Five ways to introduce mindfulness into your workday
Five ways to introduce mindfulness into your workday.
Morning:
Research shows that stress hormones are highest within minutes of waking up.
To counter this, take the first 2 minutes after you wake up to simply notice your breath. Do this before you even get out of bed. Sit up and breath for 20 full, deep breaths.
Pro-Tip: Keep your attention on the sensation of your inhale and exhale. You can do this by focusing your attention on the movement of your belly in and out, by noticing the sensation of air moving into and out of your nose or throat, or bringing attention to the feeling of your skin on your bed, or your hands on your lap.
Whenever you notice your mind in thought, gently detach from the thought and re-direct your attention to one of the above.
At the Office:
When you arrive at your office, before you start your day, set your timer for 2 minutes, close your eyes, relax, sit upright and breath.
Focus simply on your breath. Count your breaths to help you maintain your focus. When your mind wanders (because it will), simply bring your awareness back to your breath again.
Pro-Tip: When your timer goes off, think of one word to describe your intention for the workday. Whisper it out loud to yourself.
Emails:
Emails have a way of seducing our attention because they allow us to complete small actionable tasks that release dopamine, a pleasurable hormone in our brain.
Instead, bring mindfulness to your emails by focusing on what is important and maintain awareness of what is simply noise. Consciously decide to approach emails with mindfulness and notice the difference.
Neuro-Tip: The task of checking emails is a mentally taxing exercise (that is, it uses a lot of mental energy) and stimulates our sympathetic nervous system (responsible for flight/flight/freeze response) which induces stress.
Avoid checking email first thing in the morning – this will help you avoid distractions and allow you to invest your valuable brain power on important projects that are harder to get to later in the day. You will get more done in less time.
Meetings:
On your way to a meeting, bring awareness and focus to your steps. Feel your feet as you take each step towards the meeting room, or your home office. Feel the sensation of your feet in your shoes and even wiggle them to clear your brain and bring awareness to the bodily sensation.
Pro-tip: Before you start a meeting, take 5 collective breaths alone, or as a group to focus and center. Do the same at the end of the meeting. This activates our pre-frontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for analysis, decision making and complex thinking.
On Your Way Home:
Take 10 minutes and turn off your phone, shut off the radio and simply be. Notice what you are feeling. What sounds do you hear? What can you sense?
Pro-Tip: Before you walk into your home, take 3 deep breaths and decide consciously how you want to walk in the door. What is your intention for who you want to be at home?
Try these tips for the next 10 days and notice the impact to your stress levels, ability to focus and productivity.
Be well,
Lisa