3 Ways to Practice Mindfulness While Working Remotely
Mindfulness and well-being have become trending topics in the corporate world. The reason why is simple: Growing stress in our personal and professional lives is palpable and real.
Recent events related to COVID-19 have increased levels of stress and anxiety in the workplace, as people are concerned about the pandemic’s impact on their health, financial stability, and all other spheres of their lives. Companies and employees around the globe are changing their culture and way of doing things dramatically, and there’s a rising uncertainty.
As humans, leaders, and employees, we’re always trying to find solutions. We look for strategies to work productively with our family around us, change the way we now socialize with one another, and adapt to new routines. These triggers in us a constant search for self-healing techniques that can help us remember our natural state of happiness and health so that we can respond to all of these challenges more effectively.
And in the current climate, we realize that mindfulness is more than just a trend — it’s actually an answer to the balance and self-awareness that we’re all searching for.
But what is mindfulness? How can one practice it? What benefits will it provide? If you’re already asking yourself those questions, you’re on the right path.
There are many approaches and definitions of what mindfulness is, so instead of quoting many authors here and giving you a long-winded explanation, I’d rather you start your mindfulness experience with a little piece of chocolate.
Before putting the chocolate in your mouth, look for a nice spot at home that you enjoy, and take three deep breaths. Unwrap the chocolate and feel it in your hand. Hold it and let it get warm in your palm for a minute or two. Go ahead and smell it slowly.Try to bring all your attention and senses to this experience. Look carefully at the chocolate before putting it in your mouth. Once you start tasting it, close your eyes. Notice how the chocolate feels on your taste buds. Take a moment to note all your senses that are engaged. Feel how the piece of chocolate slides down your throat, and once you swallow the chocolate, analyze how you feel.
By performing this activity, you’re answering the question of what mindfulness is. Mindfulness is bringing your attention to the present, with open awareness and no judgement. When we’re not being present, we become victims to our time. We feel frustrated thinking about the past and anxious about the future.
When we practice mindfulness, we reprogram our brain to take notice of what’s going on around us.Our focus isn’t on what happened yesterday or on the groceries and toilet paper that we need to shop for later. Our focus is on the present moment.
And when we think about why being mindful at work can be beneficial for us, our colleagues, and our company, the answer is simple: We typically spend a large portion of our days (and probably even our lives) working. By bringing awareness and mindfulness to our work, we become more productive, make better decisions, and we pay more attention to the important things.
Of course, during times of uncertainty and high stress like the current situation with COVID-19, eating a piece of chocolate can be perceived as a banal activity to be mindful at work. So what else can we do?
Besides following #WrikeAtHome tips on LinkedIn –which can help you practice mindfulness when working remotely — I’ve listed some other actions you can take. Whatever you choose to be mindful about, make sure it resonates with you. Otherwise, it’ll just become another task you need to perform.
1. Spend quality time with yourself
Now that we’re all spending more time at home, make sure to spend some of it reminding yourself to stay in the present. Try the chocolate exercise and instead use coffee, tea, breakfast, or whatever else you feel like.
Don’t be afraid to ask yourself how you’re doing, as connecting with your feelings is healthy and needed. Pay attention to when you’re feeling angry, happy, or sad. Ask yourself what triggers that emotion and get to know your personality better with inner observation.
There are also many personality tests that can help you understand your feelings, reactions, and learning patterns and provide detailed analyses of what personal areas you need to focus on.
By knowing who we are, how we react, and what we like or dislike, we improve ourselves to become better friends, partners, and, of course, employees and leaders. And whenever you find yourself lost in your own thoughts, overthinking everything, or in autopilot mode, pause to take five deep breaths, stretch your body, and smell your favorite scent. Reconnect with yourself. Once you feel present again, continue with what you were doing.
2. Focus on your purpose
We all have the ability to transform our work into something that really fulfills us, instead of looking at it as something we do just to get paid for. We can turn our own job — and our current remote work situation — into something that brings us joy, peace, and gratitude.
Even if this sounds too philosophical, try to find what moves you. Some people
will find their purpose in the adrenaline of making sales, helping customers to solve problems, or filling a job position that suits a specific candidate. Try to think about what motivates you to do what you do.
In these unprecedented times, remind yourself of the bigger picture and how you’re helping your organization succeed through your efforts. Find your sense of belonging at work. No matter what type of work you do, you’ll impact real people with your work. Make it your mission to improve the lives of everyone you come in contact with and create a positive atmosphere, even if the only connection you have with them is virtual.
Having a clear purpose that you can focus your energy and attention on can help you reduce negative emotions like nervousness, irritability, and general daily stress.
3. Bring your awareness to work everyday
Emotional intelligence is now considered a highly valuable skill for any position. Leaders around the world are being asked to work on their emotional intelligence on a regular basis and practice ways to develop it. And the truth is: We all should.
Self-awareness is one of the key components of emotional intelligence. If you’re self-aware, you know your personality, strengths, and weaknesses. You also use your time more efficiently, as you understand when and how you work best; you understand the impact that your emotions have on others, which helps you be a better colleague and leader.
Journaling can be a great way to develop self-awareness. Getting into the habit of writing about how you feel, what situations trigger certain feelings, and noting your weaknesses and how to improve them will help you understand yourself more.
As we try to ease our anxieties during this pandemic, it’s important to remember that feelings are contagious. We can decide whether to live a life filled with stress, bad habits, remorse, and anxiety while overthinking everything, or we can choose to learn how to be mindful, express our ideas, and work working on our flaws. It’s up to you to take these unprecedented times as an opportunity to be present and grow personally and professionally to be better at work and at home.
