This invisible virus is an emotional contagion known as secondhand stress.

Imagine for a moment you are preparing to lead a team meeting. Just before the meeting starts, you receive an update on a major project that is running way behind schedule. This is compounded by the emails you read earlier highlighting how the uncertainty in the economic market is impacting your company.

Combine this intensity with working from home for weeks, throw in a sprinkle of anxiety and overwhelm, and you find yourself in a perfect storm of heightened stress.

As a leader and business executive for thirty years at multiple Fortune 500 companies, I know the stress you are experiencing and how it is impacting you.

Do you believe your level of stress is impacting your team? Do you think your stress makes your team feel more stressed?

I have discovered the answer to both questions is a resounding “yes”.

In a Harvard Business Review article entitled “How to Cope with Secondhand Stress”, it was reported that secondhand stress is almost impossible to avoid due to living in a hyper-connected world. According to Shawn Achor, a scientific researcher, secondhand stress can be transmitted “from verbal, nonverbal, and written communication, which means we can pick it up even via cellphone” (HBR, October 2018).

We are now living in a time of hyper-connectivity that supersedes all of our previous experience. The impact of the pandemic has resulted in millions of us working from home, finding ourselves immersed in a constant stream of never-ending Zoom meetings, and Google Hangouts. Similar to the scientists racing to discover how we can boost our physical immune system to diminish the impact of COVID-19, we as leaders are tasked with boosting our mental immune system to minimize the transmission of secondhand stress to our teams.

How do you boost your mental immune system to better manage your stress?

Before you hit the Start Meeting button, here are two simple strategies you can start using today:

1. A Personal Strategy: Take two minutes before you press the Start Meeting button and have a personal Mindful Moment.

While sitting, simply close your eyes and begin to focus your attention on your breath. There is no need to alter your breathing in any way. As you focus on your breath, you will notice your mind will wander to different distractions including thoughts, sounds, and feelings. Whenever you notice your attention has wandered away from your breath, gently bring your awareness back to the breath. After two minutes, open your eyes. How do you feel? In just two minutes, you may experience a reduction in your stress level, feel more centered and peaceful, and more focused on the task at hand. Now it’s time to start your meeting.

2. A Team Strategy: When your meeting begins, invite your team to take a Mindful Moment together with you for two minutes.

As their leader, guide them through the simple strategy above that you used prior to the meeting. Ask them to close their eyes (if it feels comfortable) or shift their gaze to their hands in their lap. Focus their attention on their breath for two minutes. Explain their attention may wander and when it does, gently bring their awareness back to the breath. Before you have them open their eyes, state the intention of your meeting to focus everyone’s attention on that purpose. Then invite them to open their eyes and start your meeting.

Simply Start

To integrate mindfulness practices into your workday, I recommend that you begin simply. Make the decision to practice your personal Mindful Moment once a day. Then, expand your commitment to two times a day; once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The same approach can be used with the team meeting Mindful Moment. Begin with one meeting, and then introduce it in two meetings a day.

Mindfulness practices are referred to as practices because it is through the actual practice that you experience the benefits. Just like you can boost your physical immune system with exercise, you can boost your mental immune system by integrating mindfulness practices into your daily routine.

Mindfulness at work could be a non-negotiable.

In summary, mindfulness at work training programs are proving necessary to support personal mental health and team wellbeing as the impact of stress continues to escalate.

If you would like to discover more about mindfulness and resilience and how it can benefit your workplace or team, sign up for a free benefits analysis with MMI Mindful.

Submitted by Dr. Laurel Geise

Though stressors are different, the effects of stress are what we might have in common. Stress, sometimes called the silent killer, has been blamed for all kinds of chronic conditions: high blood pressure, depression, reduced immunity, insomnia, and anxiety, just to name a few.

Luckily, there is something you can do to help you navigate stressful moments, and to build up your resilience.

You CAN give your nervous system a break from this emergency we call life and enjoy a few simple moments throughout your day. The following practices of mindfulness can help you to create calmness, access more creativity, and be more resilient. You can use them at home or at work.

