Our jobs bring us a sense of accomplishment, but they can also be stressful and cause burnout. Maintaining mindfulness at work can help combat the stress, but it takes practice to introduce some calm into a fast-paced environment.
Workplace Stressors
Everyone experiences moments of stress at work, but when the issues are pervasive, it’s hard to overcome the struggle. Even for the most focused and diligent employees, these common stressors impact their careers.
Work-Life Balance
Johns Hopkins Medicine notes that “American women are spending more hours working than ever before, leaving less time for personal obligations.” When you have demands in both realms, you’re likely to be more stressed and worn out. Focusing on what’s in front of you becomes extremely difficult if you don’t have enough time for either work or home responsibilities.
Workloads and Expectations
Whether you’re underpaid, overworked, or both, a mismatch between expectations and resources can cause stress. The Harvard Business Review points out that women have “been socialized to say ‘yes’ to all requests.” Trying to juggle unreasonable expectations makes it impossible to be productive in meaningful ways.
Limited Support
Feeling unsupported at work or home can exacerbate other stressors. Many women feel like they’re responsible for keeping too many balls in the air without backup, and that feeling can lead to burnout. With remote and hybrid work environments, the lack of support is even more apparent since you are physically separated from others as well.
Can Mindfulness Help at Work?
Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on the present, noticing what you’re doing, and thinking without judgment. When you’re stressed at work, being mindful can help you refocus on the task at hand, take a mental break from being overwhelmed, or even find the moments of joy in your job.
The Challenge of Staying Mindful
Even if you’re proficient in practicing mindfulness in your life, it can be challenging to stay focused amid the stressors in a fast-paced environment. Many employees are required to be on call for the workday, ready to answer questions, take meetings, or troubleshoot projects. It’s hard to stay mindful when coworkers feel entitled to your time.
Photo: ssoil322 via 123RF
Tips for Incorporating Mindfulness
Small changes in your life and workday habits can make it much easier to practice mindfulness and, in turn, have a more productive, calmer day.
Take Care of Yourself Physically
Mindfulness includes being aware of your present moment mentally, emotionally, and physically. You’ll notice your thoughts and feelings, but if you have physical struggles, these might overshadow your ability to focus on work thoughts. Use mindfulness to notice what physical symptoms are coming up and address them with proper sleep, exercise, and nutrition. If you need to change your environment to meet these needs, such as an ergonomic desk, make sure to give this priority.
Safeguard Your Schedule
The American Psychological Association lists establishing boundaries around work time as one of the best ways to reduce workplace stress. Your best focus and productivity only come when the task feels finite. Giving your total energy feels impossible if you don’t have a dedicated time to recharge. Mindfulness at work includes noticing when you’re off track and gently redirecting yourself to the task at hand. Use your schedule as external motivation to focus on one thing at a time; this includes turning off work communication at home.
Leave at Lunch
It’s tough to be engaged and present in the same space for eight hours straight. Your brain needs change and variety, so leaving the office for lunch is essential. If you can’t leave the area entirely, try to head outside. When you’re eating lunch, focus on that as your sole job. Don’t have work conversations or plan your afternoon. Mindfully taste your food, listen to the birds or music, and notice the feeling of sun on your skin.
Track Your Moods
Sometimes, we don’t have an accurate picture of our workplace stressors. Small moments might actually build to contribute most to our frustrations. Practice mindfulness by keeping post-it notes handy to track your mood. Every time you feel stressed, angry, frustrated, overwhelmed, or anxious, write the feeling and what event immediately precipitated it. After a few weeks, try to find patterns so you’ll know where to make changes.
Offload Your Notes
One way that mindfulness helps is by giving our thoughts attention without having to plan action. Instead of keeping your ideas, notes, and to-do list swirling in your brain all day until it’s time to use that information, schedule three times a day to offload your notes. Spend two minutes writing down every work-related thought without judging its usefulness. Offloading gives your brain more space to engage with productivity for the next few hours.
With these small changes, you can empower yourself to find the balance and focus in your professional life.