Mindfulness In The Workplace By Jamaal Hawkins

Work life is full of challenges that can drain us and create stress. Office politics, dictatorialbosses, co-workers emotions that you have no control over. An uncertain economy and avolatile job market. Escalating levels of expectations. Too much to do, too little time, not enoughsleep.Most of us are beholden to the income we receive from our jobs, and beyond that, we get upand go to work because we have no real desire to the greater good. Turning away from work isnot an option for most of us, so we throw ourselves into the challenges of the workplace. Someof us are doing well, successful and satisfied. But too many of us are not happy at work. We’restressed out and quite possibly confused. We appear to be effective, but lingering issues likethose above can make work secretly (or not so secretly) a drag. That’s not great for us or forthe people we’re working with. So where do we begin if we want to improve our work life forourselves and for those around us? I suggest starting with the mind. Ask yourself: what is thequality of my mind when I’m at work? What’s happening with my mind during the hours I’m atwork? Is my mind working at its utmost?The mind contains resources and possibilities-for creativity, kindness, compassion, insight, andwisdom. It’s a storehouse for tremendous energy and drive. And yet it can also be a noisyannoyance, an untamed animal, or something that can drag us down. Sometimes we would liketo just shut it off so we can get some work done or have a moment of peace. Yet, our mind isthe one thing we cannot shut off. So why not put it to good use. Through mindfulness, we cantrain our minds to work better.By training us to pay attention moment by moment to where we are and what we’re doing,mindfulness can help us choose how we behave, nudging (or jolting) is out of autopilot mode.Here are a few suggestions on how to bring mindfulness to the workplace. This just won’t giveus some relief from stress; it can actually change, even transform how we work. 1). KEEP AN OPEN MINDDo we really see what is really there, or is what we experience filtered through our own thoughtsand perceptions? Maybe we should check how we’re seeing before we try to change what we’reseeing. First we need to make sure our lens is clear. It can be difficult to be open mindedtowards others, but it can be even more difficult to be open minded with oneself. It takes realtraining. To discover the ways of perceiving, you’re apt to blindly apply, experiment withkeeping yourself curious, attentive, and receptive. Whenever you detect yourself falling into anold, familiar pattern, stop and examine what is actually going on. Notice the physical sensationsin your body; notice the emotions that have bloomed; notice what stories your mind isgenerating that make your body tense and inflame your emotions. But it’s important not todisparage yourself for falling into an old and unhelpful pattern. Recognize the potentiallyexplosive negative charge generated by your body, thoughts, and emotions. Accept that it hasarisen, then make the decision to be in control of it instead of being controlled by it. 2). Learn to respond, rather than react.Inflexible patterns of perceiving inevitably prove too small, too confining, for all that our mindsneed to encompass and accomplish. Inflexible patterns of reacting squeeze the life out of us.Each of us has our own pet scenarios that chafe against our expectations. When they pop up,they threaten to stir up jealousy, anger, defensiveness, mindless striving, and a stew of otherpossibilities. We may end up saying or doing something hurtful, something we’ll regret later andmay have to apologize for. Conversely, when we stop to examine how we typically respond tosituations, we create space for more creative and flexible responses. Ultimately, as we build thehabit of mindfully examining our responses in the moment, mindful awareness becomes ournew default mode. 3). Build Healthy HabitsFor mindfulness to work at work, it helps to have both a formal practice of mindfulness andinformal practices that extend mindfulness into everyday life. Formal practice involves learning abasic mindfulness meditation such as following the breath and practicing it on a regular,preferably daily, schedule. Informal practice, no less important, can literally take place anysecond of the day. It involves nothing more than focusing the mind on whatever is happening inthe present moment, outside of the shopworn patterns we have built up over a lifetime.Mindfulness interrupts the conditioned responses that prevent us from exploring new avenues ofthought, choking our creative potential. Each time we stand up against a habit—whether it’schecking our smartphone during a conversation or reacting defensively to a coworker’s passingremark—we weaken the grip of our conditioning. We lay down new tracks in the brain andfashion new synaptic connections. We become less likely in the future to default to patterns thatcan trap us into being satisfied with ineffective and outmoded strategies. We take steps toimprove not only how we are at work but the work environment itself.In this way, mindfulness is not just personal. It has a contagious quality that will change theculture in an organization—not necessarily in big, sweeping ways but gradually, incrementally.