16 Sep Exploring the Power of Mindfulness
What is mindfulness?
“Mindfulness” practices have been around for thousands of years. However, the idea seems to be gaining a lot of steam in recent years. What exactly is mindfulness, what are the benefits to individuals who practice it, and how does it apply in a work setting?
Mindfulness is “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations”. In short, it’s a state of being acutely aware of the present moment in a non-judgmental way. Research has shown that developing the skill of being present has a multitude of benefits. Let’s take a look at what the research says about the benefits of developing mindfulness through a practice such as meditation.
Reduction in stress, anxiety, and depression
In an uncontrolled 2003 study, Jon Kabat-Zinn demonstrated that a mindfulness meditation training program could effectively reduce symptoms of anxiety and panic. Since excessive orientation toward the past or future when dealing with stressors can be related to feelings of depression and anxiety, experiencing the present moment openly and non-judgmentally can effectively counter the effects of these stressors. The slow and deep breathing involved in mindfulness meditation may also alleviate bodily symptoms of stress by balancing sympathetic and parasympathetic responses.
Increase in “cognitive flexibility”
In another non-randomized trial from 2003, Richard Davidson and others demonstrated that meditation activates the brain region associated with more adaptive responses to stressful or negative situations and produces demonstrable effects on brain and immune function. Activation of this region corresponds with faster recovery to baseline after being negatively provoked.
Boosts to working memory and focus
A 2010 prospective cohort study examined the effects of mindfulness on a person’s working memory. The participants were military groups that were in a highly stressful situation before deployment and a non-military civilian group. Half of the military group was assigned to an 8-week mindfulness training, and the other half of the military group and the civilian group did not receive the training. The researchers found that the non-meditating military group experienced decreased working memory capacity over time, whereas working memory capacity among non-meditating civilians was stable across time. Within the meditating military group, however, working memory capacity increased with meditation practice. In addition, meditation practice was directly related to self-reported positive affect and inversely related to self-reported negative affect.
A 2009 study looked at how mindfulness can affect participants’ ability to focus attention and suppress distractions. When comparing experienced meditators with a control group with no meditation experience, the researchers found that the meditation group demonstrated significantly higher self-reported mindfulness, which was correlated directly with cognitive flexibility and attentional functioning.
The benefits listed above only scratch the surface of what can potentially be gained through a mindfulness practice, but the research has shown that engaging in a regular mindfulness practice essentially makes a person happier, more emotionally resilient, and more productive.
In the United States, 16 million adults are affected by Major Depressive Disorder and 40 million adults are affected by an anxiety disorder.
What are the implications to an employer?
While some question the ethics of applying mindfulness practices for the purpose of increased worker productivity, the fact remains that, while the primary benefit of your employees engaging in a mindfulness practice is at the individual level, you as the employer may be able to reap some of the benefits as well. As we mentioned in a previous blog post, untreated mental health issues in the workplace can have a big impact – both personally to the employee and financially to the employer. In the United States, 16 million adults are affected by Major Depressive Disorder and 40 million adults are affected by an anxiety disorder. Researchers who analyzed responses to a questionnaire from the World Health Organization found that workers with depression reported the equivalent of 27 lost work days per year – nine due to time taken off or work and another 18 reflecting lost productivity. So by helping your employees to be more aware of their thoughts and emotions and deal with them in a positive way you could potentially improve your company’s productivity. Not to mention you will be doing what’s best for your employees’ mental health.
What resources exist?
Here in Wichita employers can turn to resources such as Retreat to Joy, which is a workplace mindfulness company that offers workshops, lunch and learns, and leadership training. There are also several apps available, such as Calm or Headspace, that provide guided meditations and other resources for developing mindfulness in daily life. Helping your employees be mindful can also be as simple as providing a quiet space to reflect or building in “mindfulness breaks” that encourage employees to disconnect from technology.
Be sure to register for our Mental Health in the Workplace educational offering on October 11, where we will take a deeper dive into the issue of mental health issues and you as an employer can best support your employees.