What Mindfulness Is and Why It Belongs in the Workplace
It’s the curse of popularity: often the more well-known a concept, the more scope there is for misconceptions and misunderstandings. And mindfulness is no exception.
If you caught my last post, you’ll know that mindfulness is often dismissed as just another wellness fad — and you’ll also know that so many of the myths surrounding it are completely unfounded.
So now I’d like to move away from what mindfulness isn’t and take a look at what it is and why it belongs in the workplace.
The science of mindfulness.
Our brain is wired to keep us safe: it’s designed to look out for and respond to real and perceived threats. As such, your neural pathways are primed to focus on the negative, such as past traumas, and future anxieties. When you worry, you strengthen those pathways, wiring your brain to worry even more.
However, a growing field of neuroscientific research has shown that our brain is far more adaptable than we might believe and, thanks to a concept called neuroplasticity, we can actually create new, more positive, neural pathways.
When it comes to this self-directed neuroplasticity, mindfulness is a powerful tool. Just as physical exercise strengthens our muscles, a consistent mindfulness practice can change our brain physiology, creating and strengthening new neural pathways.
That’s the theory, but what might that feel like in practice?
Here’s how I like to look at it.
Picture a mountain . . .
In the training that I do, mindfulness is represented by the image of the mountain.
At times, this mountain will be battered by wind and rain, it will be bathed in sun, or covered in snow. Yet it remains unmoved, steadfast, stable.
Things like stress, uncertainty, and challenging events are our personal weather patterns. With a consistent mindfulness practice we can learn to remain steadfast and stable — we can work with conditions as they arise from moment to moment, secure in the knowledge the weather we’re experiencing right now is impermanent. Imagine how this skill could serve you in your day to day life, personally and professionally.
So what exactly is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is awareness
The true benefit of developing a mindfulness practice lies in the cultivation of self-awareness, which is so fundamental to everything we do as leaders and as professionals working in mission-driven organizations — from decision-making and responding to emergency situations, to creating psychological safety through patience and compassion.
We may think mindfulness is something to practice on a meditation cushion, in a quiet room, or when we have nothing else vying for our attention, but in fact, the goal over time is to bring the practice off the cushion and into our everyday lives — it’s a tool we can use anywhere, any time, and in any situation.
Mindfulness is non-judgment
When we engage in mindfulness, it’s tempting to view our thoughts or our current situation as the problem but often, it’s our judgment that really exacerbates our distress.
Mindfulness helps us learn to separate ourselves from our thoughts and feelings and observe them with curiosity and without judgment. It also allows us to experience the common humanity in stressful and challenging moments, leaving us less likely to berate ourselves when we believe we’ve made a mistake or reacted poorly.
When I first started out as a leader I was one of the most judgmental people in the room. My judgment was often directed towards others around me, but quite often it was directed at myself. It led me to operate from a place of perfectionism, often dragging my team along with me.
What I quickly learned was that perfectionism as a strategy was unsustainable over the long haul. Not only did it lead me to create unrealistic standards for myself and my team, but it was also totally subjective. One person’s standard of perfectionism was another person’s mediocre. My team’s work was never going to be good enough. I was never going to be good enough.
When I started to intentionally practice the art of non-judgment, it allowed me to approach challenges with more objectivity. It allowed me to create deeper and more meaningful connections because I was no longer operating from
Mindfulness is self-compassion
Similarly, as we learn not to judge thoughts and feelings as they arise, we start to view the humanity within ourselves and in turn are more likely to treat ourselves with the kindness that we typically reserve for others.
These three things — and the presence they foster — are a potent combination, leading us to a place where we are better able to self-regulate our emotions and manage our nervous system in real time. With time and practice, we may find it easier to choose our responses in times of difficulty, to take a moment to pause and respond with intention (rather than operating on autopilot and allowing our default reactions to guide the way), feeling far more capable and resilient in all aspects of our lives.
