In part 1 of our discussion with mindfulness teacher Kristy Von Minden, mental wellbeing coach Tahirih McLaren-Brown and Wellbeing @ Work Dr, Dr Rachel McInnes we established an understanding for what mindfulness is and the role it can play for us impatient millennials, when we're done of being stuck in this current moment.
As millennial leaders coming to terms with a virtual working world, in this second article we explore the ripple effect of our own mindfulness, how to sneak in our own accessible mindful breaks when WFH and find out how mindfulness offers us opportunities to be present with our teams (scroll down for the free download) …
In addition to the benefits extolled in Part 1, the great news is that mindfulness as a practice has an impact that reaches further than ourselves.
Mind Bright’s Kristy Von Minden speaks of a positive ripple effect: “Research shows that when we regularly practice mindfulness, we are more aware of our actions and thoughts, better able to regulate emotions, more present in our relationships and also kinder, more empathetic and compassionate to both those we know and strangers.”
This is echoed by Dr Rachel McInnes who says, “I believe it can help slow others down, help bring them into the now with us. There is some research that emotions are contagious, I hope a sense of being in present might be too.”
The advantage of this reflects back on ourselves, says mental wellbeing coach Tahirih McLaren-Brown: “When you are present, calm and not emotionally reactive, you’re a person that other people like being around. We all know how it feels to be talking to someone who’s on their phone and it takes about five seconds of silence for them to realise you’ve asked them a question. It doesn’t make you feel very important. So just practicing presence in conversations is so valuable.”
The core theme of acceptance that featured heavily in Part 1, is relevant here also.
“Mindfulness is about acceptance of things how they are instead of wishing they were different (and causing ourselves a lot of frustration),” says McLaren-Brown. “The best gift you can give someone is accepting them as they are and loving them for that. When we stop trying to change the world and people in our lives to what we think they should be or should be doing, we naturally have a lot less conflict and the people we are closest to feeling accepted and happier.”
As leaders, our first priority though is with ourselves says Von Minden. “I would say first and foremost to practice self-leadership. Be mindful of your own mental, physical and emotional needs during this time and lead by example, filling up your own cup first so you can be more present for and compassionate towards others.”
In order to do so, McInnes counsels that “an important part of managing this ‘new normal’ is creating what separation is possible between areas of your life. To demarcate work, social, and me-time.”
She suggests ways to consider this for yourself, including being strict with hours, adding a DIY partition between your home office and bed/lounge, getting changed for different activities, or perhaps taking a walk between work time and ‘home’ time.
“I would suggest that creating these boundaries is crucial to being able to engage in each area of your life mindfully, even if all those areas are under the same roof.”
While the enforced WFH conditions have required adaptation in a variety of ways, all three experts attest to the positives from a mindfulness perspective.
As McInnes notes, traditional office set-ups aren’t necessarily conducive to mindfulness. “Meditating in the office is difficult. I often have coachees resorting to their car (parked not driving of course) or the toilet to find a space they are not going to be interrupted.”
“I think we have the opportunity for a bit more privacy and personal space,” offers Von Minden. “This means we can tend to our emotional energy and needs when required. I know I am meditating a lot more during the day now when I can find 15 minutes between tasks to lie down or get comfy on the couch.
Home spaces can be beneficial for dipping into other mindful activities as well says McLaren-Brown, with positive results.
“At home, you have the opportunity to step away from your work space and do something to improve how you’re feeling. You can take 15-minutes to read your book, go for a walk, have a power nap, do a crossword, draw or chill with your pet. Know that a 15-30min break is going to be much more beneficial for your work for the rest of the day than slogging through feeling stressed.”
For those inspired to introduce mindfulness into their teams or workplaces, I asked our experts to share their learnings from successfully running workshops and programs with businesses in the UK and NZ.
“Of course, I would say, do it,” says Von Minden. “There have been over 800 studies published on the efficacy of mindfulness now. Research shows it has so many benefits in the workplace, just some of which include the obvious changes like reduced absenteeism and turnover, but also improved mental performance, physical health, emotional health, along with improved culture, communication and connection among teams.”
To encourage a successful uptake, McInnes recommends that “leaders can encourage involvement the best by participating themselves. Keep it optional, don’t punish people for not participating and make sure you choose a trainer/tool or approach that is accessible.”
Recognising it’s not a quick-fix or one-hit wonder is also key, according to McLaren-Brown: “It takes time to learn and implement into your daily life. It could be something that builds slowly so don’t just make it a one-off and then leave it. Provide regular mindfulness sessions and get feedback from your staff. Find out how it’s helping them and what aspects of it they find most helpful then keep doing that.”
Try these if you feel stressed, overwhelmed, or anxious to signal to your amygdala that you are safe, bring you into the present moment and calm down your fight or flight reaction…
1. Mindful breathing
Kristy Von Minden: One of the simplest yet most powerful tools that I use for any situation in which I feel stressed, overwhelmed, fearful or anxious, would be mindful breathing. Simply take 10 – 15 slow, deep breaths through our belly (as opposed to our chest) .
2. Paced breathing apps
Dr. Rachel McInnes: You can download these and set it to breathe in for around five seconds and out for around five seconds. As you get used to it you can adjust it shortening the in-breath and lengthening the out-breath until you find your own personal ‘resonant’ breathing pattern. You need to do nothing other than sit comfortably and follow the prompt for a few minutes.
3. Guided meditations via apps like Headspace
Dr. Rachel McInnes: For most people, having a recorded voice guiding them is easier.
4: Brain breaks
Kristy Von Minden: Most of us go, go, go through the entire workday, so encourage your teams to take mindful ‘brain breaks’ every few hours where they are stepping away from their computers and phones and stopping the input of information. These breaks only need to be 5-10 minutes to give our brains a chance to catch up and upload the information from the past few hours, organise it, commit it to memory, embed learning and start to have space to problem solve or get creative.
4. Four Step Pause routine
Tahirih McLaren-Brown: My favourite easy way to ease any negative emotion, stress or anxiety is the Four Step Pause. Pause and do these four steps:
A body scan – scanning down your body from the top of your head to your toes. Feeling all the points of contact and areas that are tense or relaxed.
Listen to all the sounds around you. Let them come and go into your awareness.
Focus on your breath. Breathe in for four counts, pause, breathe out for four counts. Repeat x5.
Ask yourself, what do I need to do next that’s most helpful to me?
If you’ve enjoyed these blog posts featuring our guest experts from Mind Bright mindfulness teacher Kristy Von Minden, mental wellbeing coach Tahirih McLaren-Brown and Wellbeing @ Work Dr, Dr. Rachel McInnes, perhaps you’d like to know their recommendations for demonstrating virtual presence while WFH…
