How Meditating Can Help You at Work

Everyone knows that the workplace can be stressful. And as our team at HSC knows all too well, working in media/ public relations can sometimes take stress to a new level, with constant and ever-changing deadlines and going the extra mile to keep our clients happy.

It’s important for us to take time for ourselves and relieve some of the stress that may surround us in our work environment. Mindfulness Meditation is a form of meditation designed to develop the skill of paying attention to what’s happening on the inside as well as the outside and letting go of the stress of trying to control it.

Here are four ways that meditating can help you in your career;

Stress Reduction

Meditation not only reduces stress but it transforms how you deal with it. Allowing stressful moments, thoughts and feelings to exist in our lives without becoming worried by their presence is an extremely effective method of coping with the weight of it all. By stepping away and just acknowledging the existence of these thoughts and feelings, you take away some of the power fr them to cause distress. Easier said than done, for sure which is why regular practice is key.

Mental Clarity and Better Focus

Regular meditation helps train the mind to focus fully on whatever is happening in the present moment. If you meditate regularly, you might find it easier to fully engage with the task at hand and may benefit from improved concentration during meetings and tasks. Additionally, you may better recognize when your mind starts to wander and can bring yourself back to the task at hand more easily.

Appreciation

When we spend time focusing on the positive aspects of our lives and remember to appreciate the good things, it can help to put things into perspective, making the stressful things not quite so stressful anymore.

Compassion

When we are aware that everyone experiences emotional stresses and has moments of both strength and weakness we can begin to understand and have compassion for people around us. Compassion and empathy are so important because of all the conflicts, judgments and irritations that go on in the workplace and meditation can help develop a more positive attitude towards others allowing for better, more harmonious working environment.

If you’re interested in learning how to practice mindful meditation, there’s a ton of great articles and apps out there now. One really great app that we can recommend is Headspace. It is a great introduction to mindful mediation and has some great free exercises to give you a taste of what it is all about. A subscription fee will unlock the rest of the features.

A useful book on mindful meditation is the ‘Happiness Trap’ which you can find here. Written by a physician and therapist, its has very practical and useful information about the benefits of mindfulness, from a scientific point of view.