Mindfulness - reducing stress and improving communication in the workplace

As a society our overall wellbeing is decreasing. Findings by the Australian Psychology Society detailed that in 2013, the rate of stress, depression, and anxiety reported among people had risen compared to the previous two years of research. In particular, younger people are seen to be reporting the negative symptoms of depression and anxiety at a higher rate than their older peers. Furthermore, workplace wellbeing was also reported as lower compared with previous years.

With the rate of mental health issues rising, large companies such as Google and Apple have begun utilising Mindfulness in the workplace to ensure they give their employees the best possible chance to be resilient and self-sufficient in neutralising the daily stressors that they encounter.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is non-judgemental, open and curious awareness of oneself in the present moment; such as awareness of our thoughts, emotions, and reactions. Research shows that developing this level of introspection has positive effects for reducing stress levels, regulating emotions and emotional reactions, promoting enhanced decision making, and decreasing negative thought patterns which can interrupt positive functioning throughout the day.

Mindfulness in the Workplace

There are great Mindfulness at Work websites that will give you tips on how you can practice Mindfulness while going about your daily work-related routine. Some of these tips are listed below:

• When you walk to the car or the train station, walk a little slower. Feel the footpath on the soles of your feet. If you notice any tension in your body, try to relax it.
• When walking try to breath in and out with every third step you take.
• When you sit at your desk, take a few controlled breaths in and out before you start your computer.
• Eat your lunch a little slower, take the time to chew your food and taste all the different flavours you can.
• When you are going to communicate something, take the time to think about what you are saying and how you will say it.
• Before you put your key in the front door upon returning home, stop and take a few breaths before proceeding.

No matter what industry you are in or what stage of your working life you are at, increasing your wellbeing is beneficial to you and those around you. Through the techniques of mindfulness, the added development of increased emotional stability and positive thought patterns will only improve morale and the company environment.

Mindfulness - reducing stress and improving communication in the workplace

As a society our overall wellbeing is decreasing. Findings by the Australian Psychology Society
detailed that in 2013, the rate of stress, depression, and anxiety reported among people had risen compared to the previous two years of research. In particular, younger people are seen to be reporting the negative symptoms of depression and anxiety at a higher rate than their older peers. Furthermore, workplace wellbeing was also reported as lower compared with previous years.

With the rate of mental health issues rising, large companies have begun utilising Mindfulness in the workplace to ensure they give their employees the best possible chance to be resilient and self-sufficient in neutralising the daily stressors that they encounter.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is non-judgemental, open and curious awareness of oneself in the present moment; such as awareness of our thoughts, emotions, and reactions. Research shows that developing this level of introspection has positive effects for reducing stress levels, regulating emotions and emotional reactions, promoting enhanced decision making, and decreasing negative thought patterns which can interrupt positive functioning throughout the day.

Mindfulness in the Workplace

Seeing the positive effects mindfulness training can provide, it is no wonder that large companies such as Apple and Google (among many others) are arming their employees with the skills mindfulness can provide. Increasing effectiveness at work, the ability to handle conflict better through emotional regulation, and decreased workplace tension are just some of the benefits that implementing mindfulness practices offer. A prime example of mindfulness implementation within the workplace is Google; who run seven-week long classes for employees to focus on developing mindfulness skills useful for dealing with the stressful corporate world. Although smaller companies won’t have the resources for a seven week long course, introducing simple mindfulness techniques to employees can still have resounding results in helping reduce stress and improve the wellbeing of employees.

In any industry, increasing the wellbeing of employees is always of benefit to a company. Through the techniques of mindfulness, the added development of increased emotional stability and positive thought patterns will only improve morale and the company environment.

Simple Strategies to Prevent Workplace Anxiety

Workplace anxiety is more common than you might think. The ‘2014 Stress and Wellbeing in Australia Survey’ conducted by the Australian Psychological Society found ‘issues in the workplace’ was one of the top five sources of stress among Australians aged between 26-45 years, with a massive 44% of Australians identifying work as a key cause of stress. Work related sources of stress can include things like; starting a new job, lack of autonomy, heavy workloads, poor resources and limited support. Constant anxiety, worry, apprehension, fear, and feelings of impending doom can arise from stress and be long-lasting, even when the original stressor is gone.

With the fast-paced environments and pressures of meeting client demands, deadlines, and keeping on top of your game, it’s easy to develop work related anxieties. Struggling with anxiety at work can be debilitating; even the simplest tasks can become difficult to complete. Stress is often unavoidable in the working world, but it is helpful to identify key sources of stress, and have some strategies at hand to prevent it developing into a more serious problem.

Here are six simple ways to prevent stress and anxiety in the workplace.

1. Slow down. Close your eyes and focus on slow, deep breathing for several minutes until you feel yourself physically relax. This will make it easier to focus and gather your thoughts for the task at hand.
2.  Break it up. Sometimes when faced with a difficult situation, rather than tackling it head on, break it down into smaller tasks. That way, you can set goals for getting each part done. Reward yourself by taking a break in between set tasks; go for a quick walk to clear your head. 
3. Exercise. We’ve all heard that exercise plays an important role in keeping mentally healthy, and it’s true. Find and join a gym close by and go before, after or even during work. If you think you can’t handle those spin classes, make an effort to walk to and from work. Not only does being physically active improve mental health, just being outside with some natural greenery has been shown to have positive impacts to emotions and self-esteem. Every bit counts!
4.  Enjoy your social life.  Don’t forget you have a life outside of work. Catch up with friends and family to keep yourself socially active. Organise things for after work, so you have something to look forward to and keep you going throughout the day. 
5. Face your anxiety. That feeling of frustration, anger or nervousness might seem normal at first, but when it lasts a little longer than it should, it can be a good idea to talk it out to yourself, write your worries down, and actually stop and think about what is worrying you and accept the stress or anxiety might be more serious than you thought. Self-understanding is important to finding a resolution. If you think it’s weird talking it out to yourself…
6. Talk to someone else. Find a co-worker, friend, family member or a mental health professional that you are comfortable talking with. Sometimes just saying what you’re going through out loud can bring an immense amount of relief.

