8 Ways To Promote Mindfulness In The Workplace

Mindfulness can help us enjoy life more and understand ourselves better. Here are a few steps you can take to develop your own mindfulness in every aspect of life.

1. Make A Commitment To Practice
   The first step is to become more aware of being aware. At first this may been strange, however it's important to remember that mindfulness is the art of being an observer of yourself – your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. So it's very important that you make a commitment to take the time to practice. Imagine yourself looking at yourself from the outside in – could you just slow down a minute and breathe?
   
2. Take Things Slow
   If you usually move at a quick pace from the start of your day, focus on slowing yourself down. Even if you have a lot to do in a short amount of time, you can control the racing to-do list in your mind. Try creating a list and slowly tick things off; prioritising tasks and taking breaks in between in order to reward yourself for achieving goals.
   
3. Start Each Day With A Few Minutes Of Conscious Awareness
   Breathing is the key to enhancing your awareness, instead of jumping right out of bed and kick-starting your morning routine, take a few moments to notice how you feel and consciously set your intentions for the day. This is very important if you commute to work as commuting can be a valuable time to be mindful.
   
4. Remember To Listen To Others
   This requires you to shift your energy to somebody else and take the focus away from yourself and your mental to-do-list. Even if it's just for a few minutes, be genuinely interested in what other people have to say. Welcome positive comments and reflection and be conscious of avoiding negative chit-chat. It's important to encourage others, because in doing so you'll help to create a proactive mindset for yourself.
   
5. Think About Other People
   In addition to listening to others, it's also important to consider ways to recognise the accomplishments of your co-workers and think about their needs and struggles. You can start small by practicing simple acts of empathy and kindness; small steps like this could have significant impacts. Remember they have loads to do too, so any lessening of their load and struggles will be greatly appreciated. Also remember that when engaging with others, try to understand them first before you seek to be understood.
   
6. Pay Extra Attention To Your Body Language
   The way we use our bodies has a power effect on improving or diminishing our attention levels. For example, if you sit hunched at a desk, in addition to causing physical health issues, it can also mentally reduce the scope of you peripheral vision.
   
   Certain items of body language can make you look closed off to those around you, for example consider the effect of crossing your arms across your body; it creates a barrier between you and those around you. By sitting or standing in this way, you could make people feel nervous about approaching you. How people feel on the inside often translates to the outside through body language, so make sure that you take pride in your appearance, look professional, friendly, and approachable, sitting or standing up tall.
   
7. Reflection
   Find some time at the end of your workday or in the evening for self-reflection. It's challenging to do this without judgment - but try to simply reflect without over-analysing or giving yourself a hard time.
   
8. Use Design to Assist Your Mindfulness Journey
   Having some space to get away from it all can certainly improve your wellbeing and in turn help you on your journey to become more mindful. Design can assist you on this journey, for example acoustically treated meeting pods are a great way to take yourself away for a moment to reflect and work calmly without completely closing the door on what's going on around you.