Our jobs can be meaningful, but they can also be a source of significant stress and anxiety. Here are some simple ways to reduce the impact workplace stress can have on your mind and body.
Mindfulness — paying attention to the present moment in a kind, gentle and curious way — is a simple practice that has been shown to be helpful for reducing stress, including at work. Most of the time, our minds are wandering — worrying or dreaming about the future, or dwelling on the past. Mindfulness brings us back to the present moment, and gives us the tools we need to be less stressed, calmer and kinder to ourselves and others.
We can make conscious choices about how distracted we will allow ourselves to be all day long There are simple steps you can take to give yourself a better chance of being fully present:
Switch off notifications.
Answer emails during dedicated periods of time, rather than constantly throughout the day as soon as it pops into your inbox.
Finish one task before you begin the next.
When you are experiencing a stressful moment, the S.T.O.P mindfulness exercise can be helpful.
Stop. Just take a pause.
Take a breath. Feel the sensation of your own breathing, which brings you back to the present moment.
Observe. Acknowledge all that is happening, inside you or out, in a non-judgmental manner. Name the emotions you feel, and what those feelings may be telling you.
Proceed. Having briefly checked in with the present moment, continue with whatever you were doing, with new insight on the best way to proceed.
Take a Mindful Pause:
Mindful practices don’t have to be long; they can be short intentional pauses during the day. When you have to wait for a few moments, rather than take out your phone and check your email, try a Mindful Pause:
Take a moment to check in with your body. What does it feel like to take one breath? How does it feel to stand, or sit, with the weight of your body supported by the chair or floor?
If your mind wanders, come back to the sensations in your body.
And when you’re ready, proceed with your day.
Wishing you a mindful week!
Be well,
Paula
Dr Paula Robertson is a mom and a paediatrician with over twenty years' experience working with children and young people. www.paulathedoctormom.com
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