Look after yourself at work and be mindful

Brighton and Hove is proudly one of the fastest growing SME cities in the UK. But for many businesses
Aideen Smith-WatsonAideen Smith-Watson
Aideen Smith-Watson

the constant pressure to perform wears on even the most passionate individuals, with many common business problems and challenges feeding anxiety and heightening stress levels.

Technology has transformed the way that we work, making it possible for us to work anywhere and everywhere.

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As a result the “always on” culture can exacerbate the stresses and anxieties caused by having too many demands on our time and attention, placing us on a permanent state of reactive alert where we have very little time to revive and switch off which leads to emotional, physical and mental burn out.

No matter which area of your life you are looking to achieve high performance in, it is our mental toughness rather than our physical or technical expertise which enables us to stand out from the crowd.

Resilience is the ability to hold our nerve and deliver under intense pressure and consistently turn it on even when you don’t feel at your best.

Highly resilient people respond to challenges with flexibility, bounce back from challenges, and even find opportunities within workplace stress. There is ample research and personal testimony that shows how mindfulness training can benefit employers and teams. How diverse industries are leveraging mindfulness to create happier and healthier employees who are more engaged with their work and have higher commitment to their organisations which therefore creates a more positive culture.

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The good news for employees and organisations is that resilience can be learned and developed.

So, if peace of mind isn’t enough motivation to pursue mindfulness, think of it as a competitive advantage.

Being in the moment, focused on the here and now, is not an easy feat with deadlines looming overyour shoulder.

However, when we create space in our day to drop into the present, we’re more likely to gain perspective and see that we have the power to regulate our response to pressure.

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Technology can be used to incorporate mindfulness into your day - using the sound of bells and rings (e.g. text; email chimes) as “bells of mindfulness” to take three slow deep breaths. Or, you can schedule mindfulness into your calendar – to set an appointment with yourself!

Practice mindfulness in your breaks between tasks. Stretch, take deep breaths, or go for a mindful walk - even if it’s just to the loo and back!

Aideen Smith-Watson is the founder of Lifeblueprint, www.lifeblueprint.co.uk