Meditation for Work
Our 9 to 5 pays the bills, and we spend a lot of our hours here and in a way, it also adds meaning to our lives. However, the tight deadlines, long days, awkward discussions, and challenging conversations can cause considerable stress. Employment can be stressful no matter what role you have. Meditation while working can be helpful and beneficial. Whether your organization does have a stress relief mechanism or not, there are easy steps you can take to lessen the effects of occupational stress on your mind and body. Workplace stress, anxiety, and exhaustion are all common occurrences in today’s time. For people who have the question as to ‘is it possible to meditate while working?’ Absolutely, your workplace can be a great place to practise mindfulness and meditation. Meditating while working can help us concentrate, be more patient, have more energy, and be more productive. At a time when so many of us spend so much of our time at work, the office might be the most convenient and reliable place to fit meditation into our schedules! Learn how meditating at work can make your job happier, healthier, and more efficient. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started.
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How to Meditate at Work
The thing that makes Meditation peculiar is because it only takes your undivided attention and nothing else.
Have a tiring and stressful day? Spend a few minutes focusing on your breath before returning to the present moment when you’re ready. If you are not able to take a break, meditation can be of help for that too. Grab a few deep breaths and, when you’re ready, return to your work with tender focus.
If you want to enjoy the benefits of meditation at work, you must first learn how to meditate. So, here are a few ways to incorporate mindfulness meditation into your workday:
1. Focus on the Sensations and Sounds Around You
Sit straight wherever you are with your hands on your lap and your foot on the floor. Deepen your breathing and carefully focus on the rise and fall of your abdomen and chest. Take a minute or so, and whenever your mind wanders, return your attention to your being. Then check the body from head to toe, stopping to acknowledge areas of relaxation and tension. Take your sweet time; no need to rush.
When you are back, concentrate your attention on the sounds and noises around you and hear everything that strikes your ear. Please take a few minutes to experience the atmosphere and dive into it. Slowly return the attention to your breath and open your eyes, feeling totally refreshed. The technique gives you an incredible feeling of being grounded and relaxed.
2. For a Quick Refreshment, Using a Popular Meditation App
When things don’t happen the way you want them to, it is completely rational to get frustrated. But that is often accompanied by an irrational or rather a pervasive sense of isolation – as if “I” am the only person suffering or making mistakes. Not saying that your suffering and mistake are small or big, but all humans suffer. The very definition of being “human” means that one is mortal, vulnerable, and imperfect. Therefore, practising self-compassion plays a vital role. The medication of self-compassion involves recognizing that suffering and personal flaws are part of the shared human experience, something that all humans go through and not something that happens to “me” alone.
3. Take a Few Breaths Before Jumping Into Your Activities List
Give yourself a few moments to count your breaths. Take five deep, audible breaths, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Shut your eyes on the first inhale and open them on the last exhale. When you’re done, take a few moments to tune into your body before returning your focus to the tasks at hand.
4. Try Walking Meditation
Find a quiet spot outside of your office to close your eyes and feel your surroundings. Bring your attention to your feet, ankles, legs, lower back, hips, back, elbows, and forearms while standing still. Allow yourself as much time as you need to acknowledge the areas as you pass up your body.
Now, slowly open your eyes and begin brisk walking. Pay attention to which parts of your body are engaged in each basic movement, and try to lose yourself in the sensation. Continue in this manner until you are calm and relaxed. You can relieve excess stress and gently stretch your muscles with this simple technique.
5. Visualize a Happy Place
Stop what you’re doing for a moment and imagine yourself in a position that makes you happy. It’s up to you if this location is actual or imaginary. Slow your breathing and mentally explore the place, keeping your imagination open to new possibilities. Stay as long as you like, and then return to your office when you’re ready.
Benefits Of Workplace Meditation
You are likely to benefit from implementing meditation at work if your workplace deals with pressure, mental health problems, etc. Mindfulness meditation at work provides a wide range of health and well-being benefits that can positively impact you.
Let us take a look at some of the benefits of how meditation helps with work:
1. Less Stress
When stress is left untreated, it can lead to chronic stress or burnout. Both of which have many physical and mental health consequences. Meditating is a simple way to reduce stress and tension in the workplace quickly. Just a 10-minute meditation break can help employees clear their minds and feel more relaxed.
2. More Focus and Productivity
Mind-wandering is reduced, and concentration is increased after only one 15 minutes session of meditation. Imagine if we could use the benefits of meditation at work to improve our productivity: the more focused we are, the more effective our work would be.
3. Easier Teamwork
Workplace meditation has a positive effect on employees. They are happy to work more collaboratively and are more compassionate at work. Meditation for work also reduced aggression and irritability. It can also help turn things around if there is a lack of trust and poor communication among the team members.
4. Improved Job Satisfaction and Engagement
Mindfulness and workplace engagement have a good relationship. Studies have shown that meditation while working has improved job satisfaction dramatically. Mindfulness encourages the attributes that contribute to increased job satisfaction and commitment, such as strengthened relationships with employers, less tension, and increased emotional balance and positivity.
5. Workplace Relationships
Social contact and professional connections are critical health and well-being facets of employees. Meditation during work done in a group is a simple way to encourage social contact and a sense of belonging. Additionally, mindfulness meditation at work has been shown to enhance a person’s ability to maintain healthy relationships by cultivating a more optimistic outlook and attitude.
6. Decision-Making
As meditation for work helps alleviate stress and anxiety, it can help increase employees’ decision-making abilities. Practising conscientiousness teaches the brain to focus more closely and to reflect more on the given circumstances.
7. Sustainability
Mindfulness helps in the development of sustainability. Teaching stress management coping skills, such as frequent meditation, enables employees to handle emotional triggering or stress efficiently at work in a much better way.
8. Memory
Meditation directly affects the brain’s function and structure, altering it in ways that tend to enhance attention span, concentration, and memory.
9. Leadership
Employers will benefit from engaging in daily meditation while working, too, in addition to the positive effects it has on employees. Meditation will improve their workplace presence and help them become a more decisive leader for their team by growing self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and positivity.
10. Mental Wellbeing
Research has shown that meditation while working has been a great help to cope with anxiety, depression, and emotional distress. It assists in the regulation of our emotions. We learn how to respond peacefully, thoughtfully, and empathetically when confronted with stress and difficulties as we do workplace meditation and become more familiar with negative thoughts and emotions that occur due to difficult circumstances (which can be particularly valuable in the workplace).
Tips For Meditation During Work
Workplace tension is on a hike, with email, intra-office chat systems, and social media all fighting for our attention and even spilling over into the hours that used to be your time off.
First, set aside some time each day for meditation, preferably at the same time every day.
Try to arrange some time earlier in the day to reschedule if you have a last-minute clash.
Next, search out a quiet place; it could be an empty conference room, a soundproof room, a nearby park, or even your car if space is limited.
It makes no difference where you go as long as it’s quiet and there are fewer distractions.
Close email apps and turn off digital alerts while we’re on the topic of distractions.
Most people in most professions can take out a 10 to 15 minutes break from work without any problem.
You may be reluctant to do this in your workplace, but it’s a necessary move if you want to get the most out of it.
Think it this way: spending 10 or 15 minutes at work meditating would make you more productive and effective at your job in the long run.
If your office’s location and the weather allow you to go for a walk outside, try walking meditations, which will help you take a brief, productive break in the middle of your work shift.
Lastly…
Meditation at work, mainly, can do magic to your health and happiness. You can try various methods, and it’s just a matter of time when you’re through figuring out which ones work best for you. Whatever approach you like, make it a routine, and you’ll notice a difference in no time.