Mindfulness has been a buzz word for a few years now. Go in any book shop and they will have many titles available on the subject. People are interested to find out more and see how mindfulness could benefit business and every day life.
The art of mindfulness is to be aware of what is going on around you, basically living in the here and now. If you watch a child at play, they give a great demonstration of mindfulness as whatever they are doing has their total, undivided attention. As adults, many of us lose this precious skill. We often find our minds wandering to the next item on our to-do list.
We are not really listening to our bodies, or fully concentrating on the task that we are performing, listening or even savouring our meals, just ticking off another box, then onto another email, rushing to a meeting with a dozen or so thoughts hounding our brains. This can make you feel exhausted, overwhelmed and you may find your resilience compromised as you feel stress levels rising.
Practising mindfulness has proved to be effective for UK businesses. Various UK companies have reaped the benefits of mindfulness within their workforce, the changes they have found include a reduction in stress levels, anxiety and conflict among employees and an upturn in emotional intelligence, resilience and improved communication skills.
Try to take a few moments each day to breathe deeply, think about your posture, notice how your body feels and the environment around you. Mindfulness takes time to master but if you are prepared to make a positive change you could be happier and healthier.