Mindfulness

Improve Your Employees’ Focus and Attention with Mindfulness

How Mindfulness can help you

Mindfulness has evolved from an ancient Eastern practice and is very relevant for our lives today. Mindfulness is a simple concept; it means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally.

Mindfulness does not conflict with any beliefs or traditions, whether religious, cultural or scientific. It is a practical way of developing sensory acuity, that is, to notice our thoughts, physical sensations, sights, sounds and smells. It allows us to be present in the here and now, to be aware of our thoughts and feelings without identifying with them. The core skills of mindfulness are deceptively simple, yet it is the ‘busyness’ of our minds that is the challenge. For most of us the mind is like an untrained puppy – so in reality developing mindfulness takes a lot of practice! At its heart mindfulness, especially in the workplace, is about developing focus, and training our attention.

According to a report commisioned by The Mental health Foundation into mindfulness and well-being, research suggests that mindfulness gives significant benefits for health, well-being and quality of life in general. People who practise mindfulness are less likely to experience psychological distress, including depression and anxiety. They are less neurotic, more extroverted and report greater well-being and life satisfaction. Practising mindfulness also confers greater awareness, understanding and acceptance of our emotions, and quicker recovery from bad moods. Mindfulness practitioners have less frequent negative thoughts and are more able to let them go when they arise. They have higher, more stable self-esteem that is less dependent on external factors. Mindfulness practitioners enjoy more satisfying relationships, are better at communicating, and are less troubled by relationship conflict, as well as less likely to think negatively of their partners as a result of conflict. Mindfulness is correlated with emotional intelligence, which itself has been associated with good social skills, ability to cooperate and ability to see another person’s perspective. Mindfulness seems to increase self-awareness, and is associated with greater vitality. Being more mindful is also linked with reaching academic and personal goals. Practising meditation or mindfulness techniques has repeatedly been shown to improve people’s attention, as well as improve job performance, productivity and satisfaction, and to enable better relationships with colleagues resulting in a reduction of work-related stress. People who practise mindfulness feel more in control of their behaviour and are more able to override or change internal thoughts and feelings and resist acting on impulse. People who meditate or practise mindfulness have fewer hospital admissions for heart disease, cancer and infectious diseases, and visit their doctor half as often compared to people who don’t meditate or practise mindfulness. 

“You cannot stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf!”

– Jon Kabat-Zinn

To find out more about how our Mindfulness courses in Glasgow, Edinburgh and across The Central Belt can benefit you please contact us.