Lets first start with some challenges in which you my face when working with a group.  It may become apparent that often you will get initial resistance from those who are in the lessons. Some responses such as “I can’t do it. I’m too anxious” or “I don’t see the point. How is this really going to help?” can be common.  This is where this section and the science become big parts.  Once your students start to use the techniques, as with all of our classes, they then start to see how it makes a difference for themselves. The amazing thing about mindfulness is it can be done anywhere at any point and applied in countless ways.

Research has shown that mindfulness and meditation practices can help with a variety of issues, including substance abuse, trauma, anxiety, and depression.  Despite effective research on its usefulness, teaching our mind how to focus and be present can be challenging and even scary.  Mindfulness practices can help us to increase our ability to regulate emotions, decrease stress, anxiety and depression.  It can also help us to focus our attention, as well as to observe our thoughts and feelings without judgment.  As we become more present in our lives and in relation to others, it can help us to make better decisions, to manage our emotions and to be more fully engaged in life.

5 of the most common things mindfulness can help with are:

1. Stress
2. Enhances our ability to deal with illness
3. Recovery
4. Decreases depression
5. Improves general health

Advantages of Integrating Mindfulness in the Workplace

Although many of the benefits of mindfulness described above can and do affect individuals in all areas of their lives including work, mindfulness’ impact on job performance may be the outcome that gets the most attention and interest from managers and executives.

There are several ways that mindfulness has been shown to impact job performance, including:

1. Gallant (2016) found that mindfulness can improve executive functioning by improving inhibition abilities;
2. Mindfulness in service industry workers improves job performance, even when controlling for workers’ level of engagement (Dane & Brummel, 2014);
3. De Bruin, Formsma, Frijstein, & Bögels (2017) showed that mindfulness in the workplace can actually increase the number of contract hours worked by employees, a result that will certainly catch the attention of higher-ups;
4. Office employees who participated in an eight-week mindfulness intervention experienced lower levels of work-related stress, greater job satisfaction, and, ultimately, enhanced job performance as rated by their employers (Shonin, Van Gordon, Dunn, Singh, & Griffiths, 2014).

Beyond job performance, mindfulness has also been applied to the workplace for other benefits that can contribute to a healthy and productive work environment.

Reduced work related stress 

One of the most common benefits of practicing mindfulness in the workplace is the decrease in stress experienced by employees.

Researchers Grégoire and Lachance (2015) found that employees at call centers who took part in a brief mindfulness intervention reported decreased stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and negative affect, while also experiencing greater satisfaction at work.  Similarly, employees from the Dow Chemical Company enjoyed less stress and increased resiliency and vigor after completing an online mindfulness intervention (Aikens, Astin, Pelletier, Levanovich, Baase, Park, & Bodnar, 2014).

Huang, Li, Huang, and Tang (2015) also found that mindfulness reduces stress, fatigue, and psychological distress, especially for employees struggling with poor mental health.  A study of public sector employees showed that this group was also able to benefit from the mental health effects of mindfulness. These employees reported less stress, reduced psychological distress, and improved social functioning and quality of life (Bartlett, Lovell, Otahal, Sanderson, & Tasmania, 2016).

Decreasing staff Turnover and Burnout

Along with the decreases in stress, mindfulness can also lower the incidence of burnout and turnover at work.  Researchers Taylor and Millear (2016) found that mindfulness helps employees construct a buffer between their work and becoming burned out.

Dane and Brummel’s (2014) study also discovered an inverse relationship between mindfulness and turnover intention, meaning that employees who are higher in mindfulness are less likely to leave their jobs for any reason. The study referenced earlier by de Bruin and colleagues (2017) also uncovered the reduction in the risk of employees dropping out of work when mindfulness is encouraged in the workplace.

Burnout seems to occur less in work places that encourage and offer spaces for mindfulness.

Goodman and Schorling (2012) found that mindfulness-based stress reduction reduced work-related burnout and improved mental well-being among healthcare providers. A study of Australian psychologists added more support to this theory, finding a strong negative association between mindfulness and burnout (Di Benedetto & Swadling, 2014).

Further research on mindfulness at work showed that mindfulness can act as a buffer for unsupportive work environments, enhancing well-being at work and contributing to lower levels of burnout for employees from a range of careers (Schultz, Ryan, Niemiec, Legate, & Williams, 2015).

How it helps common mental health illnesses

Yoga and mindfulness have the ability to create calm during a storm.  They enable us to take control of our minds and bodies and spend time in tune with their needs.  Whilst being present with ourselves we are able to assess whether we feel strong, tired, frustrated, depressed, elated, anxious or exhausted. Using movement, mindfulness, breathing reflexology and relaxation we are able to focus on just one thing and slow down our emotional and physical response to stressors. We can learn find the positive in things around us, even at times when it feels difficult to do so, we can increase our self esteem and awareness and we can help ourselves to practice gratitude and patience as ways to improve our mental health.

These sessions are not designed in any way to replace the advice of trained medical professionals, but are here to provide time for you to learn new skills and activities that can promote physical and mental health wellness reducing the symptoms of common mental health problems.   Two of the most common mental health problems include;

Depression is more than simply feeling unhappy or fed up for a few days.  Most people go through periods of feeling down, but when you’re depressed you feel persistently sad for weeks or months, rather than just a few days.  Some people think depression is trivial and not a genuine health condition. They’re wrong – it is a real illness with real symptoms. Depression is not a sign of weakness or something you can “snap out of” by “pulling yourself together”.

The risk of getting depression can be minimised with activities of wellness and early recognition of symptoms. When we are starting to struggle we often stop doing things we enjoy, whether going to the gym, going out to meet friends or taking time to pamper ourselves. Once we stop doing these little things, it becomes harder to cope with stress and anxiety. We look a this in more detail in our stress bucket workshop.  The good news is that with the right treatment and support, most people with depression can make a full recovery.

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe.
Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life. For example, you may feel worried and anxious about sitting an exam, or having a medical test or job interview.  During times like these, feeling anxious can be perfectly normal.
But some people find it hard to control their worries. Their feelings of anxiety are more constant and can often affect their daily lives.  If we don’t learn to control anxiety it can become what is called chronic, that is, it doesn’t really stop or lessen, instead one thing we were anxious about is sorted and immediately we feel anxious about something else.

Anxiety triggers
If you’re anxious because of a specific phobia or because of panic disorder, you’ll usually know what the cause is.  But it may not always be clear what you’re feeling anxious about. Not knowing what triggers your anxiety can intensify it and you may start to worry that there’s no solution.

Managing anxiety may require some help from your GP or a specialist. However we are all able to manage some symptoms of day to day anxiety to a degree, and recognising we aren’t feeling well is always the first step. That is what we will learn during these sessions. How we can recognise and improve our response to things that cause us to have symptoms of mild anxiety.

A reminder to the groups your working with: IF you are struggling with either of these mental health concerns, or any other concern, please speak to your GP or a specialist at your earliest convenience.

Clearly, mindfulness has some extremely positive impacts on both individuals and the work they produce. But how does mindfulness produce these outcomes?  Lets look at the science!