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Although stress can be helpful in small amounts and assist you to reach your goals, experiencing too much of it is not good on our physical bodies, and can create a barrier to concentrating. When a stressful event occurs such as a meeting or feeling like we cannot finish a project, our bodies tend to react in a negative way. We may start to feel our heart rate increasing, begin to perspire and our breathing may become shallower. This reaction also causes an increase in cortisol, the stress hormone, which can have long lasting effects if we do not find ways to control it. Whilst stress is unavoidable, there are definitely methods which can help to reduce the impact it plays on our bodies.
Mindfulness has been shown as a great method to help reduce the bodies response to stress. In particular for those at work, it can help individuals disconnect from their environment when they need to, reduce stress, aid with screen fatigue and increase attention on work tasks.
What is mindfulness…
Mindfulness is a form of meditation which focuses on being present in the moment and accepting that stressful events are happening, without judging them. It is about being aware of our thoughts and emotions as they arise, and observing them.
The seven main pillars which are pivotal to mindfulness are:
- Non-judging – attempt to be impartial to your own thoughts.
- Patience – be patient with yourself, things in life happen in their own time.
- Beginner’s mind – a mindset to reinforce that every moment in life is different from the next.
- Trust – trust in yourself and your intuition.
- Non-striving – Who you are is enough, you don’t always need to be striving for that next goal.
- Acceptance – accept your current situation without trying to change it.
- Letting go – Take a step back from the situation and let it go.
If mindfulness is something that you are not familiar with, there are many ways to get started.
The body scan technique
The body scan method can be done by sitting or lying down in a comfortable position. To begin with, it is important to focus on your breathing whilst paying attention to how you are feeling at that present moment. Slowly close your eyes, and take three big deep breaths through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to imagine all the stress you are experiencing leaving your body as you exhale. Once you have finished these three breaths, focus on scanning your entire body, from your toes to the top of your head, noticing any areas of tension.
When you notice an area of tension, it is important to focus on it and using your breath imagine this stress leaving your body whilst you exhale. Continue to scan all regions of your body until reach the top of your head. Once you have covered all areas of the body, focus solely on the rise and fall of your chest. Noticing the sound you make when you breath, and the feeling as your chest wall expands on inhalation and reduces on exhalation.
After focusing on your breath, once again take notice of how you are feeling. Without judgement, just be aware of how you are feeling in this present moment. If you need to, you can rescan your body or just focus on a particular region which may be still holding stress. Remember to use your breathing and in particular exhalation to rid yourself of any remaining stress. Gently, once you feel there is not stress or areas of tension left, slowly open your eyes.
Mindfulness can also be practiced outside of meditation and there are many ways to do this. One method is to be mindful when eating or drinking.
Mindfulness eating and drinking
The next time you make yourself a cup of tea or coffee, really focus on the process. Notice the smell of the coffee beans as you grind them or the tea leaves as they steep in hot water. Really take note of the colours and textures as you pour milk or cream into your drink. Pay attention to how it feels to hold the mug; does it feel warm or cold, is it smooth to touch or have a rough edge. Finally, as you take that first sip, really savour the flavour and texture of your drink. Try to be aware of how it feels as it travels down your throat and warms your stomach. Mindfulness eating can also be practiced at meal times by taking note of all the different colours on your plate, the smells coming from your food and really savouring the taste as you eat.
Another mindfulness technique which can be practiced both in and out of the office is ‘grounding’.
Grounding
Grounding refers to being aware of your surroundings and really focusing on the here and now
A good way to ground yourself is by focusing on your senses. For example, what can you see around you? What colours do you notice? What can you hear? If there are any smells, what are they? And finally, what can you feel? Is the chair comfortable? Can you feel your feet on the floor ? The aim of this exercise is to really focus on the present moment and your surroundings and to try and block out any intrusive thoughts. If you notice, for any reason that you are experiencing intrusive thoughts, just acknowledge they are happening, do not judge and try and bring yourself back to the present moment. Over time and with further practice of mindfulness it does become easier to let them go and focus on the meditation.
Mindfulness can also be practiced through many different activities, as it refers to a mindset of remaining present in whatever we are doing in the current moment. An example which is commonly used to reinforce a mindful mindset is colouring in.
Mindfulness colouring
Colouring in can be a form of mindfulness as it forces the individual to focus on the task at hand. Much like meditation, it reduces intrusive thoughts through focusing on the present activity. Just like all mindfulness activities, if these distracting thoughts do enter your mind, just acknowledge them and try to let them go by focusing back on colouring. Mindfulness colouring has been shown to improve focus, sleep and motor development. You can utilise any old colouring in book for this type of activity, however there are many dedicated mindfulness colouring in books on the markets these days which are created purely for those practising mindfulness.
Mindfulness with music
Sometimes practising mindfulness in pure silence can be challenging and introducing music such as classical or relaxation can help to improve focus.
Choose meditation music that will assist you to relax, and then get into a comfortable position. Whether that be sitting upright in an office chair, or lying on a rug under a desk. Make sure you close your eyes if you feel comfortable to do so. Start by focusing on your breathing; deep breaths through your nose and out through your mouth whilst imaging your body relaxing more and more each time you exhale. Try to remain focused on the music, bringing your attention back to the music if you feel yourself getting distracted by unwanted thoughts. Notice the volume of the music, the way it makes you feel, the tone of the singers voice or the instruments used. The aim of this practice is to just quiet you inner voice whilst you continue to relax.
So, these are just a few mindfulness techniques which can be practiced both in and out of the office. Remember, it is important to find what works for you as we all have different needs.
Through mindfulness, we can learn to control our reactions to stressful situations and events. The aim is not to suppress our emotions or ignore them, but rather to acknowledge them and then let them go.
It is important to note that mindfulness is a practice and not something that you will become good at overnight. It takes time and patience to master, but with regular practice it can be an extremely effective way of reducing stress.