1. Start Your Day with an Intention: When you get up, or when you arrive at work, decide what you want to experience more of or what you‘d like to focus on. Set an intention for the day. You’ll always find what you are looking for, so it’s important to be more intentional with your attention. Here’s a Suggestion: Identify what your want to see more of in your life. Maybe you want to cultivate more kindness, or be more efficient, or gain more inspiration, be more creative, or find more focus. Whatever you choose, write it on a post-it and stick it on your monitor to remind you of it.
2. Be Here Now: Your life is taking place right now. This moment, like all present moments, is when you have access to creativity, inspiration, possibilities, your inner wisdom, your emotions, and connection to others. Though it can be a mental habit to worry about the future or ruminate about something that happened, you can free yourself from that. One way to is to anchor your attention in the present moment by paying attention to each one of your senses. Try it now. Listen to the sounds in your environment. Notice what you are feeling physically. Notice the light and colors around you. Notice any aromas. Notice if there is a taste in your mouth. By bringing your attention to your senses, your focus can shift back to the present moment just enough to relieve stress and get you back on track.
3. Reconnect with Your Body. Get in the habit of asking yourself, How do I feel right now? Tune in to the sensations of your body and breath (without judgment). You can do it now. Give yourself three long, slow, deep breaths. Next, relax your body, whether sitting or standing. Feel your feet on the floor. Notice your weight and balance; relax your arms and hands. Straighten your spine. Lower your shoulders. Soften your face, your eyes, your jaw, your forehead. By bringing your mindful attention to your body, you can slow down the reactivity center of the brain and allows you to get relief from stress. Pay attention to your body and breath for a few minutes at least three times a day.
4. Make Ordinary Actions Mindful: Are you mindful, or mindless? Do you feel present and engaged? Or do you tend to be frazzled, reactive, or uninspired? Mindfulness is when you are completely engaged in what you are doing while you are doing it while refraining from judgment. It can reduce stress, increase your self-awareness, and expand your situational awareness so you can make better choices moment by moment. When you practice being mindful you can be freed from habitual responses such as being distracted, rushing around, and operating on “autopilot.” Here’s how: Choose a simple cue to remind you to take a mindful moment. It could be when your phone rings, or when you first get into your car, or when you begin a meeting, or when you fill your water bottle. Use the cue to remind yourself to S.T.O.P. S for Stop, T for taking a mindful breath, O for observing what is really going on (what you hear, see, feel), and P is to proceed with more awareness, less, stress, and a present moment engagement.
5. Mindful Refreshment: You can practice being present with a regular daily activity such as eating a meal or drinking a beverage. Here’s an example: It begins when you pick up the bottle or glass. Notice the way the light reflects on it. Notice how the container feels in your hand, its weight, texture, temperature. Next, take a slow sip and swallow. Notice the temperature and flavor (if there is one). Become aware of the sensations on your lips, in your mouth, and down your throat, as you drink and swallow. Don’t judge or label your experience, simply engage in it. These mindful moments will refreshment will help you to savor your life.
6. Ring in the moment: Do you grab the phone as soon as it rings or pings? Are you trained to drop what you are doing to find out who the heck wants your attention. You can change your stressful reactivity pattern. You are not Pavlov’s dog, instead, you have a choice. Here’s how: When you hear the ring, you can pick up the phone, let it go to voice mail, or let it ring one extra time so you can take a deep breath. The ring or ping can also be a reminder to change your state. For instance, you can shift your gaze from your computer screen to something else for a moment – such as the view outside the window, or a photo of your loved one. Or, it can remind you to take a moment to relax. It can also be a cue to reflect on your intention for the day.
7. Slow it Down: Practice monotasking. Do one thing at a time. And even take your time doing it! These practices give your brain a break from the stress. Here’s how: Every once in awhile practice performing an ordinary task more slowly whether you are driving, walking, reading, eating, talking, listening, or drinking. You might find at first slowing down drives you a bit crazy, especially if your habit is to rush through your tasks. But when you find yourself in a hurry, ask yourself, What is all the rush about? You might find you’re simply in a bad habit: you are being mindless when you could be mindful. Slow down to savor this life of yours.
8. Approach People, Places & Experiences with a Beginner’s Mind. Don’t be a know-it-all. Instead, be present with what is actually happening instead of your ideas about it. Maintain a childlike curiosity. For example: Go for a walk (without talking on your cell phone) and resist the urge to label or categorize anything. Notice the actual colors, textures, shapes, temperature, sounds, aromas, space, light, shadows, movement and stillness as each sweetly meets your senses. Simply experience, rather than label, this world around you. This works not only on a walk, but when you meet someone, whether you know them or not. With an open mind, wisdom, inspiration, and support are found everywhere.
9. Use Your Inner Compass: When faced with a choice, pay attention to how you feel, notice the sensations in your body. Do you have a gut feeling? Go with it. Is your whole body saying now, but you ignore it? Don’t. Do you want to say something but you have all kinds of reasons why you don’t? Say it. Express yourself and live with integrity. (Speak your truth with kindness.) There is no need to manipulate yourself to please someone else. Here’s one way to do it: When faced with a choice, ask yourself, “Is it a yes or a no, (or a yum or a yuck)?” Move toward the yums and away from the yucks. Stay in your integrity, trust yourself, and relinquish your need for approval from others. You are the wise one. You usually do know best.
10. Take a Time out for a Time In: Get your power back and “re-source” your energy. Practice mindfulness meditation. Here’s how: Sit down comfortably, close your eyes, relax your body, and as you gently breathe through your nose, focus on the natural sensations of your breath as it moves in and out. Don’t try to clear your mind, don’t worry if you have a load of thoughts. However, when you notice you are distracted, refocus your attention on the breath again, as often as you need to. This refocusing is what trains your attention. Be kind to yourself while you do it. Welcome everything, and let go of expectations. Don’t wait for something magical to happen, instead, just do it. When the time is up, return to activity slowly. Even if you don’t think anything happened, it has. You’ll have released stress, relaxed your body, and you’ll be more energized. It’s suggested to sit in meditation for 20 minutes each day. You can do it all at one time, or in two periods of 10 minutes each. This is one of the best stress relievers (along with getting plenty of sleep and being outside in nature.

