4 Ways to Practice Mindfulness at Work

It’s frequently assumed that wellness and work are mutually exclusive. Afterall, oftentimes when we think of work, we think of a busy schedule, stress, and strict deadlines.

In contrast, when we think of wellness, we think of a positive state of well-being and tranquility. It is often thought that working hard means always “being on” and taking little to no breaks is a sign of a dedicated worker.

While that may be true in some cases, it is more likely that you will produce better quality work if you take just a few minutes a day to yourself to decompress.

Wellness and work do not necessarily need to be mutually exclusive. There are many ways to practice wellness while at work.

1. Take mindful breaks.

An optimal way to get the most out of a day’s work is to take mindfulness breaks.

Practicing mindfulness allows you to become more grounded and detached from the stresses that work brings, so you can focus on fundamental aspects of wellness such as deep breathing and acknowledging the objects and sounds around you.

You don’t even need to close your eyes – just try to find a quieter place. Begin by doing deep breathing exercises and imagining a peaceful scenario. This doesn’t need to last long to be effective: just a few 5-minute increments throughout the day.

2. Make the most of your lunch break.

Instead of going straight to checking the latest Instagram or Twitter post, take this time to eat your lunch with few distractions. It may be tempting to jump on social media, but for many of us, we already spend plenty of our day looking at a screen.

Also, during lunch time, we often find ourselves scarfing down our food, just to get back to what needs to be done. Instead, take the allotted time to really savor your food and acknowledge your surroundings.

3. Practice gratitude.

It can be easy to be swept into the competitive – and consequently toxic – mindset of work. We may find ourselves comparing our work style or the amount of work that we can get done in a certain time period to others.

While having competition can sometimes be a healthy motivator, it can often turn into an obsession. Constantly comparing yourself and your work to that of your peers or colleagues will only end up hurting you in the long run.

Take time during the day to reflect on what you’re grateful for and to recognize the value of the hard work that you put in.

4. Make work-related wellness goals.

We so often focus on how far we want to go in our company or profession. What we fail to recognize is the importance of setting work-related wellness goals. For example, If you are not well versed in the practice of mindfulness, you may find yourself easily distracted.

Making a goal to become more in-tune with your mind and emotions while in your work environment is one way to work towards a more peaceful environment as a whole.

Goals are necessary and help to keep us on track, and work-related wellness goals are just as important and valuable as career-related goals.

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