Having just returned from some time off overseas, I have found myself resisting getting back into a productive work routine. The need to be focused has been a difficult adjustment, and I needed to remind myself that maintaining a calm work life is about good habits and mindfulness.
The question is, are we authentically being mindful while working or is mindfulness just another buzzword we throw around? The very nature of a busy workplace is ensuring we understand the past and plan for the future. So how do we actually get to a point of enjoying the present moment at work when our minds are constantly racing with worries and thoughts about things that happened and what needs to happen soon?
Jon Kabat-Zinn is a professor of Medicine Emeritus and creator of the first mindfulness centre for Medicine and Health Care at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In his book, Full Catastrophe Living, he explains essential attitudinal qualities for mindful living. Many of these habits can easily be applied to your workplace. Perhaps we need to stop thinking about mindfulness as a thing to learn and rather just get into good habits. Not only will your workplace get a boost, but you’ll authentically be practising mindfulness without worrying about the buzzword. I made a timely note of some of these to share with you this week.
1) Acceptance
I’ve been resisting the end of a fantastic adventure. The only way through that is through acceptance. This isn’t passive, or something that happens over time without thinking. Acceptance is the active recognition that things are the way they are. Resistance to the way things are causes major mental and emotional suffering. When a negative emotion comes your way, you don’t need to resist it. Just acknowledge that it’s there and treat it without judgement. It’s only from the acceptance that transformation can begin.
2) Patience
Today’s work environment means that we are always in a hurry. People are so often rushing to get to the next thing that they forget to enjoy the present moment. It’s similar to work. We are so busy trying to get a task done so that we can get onto the next one that we hardly absorb what it is we are doing. There’s a great quote I love that says “if you cannot enjoy doing the dishes you will not enjoy what you’re looking forward to doing later on.” If you can’t be patient and calm during one task, it is likely you won’t be for the next one, and you will be caught in a constant cycle of stress to get things done. This will seep into your social activities after work. Looking to the future becomes a predominant habit in people’s lives which cripples their ability to enjoy the present moment.
3) Gratitude
Instead of complaining and wondering what life would be like if we weren’t working, appreciate what you have right now. Enjoy the present moment with a sense of humility and enjoyment. Focus on the positives in life. Positives could include working with excellent colleagues or having work that you are passionate about. Tasks aren’t always fun, but there is always something to be grateful for.
4) Letting go
Cultivating the attitude of letting go, or non-attachment is fundamental to the practice of mindfulness. The tendency to want to hold on to what is pleasant in our experience and to reject what is unpleasant is usually an automatic response. We tend to do this with work tasks too. We become attached to the tasks we love and avoid those we don’t. To be asked to neither hold onto, nor to reject experience, is a challenging principle that can offer countless benefits in our work lives.
5) Have a Beginner’s Mind
Too often we let our thinking and our beliefs about what we ‘know’ prevent us from seeing things as they really are. Try to approach each task, meeting or activity as if it were your first time. Building from “the ground up” and asking yourself “what is really happening now” are hallmarks of beginner’s mind. This is an excellent mindfulness tool that can not only improve the quality of your work but your enjoyment of the repetitive tasks too.
I loved being reminded of these this week and am looking forward to enjoying being back at work as much as I enjoyed my adventures overseas.