Do you sometimes feel as if your mind is racing but you’re not getting anything done? Do you feel drained? Do you have difficulties maintaining a positive attitude? In this new article, I’m sharing two very important tips on how to take care of your inner landscape.

I was watching a video conference recently and listened to a handful of Fortune 500 top executives talk about the challenges of the pandemic. I wanted to share a few ideas that resonated with me: listening, empathy, and focusing on what is actually working.

What we’ve learned so far from the pandemic would be a book in itself.  However, as individuals, there are a few lessons we can apply now, not only to mentally endure the pandemic but to come out the other side an even better person.

Do not let the engine go into the red

If this was true before the pandemic – with many people experiencing burnout – it is even more prevalent today. We know burnout is caused by stress, which in and of itself is not a bad thing, as it is what makes you get up and go in the morning. It’s how we react to it that can quickly take us from a feeling in the flow and self-confident to a position of helplessness, fear, burnout, or worse.

Not dealing with stress is like driving too fast in first gear with the engine in the red.  Not only won’t you go very far, but you will overheat the engine and possibly break your car. The same can be true with driving yourself too hard while living with unmanaged stress: you create too much pressure on your mind and body and this can very quickly affect your perspective: finding yourself with unhealthy thoughts and unpleasant feelings.

I want to share how the mind contributes to fear and unhappiness when left to its own device, and what we can do to reduce our main source of stress and prevent the engine from going into the red.

The Wandering Mind

The human mind has a tendency to wander, and according to a 2010 study from Harvard researcher Dan Gilbert, a wandering mind is an unhappy mind. How much does the average person’s mind wander? According to the study, 47% of the time.

What is a wandering mind?  Is it simply daydreaming? Thinking about the past, the future?  Having an imaginary conversation with the boss?  Explaining to your partner why you should get a dog?  It’s all of the above and more. Anytime you are thinking about something unrelated to what you are doing or experiencing at the moment, your mind is wandering.

A wandering mind in and of itself would not be as bad if it were only affecting productivity. But unfortunately, a wandering mind creates unhappiness, negativity, and by extension, unhealthy stress.

Most humans have a negativity bias: the tendency to think about and get prepared for the worst possible scenarios. Add to this the current negative news cycle with the media going for the sensational rather than the rational and the number of uncertainties we currently live with. This is a wandering mind’s field day.

