Do you wish there was an easier way to improve your concentration during the workday? To improve your brain’s cognitive ability and reduce distractions? To decrease your stress levels at work? To alleviate your symptoms of depression?
If you’re nodding along with us, you’ve got to try practicing mindfulness during your work day.
Mindfulness helps put some space between yourself and your conditioned responses. And, like any new habit, the hardest part of mindfulness is implementing it into your daily routine. Start by committing to 2-3 minutes of mindfulness everyday, and increase the time as you get more and more comfortable (or can make more time to dedicate!).
Try these tips to bring the practice of mindfulness into even your busiest work day, and see if being more mindful helps you.
It doesn’t need to be a long time–5 or 10 minutes will do. Whether it’s sitting outside while enjoying your morning cup of coffee, taking a 5 minute walk outside, or turning off the radio on your commute home, try to be present in the moment for those few minutes.
And speaking of being present, when you’re bringing mindfulness into your day, try to be in the moment, without judgement. Your goal is not to quiet your thoughts, but embrace them without judgement.
If you’re struggling to set aside time each day to practice mindfulness (it happens!), block out a bite-sized chunk of your day to dedicate the time. When that appointment you’ve made for yourself pops up, give yourself permission to dedicate 5 minutes of your day to your own mental health.
If and when you find yourself judging during your practice, try to let that moment pass by, and focus on returning to a “judgement-free zone” in your mind.
Stay focused in the present, using your 5 senses to address what you’re seeing, feeling, smelling, touching, and hearing. When your mind wanders (and it will!), focus on returning back to the present moment.
Multi-tasking can be attractive when we’re busy, but it actually limits your productivity and increases stress. Try to keep your mind on one task at a time, and see how your productivity and quality of work improves.
One of the greatest resilience strategies doctors use to fight burnout is making time for reflection and focusing on the positive. Ask yourself 2 questions during your practice: “What’s 1 thing I learned today?” “Who’s 1 person I helped today?”
Try these tips to bring the practice of mindfulness into even your busiest of workdays–mindfulness will help improve your concentration, decrease your stress levels at work, and reduce your symptoms of depression. We hope these tips help you keep your own mental health top-of-mind.
If you’re looking for ways to bring mindfulness into your study process, try implementing the tips above with StudyWise–you’ll get tips to help you study strong this year, plus learn the science-backed reasons that our 3-phased, evidence-based approach to studying improves your learning and memory recall.