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Contributed by Beth Rush
Sitting in stillness may not sound like the optimal way to accelerate your career. However, recent research shows contemplative practices increase focus, a quality you need to excel. How can you tune into the power of meditation at work?
It’s easier than you think — and understanding why meditation is so effective encourages you to participate. It may even transform your workplace as it has many schools. Here’s how to use the power of meditation to advance your career, improve office relationships and feel more calm, centered and focused during the daily grind.
The benefits of meditation at work are so profound that it’s amazing more companies don’t have quiet pods equipped with zafus, yoga mats and aromatherapy misters. Here’s what you can reap from bringing this practice into your workplace — although you might have to keep your routine a bit more low-key.
While stress can spur you to action, too much
is paralyzing. Excess tension leads to elevated stress hormone levels. The
imbalance can manifest in health woes, especially if you habitually take on an
undue emotional labor burden, putting your team’s needs above your own.
Pay attention and consider practicing meditation at work if you frequently experience the following mental or physical symptoms:
Today’s fast-paced business world often
demands you make speedy decisions, something that’s harder to do when you can’t
focus. You need to narrow your attention to the matter at hand,
compartmentalizing other concerns, which becomes increasingly challenging the
more you have on your mind.
Meditation at work can serve as a valuable tool to assist with this. For example, you may take two to five minutes to visualize yourself packing up external concerns and locking them away in a secure box until you handle the matter at hand. Doing so can adjust your mindset sufficiently to tune out stimuli that only distract you from the present issue.
Meditation gently shifts your thought
patterns, and your feelings often follow. Research indicates that regular
meditation eases the symptoms of various mental disorders, such as
anxiety, PTSD, social anxiety disorder and depression.
Meditation gives your brain a quiet space to
make new neural connections. This growth spurs greater creativity and
innovation as you examine problems from new angles and find alternative
workarounds to seeming roadblocks.
Meditation builds empathy, the deep realization that all the tumultuous emotions and external stimuli that influence your thoughts and behaviors do the same to other people. In this kinship, you find forgiveness and grace, becoming more accepting of other people’s actions and limitations, facilitating open communication and more honest relationships.
When your mind is clear and you’re able to make decisions, find new ways around problems and get along with colleagues, work gets done more easily. You find yourself flying through projects that once stymied you, thanks to your calm, mindful approach.
If you’re truly bold, bring in a meditation
cushion and a curtain for your cubicle. However, meditation at work doesn’t
require props. All you truly need is five minutes where you can sit quietly
and breathe. Here are some suggestions for how to use that quiet, contemplative
time.
Given the many benefits of meditation at work,
should it become a standard practice in office complexes? Could a collective
session inspire greater teamwork and productivity across all staff members?
Experiments in schools that have replaced detention with meditation have seen drastic decreases in disciplinary action and improved attendance. Most bosses would love the same for their teams.
Getting adults to buy in can seem harder, but you might be surprised. For example, Francesca Ferri, finance manager at the creative agency Art Partner, reports the hour she spends meditating multiplies in value because of the powerful effect on her performance. While gaining initial interest may seem hard, organizations that include regular meditation sessions as part of their meetings may reap significant benefits.
You may not get your employer to buy into
group meditation sessions or purchase dedicated pods. However, you can still
harness the benefits of meditation at work by using the techniques described
above.
Doing so has multiple benefits, from easing stress to improving your relationships with your colleagues.
Try meditating at work for the next few weeks and mindfully observe the difference.
by Beth Rush • Managing Editor at Body+Mind
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