It’s a bit like a feedback or negative loop where the thoughts generate negative feelings and the negative feelings reinforce the negative thoughts. And, your brain is always monitoring your thoughts. As soon as the feelings are involved, the brain sends the signal to manufacture cortisol, adrenaline, and to be prepared for threats. The long-term effect of this is detrimental to your physical and mental health. When you are experiencing the feedback loop, your engine is in the red and you don’t want to be there for too long.

We cannot always stop the wandering mind but we can do practices that will allow us to control what we pay attention to and how we focus so we can make the habit of spacing out less of a burden, helping to take the needle out of the red zone.

Here are two preventive techniques you can use. 

Practice Focused Attention Training:

Focused attention training is a practice that can help you reduce the frequency and the length of time your mind wanders. Though you can do it anytime, a formal mindfulness meditation practice where you focus your attention on your breath, or your body, or a candle flame can really help you to hone your ability to pay attention on purpose.

The technique itself helps you to become in charge of your attention as it activates the direct experience network, the opposite of the wandering mind. Just 10 minutes of breath awareness once a day will help you to become more aware of your mind’s activity.

In addition to honing your ability focus, you employ a non-judgmental attitude during the practice, one which reduces your reactivity to drama and helps you keep a distance from the negativity bias. You can think of a focused attention practice like a workout.

It’s just like going to the gym to build the muscles you need to climb your next big rock.

Each time you meditate in the comfort of your home, you learn to pay attention to your attention and you develop a more observational attitude, both skills that will help you on the next climb – or next work project – easing your wandering mind and negativity bias.

A daily 10-minute breath awareness practice will also help you build your focus muscle which will lessen the number of times you become distracted during work shortening the amount of time your mind is wandering.

Watching your words:

Another preventive technique has to do with not indulging negativity and making a commitment to change your attitude.

Firmly set the intention that you will not berate yourself up or speak badly about yourself to others or even to yourself. Refrain from judging yourself and cultivate bringing out the best in yourself and in others.

When you catch yourself in a negative narrative, stop. Instead, look for what is working, and appreciate the good qualities or successes you’ve achieved. If others are involved, see if you can create a better story for them, giving them the benefit of the doubt. Imagining they are doing the best they can too, as they are navigating this amazing amount of uncertainty.

Want to know more about resiliency?

If you want to learn about other tools you can use to handle the inordinate amount of stress we are all exposed to, take a look at the resilience brief on the value of cultivating resiliency.

According to Psychology Today, resilience is “that ineffable quality that allows some people to be knocked down by life and come back stronger than ever. Rather than letting failure overcome them and drain their resolve, they find a way to rise from the ashes.”

One way to establish more resilience is through the adoption and practice of mindfulness. Research shows that mindfulness helps to create more resiliency as well as to maintain a positive stance, both of which are essential during these unprecedented challenging times.

In this white paper, you’ll find evidence-based research and cited articles that demonstrate how the adoption of mindfulness in the workplace helps people increase equilibrium, reduce stress, and enhance well-being, as well as develop skills essential to mental health and productivity.

In a recent article on Entrepreneur.com, Malachi Thompson states that mindfulness is “finally starting to receive recognition for its effectiveness in creating a peak performance mindset. Widely used by elite athletes, it is increasingly being adopted by C-suite managers as a contemplative skill to increase resilience, reduce stress, and regain clarity and focus.” 

The time is now for a new approach so you and your organization can flourish.

Introduction:

In this unprecedented global crisis, business experts have repeatedly said that new skills and new mindsets are needed to adapt to the “new normal”.  And this requires resilience – an ability to manage stress while navigating the current reality with hopefulness, compassion, and clear thinking.

“Research into resilient employees found that what makes them stand out is the ability to manage stress by actively engaging in self-care and nurturing themselves after a stressful incident…  Recent studies have supported the role of mindfulness training on psychological resilience.” Training Journal, Oct. 2019

Today, stress levels are as high as they’ve ever been, and mindfulness has been identified as one of the best antidotes for stress – and there are no negative side effects.

Mindfulness in the workplace has increased in popularity over the years. It is a secular practice comprised of several techniques aimed at helping the practitioner develop essential skills including increased mental focus, increased emotional intelligence, ability to remain calm under pressure, increased empathy, and increased creativity.