Stress is a normal reaction when something at work is a little more demanding or challenging. However, it’s good to learn to recognise the signs when it’s getting a bit too much for you. Many organisations have an Employee Assistance Program available to help employees enhance their health and wellbeing, and some even accommodate leave of absence from work so you can have a day away to mentally recharge. If you’re finding anxiety is getting the better of you, take a minute to discuss your options with your manager or supervisor, or contact a medical professional for extra support.

Good Stress Vs. Bad Stress

Stress is often a dirty word surrounded by the thought of last minute deadlines, juggling a career and family life and even sleepless nights. However, that’s only half the story as stress can also be the drive to complete tasks on time and push you beyond your comfort zone toward new achievements.  In essence, stress occurs when there is a perceived discrepancy between the demands of a tasks and an individual’s perceived ability to cope with the demands of the task. Though when properly managed and understood, stress can actually act as a positive pressure that motivates us to push ourselves and achieve our potential. As long as the gap between perceived ability to cope and demands of the task is not too overwhelming! Here’s how you can identify between good and bad stress, and use good stress to your advantage:

Good Stress

Stress is necessary for survival, hence why your ancestors survived; they saw the big bear and ran! Stress can often be a good thing, it helped your ancestors survive and now it can help you perform in your job. Such stress is called ‘Eustress’ which helps one make those difficult decisions, meet deadlines, get over a rejection letter, and help you prepare and work towards goals. Good Stress is what stimulates us to go out and get things done. Good stress is what adds that fuel to our fire, and keeps your thought process on its toes for those activities that require that little extra effort such as presenting to colleagues or a job interview.  So stress can be ok in safe amounts.

Bad Stress

Distress is when the level of stress begins to be harmful where we perceive that a task is just too much and we go beyond just pushing ourselves a little. This is when stress should be dealt with through positive coping strategies such as talking about it with others who will listen. If negative coping strategies are used (such as too much caffeine during work or alcohol afterwards ) and the distress is not dealt with that when things can get ugly, resulting in higher blood pressure, unforeseen aggression, and loss of sleep.

Negative coping strategies allow stress to build upon itself and there are long term negative psychological and physical consequences of elongated periods of stress.

Optimal stress is a healthy balance between ‘keeping busy’ eustress and avoiding overload distress stress and is what needs to be focused on in the workplace environment, as it allows peak performance and gives you or your employees paramount work levels.

5 Ways to Deal with Difficult Colleagues

It’s a situation that we’re all faced with at some point in the challenging, strenuous and consistently inconsistent journey commonly referred to as a career. It can be tricky to get used to the complexities of a 9-5 working day that is constantly evolving, however the addition of working with difficult colleagues who contribute to the slowing down of time may be a driving force to utilise those sick leave hours! We therefore present 5 tips on dealing with these colleagues to reduce/alleviate any work related stresses you’re experiencing!

Identify what the issue is

In a world that operates on an on-the-go and fast paced basis, it’s easy to blow an issue out of proportion- especially when that particular issue has consumed your thoughts. Try to identify what the issue actually is. Most of the time, it’s purely the thought of that problem that is daunting as opposed to the issue actually bothering you.

With that in mind, is the reason you feel uncomfortable around a particular colleague simply the result of a personality clash? This is quite common in the workforce; some people prefer to keep to themselves whereas others work best in a group. Therefore for example; the reason for their silence or isolation isn’t directed at you, it’s simply their way of functioning at work and most likely can’t be changed.

‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer’

This subtitle is self-explanatory. Machiavelli said it, Sun Tzu uttered similar words, Al Pacino even reiterated this saying and we’ll say it again.  In terms of enemy, we don’t only refer to these people whom you don’t get along with; it actually refers to anyone who you’re in competition with or who may try to take credit for your work. Keeping them ‘close’ (don’t get too close) may become advantageous to you in terms of understanding why they’re behaving the way that they do, or why they feel as though they’re above you.  Just make sure not to obsess with the issue, clashes will always occur but you can manage them strategically to achieve higher satisfaction at work.

Never say anything bad about anyone… At work

We live in a world where anything and everything said can be used against you. Don’t speak ill of a colleague to another colleague, never create any written material regarding the company or its employees (this is a legal issue, we’re not making this one up!), and please please please if you feel the need to vent to anyone, discuss your issues with a family member, friend or health professional (there’s a highly unlikely chance your colleagues will hear of your struggles from them).

In saying that, if any bullying is occurring in person, try to communicate more through email. It’s always better to have documentation or physical proof if the matter reaches the HR department (this is an extreme precaution!)

If all else fails - talk to your boss!

There are just some things you will not be able to change with the resources and decisions you are in control of. If the proximity or setup is what is making the issue with your difficult colleague worse, ask if you can be moved or partnered with someone else. Be sure to mention how you feel this will encourage better performance and results as well as a better team harmony overall. As long as you touch on your employer’s concerns for performance and making sure the team ‘gets along’, they have a responsibility to listen to you.

Move on

If these colleagues are beginning to bother you to the point where it’s affecting your work, then it might be time for change. Separate yourself completely or as much as possible from them and simply focus on your work. Work independently if need may be, limit conversation to greetings and purely work related topics and migrate over to another group of colleagues with whom you’re more comfortable/compatible with. Be the bigger person and end up happier for it.

If negativity is affecting your personal life or keeping you up at night, then you should definitely consider making a change within your current business or explore other avenues.

Good luck!