Tips to Being Mindful at Work
Mindfulness training isn’t about the time you meditate on a cushion or a chair. It is about learning to be aware in each moment of your life so you can purposely respond to that moment, not simply react out of habit or fear.
The good news is that you can bring mindful awareness into everyday moments without adding any more demands on your already too-packed schedule at work via intentional, aware pauses. It isn’t simply about stopping. It’s about noticing what is here to be noticed when you do stop. And it is about redirecting your attention when it takes off into your future or your past in often unhelpful ways.
These intentional pauses allow you to step off your daily treadmill to find some space in your day to make more conscious choices.
5 Ways to Be Mindful at Work
With each intentional pause below, practice noticing when your attention drifts, and then redirect it back to the present moment.
- Choose to start your day rather than letting the day start you with an overwhelming list of tasks. Begin each day by noticing the sensations of the breath for a few breaths before jumping out of bed and into your day.
- Use transitions intentionally. Choose some days to drive to and from work without the radio or your phone. When you arrive at your destination, allow yourself a few moments to sit in the car, noticing the breath and deregulating from your day.
- Nourish yourself by mindfully eating your lunch, paying attention to the colors, taste, and smells of the food rather than that next work project you feel you should be working on.
- Simply walk between meetings—no emails or texts—feeling your feet on the floor and the air on your skin, with the possibility of greeting colleagues you generally pass rather than bumping into them while you text!
- Sit at your desk while your computer is turning on, noticing the sensations in the body as you sit, calmly and purposefully getting ready for your day.