Nathan Klarer, CEO of Bridgecrest Medical, explains why mindfulness works at work:

“Mindfulness is the practice of observing the body’s physical and mental state. Recognizing your state and making intentional responses to situations is an invaluable skill. A leadership team that uses this skill is better able to assess the competitive landscape, make necessary business change, and set effective goals.”

Background:

Employee burnout was a serious issue even before the pandemic, one which costs companies money and lost productivity. It also can have a devastating effect on an employee’s health. But today, with the looming uncertainties due to the COVID 19, along with the confinement, the monetary losses, and additional responsibilities, the chances of burning out or experiencing chronic stress are off the charts. Organizations are facing an employee burnout crisis.

A 2018 Gallup study of nearly 7,500 full-time employees found that “23% of employees reported feeling burned out at work very often or always… the hard organizational cost of burnout is substantial: Burned-out employees are 63% more likely to take a sick day and 2.6 times as likely to be actively seeking a different job.“

Some employees such as those in healthcare, retail, and grocery stores, are having to work longer and harder just to keep up.  Some are facing higher levels of stress than normal, including those who are afraid of getting sick or losing their job.

And we can only imagine that burnout has increased with the varying circumstances and their impacts on workers including telecommuting, increased responsibilities, homeschooling while working, unemployment of spouse or partner, sickness, or being a caregiver for someone who is sick.

Finally, employees can become bored or disengaged while working from home, as they miss human contact, or their supervisor is not as supportive as they could be, or they are not getting enough challenging work.

Being in the Flow

There is a middle ground between being stressed out and not feeling stressed at all. It’s called being in the flow. In his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says that being in the flow happens when you are being challenged enough to stay engaged, but not so much that you burn out.

While the reality is more complex, being in the flow is a path. It’s when you are engaged in an activity where you just want to keep on going and going and going. Any slight deviation – such as too many uncertainties or too many distractions can quickly move the needle from being in the flow to feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Also, a lack of challenge may drive people to boredom and disengagement.

COVID-19 has the potential to throw off the balance in either direction.

The good news is that the practice of mindfulness, along with the right amount of challenge, can help people get back into the zone and experience flow.

Science confirms what people have been saying all along.  Mindfulness works. It is not hype – it is real. And it will give you the edge.

First and foremost, your direct experience will be the evidence that mindfulness works. You’ll notice a difference in how you feel, think, and respond. You’ll notice an increase in your ability to focus, navigate challenges, come up with creative solutions, and connect and communicate with others. Co-workers and family will notice the difference in you as you show more patience, clarity, attentiveness, balance, and self-confidence.

There is ample science* showing that mindfulness and meditation actually physically change the brain, and those who have a dedicated mindfulness practice are better at managing stress, managing emotions, and relating to others.

By adopting mindfulness at work, employees become more resilient as they are better able to manage stress, stay focused on their tasks, and manage their emotions. Mindfulness helps leaders be more compassionate, supportive, and create an environment where everyone can be at their best.

Companies that have invested in mindfulness including Aetna, Google, SalesForce, and others.

They’ve seen an uptick in:

• Employee engagement (increasing retention and productivity)
• Teamwork, collaboration (increasing productivity and time to market)
• Emotional control and empathy (increasing client satisfaction, sales, and revenue)
• Creativity (increasing problem solving and innovation)

And a downtick in:

• Absenteeism (reducing cost of sick days, lateness, and stress)
• Attrition (reducing hiring costs and onboarding new employees)
• Disengagement (reducing mistakes and dissatisfaction)

Resilience is the key to success as people are asked to go back to work, pick up the pieces, and create a new normal.  It will be “all hands on deck” and resilience will make the difference between not only surviving but thriving, as we face many unknowns and challenges.

High performing organizations that invest in mindfulness training today will benefit from a workforce that is more engaged and adaptable as the future unfolds. They will be able to pivot quickly and execute their strategy to rebuild after the economic and psychological effects of the pandemic. These companies will benefit from a competitive advantage when facing reconstruction and unforeseen marketplace challenges.

Get the Training.

Shift existing mindsets, increase resilience, and transform your workplace with mindfulness. Hire MMI Mindful Training and we’ll design an effective training that focuses on the specific outcomes your company wants and tailor it to your unique organizational culture.

To find out how you can bring mindfulness into your organization, contact MMI Mindful Training for your free benefits analysis, or call at 805-770-8188.

