the pile of messages on your desk, you look at the clock and realize you are behind on a certain commitment, and someone walks over to ask you yet another question. Your self-talk kicks in – “I can’t do this. This is overwhelming. There aren’t enough hours in the day. Why did I pick this job??” Instead of letting the self-talk take you over, catch it in its tracks. Change from “WHY?” to “I can do one thing at a time. Let me focus on what I need to do right now.” You might need to do this a thousand times in one day. Learn more about how self-talk works here.
2. Practice placing your attention where you are. This means that instead of racing through the letter you need to type, or being agitated at the briefing you had to attend or the conversation your boss needed to have, you put your attention on what you are doing. Feel your fingers on the keys. Become aware of how you sit in the chair. Notice your boss’s expressions and tone of voice. Bring your attention to where you are and what you are experiencing. Don’t just race to get to the other side.
3. Slow down. Slow down your thoughts, your pace, your speech. This seems crazy – there is so much to do that rushing through it could be the only solution, right? Well, rushing causes its own problems: You can make mistakes. You can miss important details. Deliberately and physically slow yourself down to become more aware of what you are doing and how.
4. Speak less, listen more. Become aware of unimportant chatter and the role it plays in increasing stress and agitation. Talking endlessly about the people, the problems, the company, the job gets defeating, especially if the talking is negative or gossip-oriented. Spend more time in silence and choose not to engage unless you have something really important to say and contribute.
5. Commit to finding a time every hour that you can be mindful. It may seem like an oxymoron to add mindfulness to a “to-do” list but without a commitment, it will remain something you want to do but don’t get around to doing. Keeping a focus on it, making a conscious decision to do it and committing to a timeframe will all help you to keep being mindful top of mind.

There may not be anything you can do about the issues that swirl around your work every day. They may be obstacles you cannot control. The obstacle you can control, or can influence by practice, is your own response. Refuse to allow your mind and body to be taken over by the negative forces at your workplace. Practice being mindful – you will have everyone around you wondering why you are no longer being drawn in!

Resource: https://www.psychologytoday.com