First of all, what is mindfulness. Its definition is a mental state that’s achieved by focusing on ones awareness. This in the present moment, while consciously acknowledging and accepting one’s thoughts, feelings, and sensations, used primarily as a therapeutic technique.
Increased mindfulness allows you to become a better leader, giving you improved insight, helping you to make precise more accurate decisions. All this sounds great, so the question is how to achieve these states of mindfulness.
Meditation is known as one of the most effective ways. Meditation also has extended health benefits, such as better cognition, stronger immune, and extending longevity. There are other mindfulness techniques which can be used during the day which has been proven effective.
There are simple exercises of increasing this awareness throughout the day, which improves better management and engagement of all the challenges which presents themselves.
Slow Down And Breath
Slow yourself down to take calm deep mindful breaths. Focus on inhaling and exhaling deeply. This becomes extremely effective and an influence once you feel upset or stressed out.
Our minds can easily spin out of control, gain warp speed as we race through the workday, so slow down and breath deep. Doing so will improve your muddled concentration.
Once the mind becomes agitated, it becomes difficult to focus, and will occur at the most inopportune times, the busiest times of day, and breathing deep just takes a few moments. The 4-7-8 technique is found the most effective.
Taking Mindful Walks
Most of us walk a lot during the workday so make it mindful. Instead of losing yourself in the past, consciously pay attention to right now, this moment, this by placing attention on how you walk, which calms your mind.
While walking, focus on the sensation of it, feel your feet glide across the floor. Count your steps from one to five, and then start from one again.
Keep your mind in the present moment, your thoughts at bay. Keeping a slow steady pace will begin to slow down your mind every time you walk, this to and from work, as well as in your office and during breaks.
Listen Attentively
What’s common is someone tells you their name, and in a few moments you forget it. This isn’t because of poor memory, but because you never bothered to register it in the first place.
What we’re thinking of is our next words to say, this to avoid awkward silence or embarrassment. We’re thinking too far ahead, and then suddenly forget the persons name.
Instead, listen mindfully into what they’re saying. Don’t get distracted by what’s happening around you, or things that you need to do or say. Being mindful this way will have a profound effect on your relationships.
Listening bonds a greater connection. They’ll feel that you appreciate what they’re saying, making them feel valued, while they place more effort into the conversation.
Mindful Speech
The flip side of attentive listening is mindful expression. We don’t realize the impact that our words have, or how others understand them. We speak whatever we want in the manner we want, and everyone interprets it in different ways.
Speaking mindfully is an easy process to develop. We often react by responding immediately to what someone is saying, while we don’t realize the consequences of our response.
So take a break for a moment before speaking, pause for an instant and think about what you’re about to say, so they’ll understand you better. This includes your tone of voice, your mannerisms and gestures, all which has an impact, which makes a huge difference on how you’re heard.
So relax and speak a little more slowly, consciously think about the context of your words. Tune into your speech, along with your overall presence in general.
Start getting a sense of how others feel in your presence. Did they flex, relax, tense up, look away, look puzzled or indifferent. Pay attention to your words and then their demeanor.
Try to be as loving, respectful, and as kind as possible. Pay homage to how they’re reacting. Once you learn how to put people at ease, then you’ve created better communication and harmony.
Meditative Writing
What’s found important is writing to meditate. What some experts recommend is writing in a journal, this as an effective mindfulness technique and exercise.
What others will do is write out their preset words of a meditation, scribe a particular affirmation in their own handwriting, this for a few moments every day. That’s all you’re required to do, and that’s write down your meditative passage.
What these words will begin to do is imprint themselves on your subconscious, so within a few days, you’ll begin to behave differently, this without any conscious effort.
What doing so does is it alters your attitude and feelings towards others and events. We begin to see the world differently. We no longer think everyone’s out to get us, or that we always need to be first or always right, while also becoming more creative rather than competitive.
To Become Mindful
Once our attitudes regarding others change, the way that we deal with them then changes. It helps in healing wounds from the past, this by forgiving those who harmed us previously.
Mindfulness is an extremely powerful tool which can help you in the workplace. This by adopting a calmer frame of mind, allowing you to concentrate better, become more assertive, allowing you to gain greater ability to visualize the bigger picture.
Think of using these methods to become a better person and a more effective leader. A leader who’s able to be more accountable for their actions and consequences, while becoming a visionary in the process.