Training Partners are available worldwide.

*References:

Is It Even Possible to Focus on Anything Right Now? Harvard Business Review,  Maura Thomas, April 14, 2020, https://hbr.org/2020/04/is-it-even-possible-to-focus-on-anything-right-now

Navigating the Coronavirus – Five Ways a Principal Is Relieving Stress During the Coronavirus Crisis (A Special Report) Austin, Ellie. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]10 Apr 2020: R.4.

What’s Working: Building Resilience through Mindfulness Bergstrom, Kathy, CEBS. Benefits Magazine; Brookfield Vol. 56, N° 10,  (Oct 2019): 12-14.

Altered Traits by Goleman, Daniel; Davidson, Richard J. 2017, Avery Publishing

Your Health: Doctor’s Orders: 20 Minutes Of Meditation Twice a Day,  Source: Reddy, Sumathi, Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y., 16 Apr 2013: D.1.

Be well: A systems-based wellness intervention using mindfulness in the workplace – A case study. Levett, Kate M; Coughlan, Sharyn; Longridge, Sharon; Roumeliotis, Violet; Adams, Jon. Journal of Management and Organization; Lyndfield Vol. 25, N° 5,  (Sep 2019): 613-634. DOI:10.1017/jmo.2017.41

Nonverbal Communication: https://www.lifesize.com/en/video-conferencing-blog/speaking-without-words Feb 18, 2020, by Dustin Smith in Industry, Lifesize

Mindfulness is also called pleine conscience in French, atención plena in Spanish, and consapevolezza in Italian which roughly translate into full attention or full consciousness. 

Mindfulness includes simple behavioral modifications as well as contemplative practices which will help to develop the parts of the brain needed for increased focus, emotional control, and empathy. It helps maintain a restful awareness and a resilient mind and body. In the workplace, mindfulness practices cultivate increased engagement, self-awareness, better communication skills, and more creative problem-solving.

The Benefits are Undeniable

Thanks to the advances in neuroscience and the rise of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), numerous studies over the last 15 years have shown the physical changes in the traits of the brain that are the results of the regular practice of mindfulness.

World-renowned Harvard University researcher, Sara Lazar was part of a team who, in 2006, studied the brains of meditators. They found that those who practiced meditation have younger brains, and, specific areas of the brain related to focus, memory, and stress resiliency, were thicker and healthier.

Another study from Sara Lazar published in 2010, showed that people with no previous meditation experience, who practiced 40 minutes a day for 8 weeks, had noticeable changes in gray matter in critical areas of the brain involved in memory, emotion regulation, perspective taking and interoception.

Another neuroscientist, Richard Davidson, Ph.D., who has done extensive research on the effect of meditation shares some of his findings with Dan Goleman (author of Emotional Intelligence) in their recent co-authored book, Altered Traits. They looked at the hundreds of studies done in the last two decades and provide an unbiased view of what the research tells us.

“Heavy multitaskers, the Stanford group discovered, are more easily distracted in general. And when multitaskers do try to focus on that one thing they have to get done, their brains activate many more areas than just those relevant to the task at hand— a neural indicator of distraction… Just three 10-minute sessions of breath counting were enough to appreciably increase their attention skills on a battery of tests. And the biggest gains were among the heavy multitaskers, who did more poorly on those tests initially.

On the benefits of mindfulness practice: “Beginners also find improvements in attention very early on, including less mind-wandering after just eight minutes of mindfulness practice— a short-lived benefit, to be sure. But even as little as two weeks of practice is sufficient to produce less mind-wandering and better focus and working memory…Still, all such effects are unlikely to persist without sustained practice. Even so, these benefits strike us as surprisingly strong for beginners. Take-home: practicing meditation can pay off quickly in some ways, even if you have just started.” 

So to recap, the benefits of mindfulness include:

Increased ability to focus.

Being able to stay on task and ward off unwanted distractions – both external and internal – is important for two reasons. First, as mentioned previously, a wandering mind is an unhappy mind. The more able you are to focus on a task, the happier you will be.  Focus is the essence of being in the flow.

Second, for knowledge workers, the cost of switching tasks is enormous. When you are working on a problem such as trouble-shooting a spreadsheet or creating a new presentation, switching off for just two minutes will cost you 20 to 30 minutes – the time it takes to get your mind focused back on task.  For workers in the farming, manufacturing, construction, or health industries, an increase in focus goes hand and hand with safety.  A moment of distraction can cost someone’s life.

