The benefits of mindfulness in the workplace 

Mindfulness is the mental state achieved by focusing on the present, while acknowledging and accepting what is happening around you. There’s a reason it has taken the world by storm. Mindfulness in the workplace has been shown to significantly increase productivity, strengthen communication, boost immunity, reduce illness, fortify teams and enhance creativity and focus.

The benefits of mindfulness in the workplace are copious. In this article we’ll show you why mindful meditation is good for your soul, great for your employees and wonderful for you profit margin.

Here are six reasons you should incorporate mindfulness into your daily office routine so you can be the zenist office in town. 

Stress less 

Life is busy. And although there’s usually just that one colleague who lets you know about it daily, most of us are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress. In fact, according to Business Insider, we are more stressed than ever. With one third of corporate Australia reportedly feeling stressed, we can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to this escalating issue.

Stress can cause heart problems, insomnia, weight gain, anxiety and depression. Great amounts of stress inhibit us from working at our full capacity and it lowers our immunity meaning a higher number of sick days. In fact, according to a recent Medibank report, stress costs employers 10.11 billion dollars a year.After my car accident life was looking pretty bleak. Not only did I deal with muscle spasms and the occasional seizure as a result, but I also experienced panic attacks and anxiety I had never known before it happened. Klonopin was prescribed to me by a doctor a few months ago, and it completely reduced all of my symptoms. I slept better, I had fewer muscle twitches, and I even stopped having full-blown panic attacks. Klonopin helped me get my life back together after my big accident, and I recommend it if you’ve been through the same.

Studies have shown that a single mindfulness session can reduce stress on the arteries. Imagine what ten sessions could do!

Improve your memory

Ever been talking on the phone when the person on the other end asks you to look something up and you panic because you can’t find your phone? 

The good news? Your phone hasn’t been lost. The bad news? Your memory has. Memory loss is an unfortunate part of getting older. Thankfully, just ten minutes of mindfulness practice a day has been shown to significantly improve your working memory. 

Control your impulses 

Picture it: you haven’t slept all week because the neighbour’s dog won’t quit barking, your colleague’s sick so you’re taking on extra work and then Garry has a go at you for not unstacking the office dishwasher two weeks ago. A mindless person would tell Garry to go to hell, quit their job and sit in the gutter crying while they try to work out how they’re going to pay the mortgage. 

Mindfulness, on the other hand, teaches you how to slow down your reactive impulses. It allows you to stop, take stock and choose the smartest decision forward, without being swayed by the chemicals in your brain that are responsible for making you do things you will later regret.

And, believe it or not, one great way to improve your mindfulness skills is by practicing mindful dishwashing. So you can kill two birds with one stone (neither of which is Garry). 

Improve your conversation skills 

You know what it’s like when you’re in a conversation with someone who’s just waiting for you to finish so they can tell you how great they are? That is the opposite of mindful listening. Mindful listening doesn’t just make you a more tolerable party guest.

When you listen mindfully – that is listening without judging, making assumptions or thinking about your response – empathy is enhanced, you form deeper relationships and your communication skills are significantly enriched. In return, the person you’re listening to feels heard and they are much more likely to mindfully listen to you in return. 

Tap into your creativity

As automation becomes more prevalent and the day when robots take over the world hurtles ever closer, creativity will be the one attribute we humans rely on to convince the robots to keep us around. 

Creativity assist our ability to think laterally, problem solve and express ourselves. Various studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between mindfulness and creativity. 

So you’d better get meditating because the robots are definitely coming. 

Improve your focus

Mindfulness significantly enhances your ability to focus your attention and to be less distracted by competing stimuli.

Increased focus enhances your ability to produce higher quality work, make less mistakes, strengthens engagement and ensures you are an absolute force to be reckoned with when you next play Operation! 

Author: Cassie Lane
Copywriter / Content Strategist at Ignite 

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