How we live and how happy mindfulness we are with our lives, both at the personal and professional levels depends a lot on our ability to control and channel our emotions. Negative emotions pull us back by diverting our energy away from productive behaviors and activities that lead to unwanted stress buildup and anxiety and spoils the joys of living. Stress damages our physical and mental health and prevents us from achieving the goals of lives, which causes frustration and disappointment, which if allowed to persist, can have damaging effects on life.
The inability to control emotions robs us of the ability to focus on the positive elements of life as we are unable to sense and feel the moment we are living, which is the cause of all misery. The only way to get out of the scary situation is to practice mindfulness that enables us to identify negative emotions and eliminate them to lead a healthy life.
Mindfulness- Explained by Jonah Engler
Mindfulness is the practice of controlling our minds, which enhances our ability to be intense. Aware of what we are feeling and sensing at the moment, without being judgmental. The technique of practicing mindfulness revolves around meditation, also known as mindfulness meditation. That has its origins in Buddhist meditation practiced for thousands of years. All meditation techniques have one thing in common – it helps to shift your thoughts away from usual preoccupation so that you can focus on the moment. To appreciate it and create a larger than life perspective, says Jonah Engler. Meditation has a holistic effect on the body and mind by improving physical and psychological symptoms. That create a feeling of well-being.
Developing self-awareness is the underlying philosophy of mindfulness as you become highly aware of every moment you go through. You will feel an increased sense of awareness of your environment and yourself. You will be aware of your thoughts and feelings but stay indifferent to it by avoiding being judgmental. Developmental resilience and refrain from quick emotional responses as you experience enhanced emotional intelligence that equips you with the ability to manage your emotions externally and internally.
Importance of mindfulness at the workplace
Besides the psychological benefits of practicing mindfulness, it also leaves a positive impact on individuals at the workplace. It helps to create a healthy workplace by addressing various aspects. That constitutes a healthy workplace, including relationships, well-being, and creativity.
Well-being–Organizations are more and more paying attention to employee well-being because of the costs arising from unhealthy employees. Employee stress and mental health have close connections to presentism, absenteeism, lack of productivity, and turnover. Which can all be very costly for organizations. In the last decade, the number of sick days lost by organizations. To serious mental health issues have become almost double, and most of the sickness-related absence is tied to mental health.
Well-being emanates from the ability to deal with difficult situations by staying resilient. Which is critical to ensure good mental health. Employees with a high level of resilience can respond effectively to difficult situations. Which has a positive effect on well-being, burnout, and stress. Some other research has shown that employees practicing mindfulness. Have higher levels of well-being achieved through better work-life balance, improved emotional resilience, and better job performance.
Workplace Hinges
Relationships – Employee happiness at workplace hinges around healthy working relationships. Positive working relationships lead to building more productive teams that ultimately increase productivity based on altruistic behavior. Many studies have shown that improved workplace relationship is a product of mindfulness. Interestingly, the link between the two extended beyond the workplace. To more satisfying personal relationships when interacting with others and underlined by enhanced empathy and sympathy.
Developing strong workplace relationships is critical for organizational leaders. Leaders must have the ability to acknowledge the environment and their thoughts. So that they can avoid an emotional reaction and instead present an informed response. This is especially critical when handling change or dealing with stress.
Creativity – Creativity is at the heart of innovation as well as problem-solving. All product developments and process developments are the results of creativity, without which life would face stagnation. Only when a person is in control of his or her mind. That creative thought can flow in, and many studies show the link between mindfulness and creativity. Controlling emotions allow people to experience less stress, which encourages more creativity. Mindfulness can kindle the creative instincts in people as they benefit from increased focus and receptiveness to new ideas.
Practicing mindfulness at the workplace
It will be a mistake to assume that you could meditate at your workplace in your pursuit of mindfulness. The ways of practicing mindfulness at the workplace are different, and it happens. Through training programs for employees, depending on the organizational goals.
Facilitated programs – These are traditional training programs led by facilitators or teachers that run for several weeks. In addition to attending classes as per schedule, employees must practice mindfulness on their own. Although many times this might not be a feasible option both for employees and organizations, it is a great way to impart structured training to employees.
Webinars – Webinars are virtual training sessions that simulate facilitator-led programs. Being virtual, webinars provide flexibility to the participants as well as organizers due to its scalability. Besides being low cost, webinars give employees a greater sense of confidentiality. On the flip side, participants of webinars are less accountable, and engagement level might also be lower than physical training programs. Moreover, technical issues can affect program delivery.
Self-learning–Employees enjoy greater autonomy in training when participating in digital programs. The programs can be scheduled or delivered on-demand. Low-cost delivery and a high degree of flexibility are the most notable benefits of digital training programs. However, there might be issues with lasting effectiveness and engagement.
Practicing mindfulness is beneficial for employees as well as organizations ranging from improved relationships. At the workplace to improved psychological health. When organizing training for employees, organizations must ensure that the benefits derived from the training align with the organizational goals.