Staying calm under stress. 

Maintaining a level head in the short term when encountering unexpected problems, and in the long term by keeping a positive attitude and being able to see abundance where others see scarcity, are a result of the practices of mindfulness which help to develop the part of your brain which helps you see clearly and mitigates your reaction to stressful events

Mindfulness practice mitigates your fight/flight response. Under normal circumstances, any setback such as a new deadline or a change in plans may trigger a fight/flight response. At any sign of threat, real or imagined, the amygdala (the activator of the fight-flight response) takes over and directs your brain and body to pump adrenaline and cortisol into your blood, shutting down access to the executive functioning of the brain (the prefrontal cortex). Evolutionarily, this is a good reaction when you are chased by a tiger, but not so helpful when responding to your boss telling you there is a change of plan.  While in fight/flight mode, your IQ lowers down by a few points, and this combined with adrenaline in your blood, can result in reactionary behavior that can affect your reputation.

When you are able to manage stress, you also have the ability to reframe the way you look at things. If you keep replaying a scenario or conversation in your head, or welcome worrying thoughts, you can over-activate the fight or flight response. This can create more stress and drive you to distraction.

With focused attention training and other mindfulness techniques, you become aware of the thoughts that do not serve you and replace them with those that are more helpful, keeping your mood and your spirit up.

Better memory and efficiency.

Adopting a regular mindfulness practice can strengthen and create more density in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for short term memory and learning new things.

Have you ever been introduced to someone and forgotten their name almost instantly? Have you walked into a room and not remembered what you came in for? How about opening your mouth but forgetting what you were going to say?

This lapse in memory is a result of the brain being overstimulated by the stress hormone cortisol, which attacks the hippocampus. This part of the brain is like a cache with memory, but with age, it loses its density. Luckily, with the practices of mindfulness, you can reverse the trend, as mindfulness adds to the density. This is essential in the current climate where you may need to learn new skills while maintaining a clear mind.

Between the chat rooms, emails, social media, and being “on” 24/7 thanks to our phones, there is no respite from the bombardment of information. Focused-attention mindfulness meditation can help you learn to keep distractions at bay and focus on one thing at a time.

One of the most alarming problems for knowledge workers is multitasking.  Multitasking is not possible for tasks that require focused thinking – as switching rapidly from one task to the other takes a toll on short-term memory. It has been observed that those who habitually multitask have more difficulties remembering people’s names, a new phone number, or an address. Mindfulness practices not only increase your brain’s capacity to remember, but they also cultivate monotasking and the ability to stay on task.

Increased self-awareness. 

is an awareness of one’s emotions, one’s feelings, and moods as well as being aware of one’s thoughts and one’s body.  With self-awareness, you know how you are feeling and how it affects your behavior.  You know where your thoughts are and how they affect your mood.  Finally, you get a better sense of where your body is and the sensations coming from your body such as being too hot or too cold, being hungry or thirsty, and many other sensations that can affect our moods and how we behave.

Self-awareness is the sine qua non of mindfulness.  Without self-awareness, there is no possibility of controlling one’s emotions or behaviors.  One part of the brain that is affected by the body scan meditation is the insula.  The insula is the part of the brain that contains a map of the visceral body and helps us recognize changes in body chemistry.  The insula helps us with one’s awareness of body sensations such as hunger or being cold and can help us become aware of our emotions such as fear or anger.

Self-Awareness is also knowing one’s strengths and one’s limitations.  It helps make the right decisions.  It plays a significant role in taking on the right challenges to keep oneself growing while not getting overwhelmed.  Focused attention practices such as the mindful body scan increase self-awareness.

Enhanced innovation and creativity.

By adopting mindfulness practices, you can change the way you approach challenges and problems, by increasing your ability to creatively think. When you are stressed out, your creativity goes on hold. Luckily, research suggests that people who practice mindfulness have more cognitive flexibility and are better at innovation and solving problems requiring insight.

Rob Walker, the author of a Newsweek article, The Art of Noticing: How Entrepreneurs Can Crack the Innovation Code, writes “The connection between mindfulness and the determined focus that success requires has never been more popular. And research has shown how curiosity benefits decision-making and creativity.”

