Career Chat // Mindfulness and feeling good at work // Friday 24 March, 12pm AEDT

Hello and welcome all to Career Chat // Mindfulness and feeling good at work!

Thank you for joining us @janedoe2!

You are correct! Mindfullness is about being aware and present in the moment!

However sometimes at work this can be difficutl to achieve.

Mindfulness exerecises can be as short as you wish and it doesnt have to mean getting up from your desk either, which is ideal for you

Minfulness activities can include:

• one minute of consiciously connecting with one of your senses - listening to your surroundings
• working a little slower and being aware of the task at hand - really focusing in on what you're doing and why you are doing it
• standing up and stretching - allowing for blood to flow and feeling refreshed
• taking a moment to notice your surroundings - the colour of your pen or the items on your desk
• listening to the sound of your breathing
• be a single-tasker (doesnt mean being unproductive)
  • grouping things into categories such as email phone calls , errands and meetings
  • switching off as many distractions as you can i.e. emails , mobile on silent etc.

It is also very useful to set helpful to set up reminders in order to consistenly practice mindfulness.The reason you forget to be mindful is because your brain's norma mode is to be habitually lost in your own thoughts.

Therefore by using some form of reminder you can be mindful again and these reminders should shake you out of auto-pilot mode:

• Setting an alarm on the phone
• putting mindfulness in your calendar
• small note or picture on your desk
• associating certain activities with mindfulness such as meal times or when finishing on task and starting another

I hope my answers have given you some ideas and new forms of practicing mindfulness at work

Hi @Former-Member and thank you for the great questions!

Like mentioned previously staying mindful at work sometimes can be challenging. Our initial intention is to operate consciously and be aware of two aspects of your moment-to-moment experience's going on around you and what’s going on within you. To be mindful at work means to be consciously present in what you're doing, while you’re doing it, as well as managing your mental and emotional state.

It can all begin by making a clear decision at the start of the day to be present as best as you can. Pause for a moment in your car before commencing work to set this intention in your mind.

Making effort to work more consciously, even if that means working slower - doing so pays in the long run.

Also, giving attention to seeming mundane tasks , like washing your hands, opening doors, dialling phone numbers and even just feeling yourself breathing can make your day a more mindful one.

Switching your attention from how you're feeling to actually having to do routine task and work can be difficult. One exercise you can try and adopt when feeling like this is acceptance that lies at the heart of mindfulness. In order to achieve mindfulness it means to accept this present moment just as it is. Recognising that your tired, that this is just as you are right now. It doesn't mean resignation or giving up, but it allows you to acknowledge the truth of how things are at this time before trying to change anything. Therefore, by applying the mindful techniques mentioned earlier in the comment above whist at working, it can help you feel less anxious about being tired, unable to work and the stress of pending tasks to be done.

When faced with an irate person same principles should apply. Mindfulness can assist by staying in control of your feeling and really understanding the situation in the present moment. By staying in control of your emotions you are able to act and not react. Accepting that the personal reaction of the individual is their way of coping and trying to stay as impartial from their attitude as much as you can.

Try and concentrating on your breathing, listening to the words of the person speaking rather then their tone and taking a moment before replying in order to gather your thoughts. Staying mindful can alter your perception of the situation by giving you more clarity and control of your emotions and reactions to situations.

However, if it becomes too stressful i suggest to take a break from the situation, detaching yourself from the event and try and asses what your feeling and what to do next. Some organisation's have procedures in place for such situations such as escalating the situation to a manager. Remember you dont have to handle the siutation on your own.

I hope i have helped answer your questions

@janedoe2 It really depends on a individual basis. The thing we can keep in mind is trying to maintain repetition and consistency in order for our body to start accepting the behaviour as a natural occurring action as it progressively becomes more instinctive. Ideally you would like to start the day with a positive outlook and direction therefore it is always advantageous to have a mindful activity at the start of the day.

I would recommend making a schedule which you design around the most stressful part of your days in order to counteract any feelings of stress or anxiety. This will ensure that you are checking in with your progression throughout the day and balancing out your mindset.

Staying on top of things will allow you to feel very aware and in control.

When I was working in a particularly stressful work environment I started the practice of going for a walk during my lunch break rather than just having lunch in front of my computer and not taking a break.

The other thing I did was to leave my mobile phone on my desk when I left so I was not contactable by phone or email, (otherwise the moment I walked out the door the phone started ringing), this allowed me to breathe and focus on my walk and surroundings. The short term result was that my blood pressure went from alarmingly high to on the high end of acceptable. unfortunately it was too little to late and I ended up needing to take a break anyway but it was helpful at the time.