Mindfulness facilitates what creativity experts refer to as the incubation and insight stages within the creative process. With mindfulness, the action-oriented left brain gets a reprieve as the intuitive and imaginative right brain is accessed more readily. This is helpful when you need to come up with creative and inspiring solutions.

A recent article from Harvard Business Review suggests there is a growing clamor is for more responsible and caring C-suites. “Perhaps, just perhaps, our future will be shaped by a kind of reverse Darwinism: survival of the kindest and most benevolent, rather than the most ferocious and self-obsessed.”

For most companies, the full effect of the pandemic is still to be experienced. Leadership will have to go through the heartbreaking decisions of laying off some of their staff, knowing how hard it likely will be for them to find a new position during the worst recession of our lifetime.

Leaders will need to rise above the fray and offer hope and genuine concern to those they are letting go. It is by authentically showing appreciation and empathy that leaders have the power to transform one of the worst moments in someone’s life into one they might remember as a rich human interaction, giving them dignity, hope, and courage.

Leaders know that about 90% of communication is non-verbal. Moods and emotions are contagious, so a leader must be able to be emotionally aware, manage their mood, and maintain an upbeat, positive attitude.

Leaders need to be resilient not only for themselves but also for others, including the team members who have kept their jobs and are now filling the gaps and are scrambling to complete the additional tasks left by the people that had to be let go.

A naïve leader will start working longer hours and set the pace, creating a lot of busyness, little productivity, and an environment where people are likely to burnout.  A more experienced leader will show empathy and strive to create an environment where the team members can do their best while respecting the fine balance between life and work.

Learn more about the power of mindfulness and the art of resilience.

Another challenge accentuated by the pandemic is an increase in an already increasing world of information overload.  It has become increasingly difficult to concentrate on the tasks at hand.  Distractions not only include those from the external environment such as the kids at home or the chatter on social media, but those internal ones, from our own mind, regurgitating the news, attempting to find solutions to problems that do not exist, inventing and trying out all kinds of scenarios, and imagined conversations with people who are not in the room.

This causes a distracted and wandering mind. Where does your concentration go? You might be reminiscing about the way life used to be? Or processing the new information on the novel virus, or wishing you had made other choices? Information overload causes stress and stress reduces one’s ability to focus.

If your mind is wandering more often, you are not alone. A 2010 study from Dan Gilbert and Matthew A. Killingsworth, shows that people’s minds wander 47% of the time, almost half the time.  Mind-wandering means that instead of paying attention to the task at hand, your mind starts an inner narrative which can take different forms, such as thinking about your next task or meeting, daydreaming about your vacation, having an interior dialogue with people who are not in the room, making plans for dinner, and so on…

Besides the staggering amount of time the mind wanders off task, it is important to know that a wandering mind has a penchant for negativity. Dan Gilbert’s conclusion is that “a human mind is a wandering mind, and a wandering mind is an unhappy mind. The ability to think about what is not happening is a cognitive achievement that comes at an emotional cost.”

The Antidote to a Wandering Mind

A recent article from Harvard Business Review on how to increase focus during the pandemic, lists practical ways to deal with distraction. It suggests that one’s greatest challenge is one’s ability to control their thoughts. This is where mindfulness comes in.

“Practicing attention management is about maintaining control of where your attention goes, and recognizing when it’s being stolen, either by external distractions or internal errant thoughts, rumination, or anxiety…”

Focused attention practice, one of the several techniques used in mindfulness, has been scientifically studied. It has been shown to increase the ability to observe and control one’s thoughts. Just as exercising helps one to stay in good physical shape, numerous case studies and research have shown that a formal daily mindfulness practice trains the brain, builds focus, and increases awareness.

Mindfulness isn’t a training to stop the mind from wandering. Instead, it’s a practice that trains one’s ability to maintain their focus longer. and increases one’s self-awareness so they are able to realize when their mind has started to wander, so they can bring it back to attention.

When a mind wanders regularly, it becomes habituated to being distracted. But with mindfulness, you become more self-aware. You begin to notice that it has wandered, so you easily bring it back to the task at hand. By doing this, again and again, you create a new intentional habit, breaking the habit of distraction. Mindfulness helps with all of that.