Mindfulness as a tool to flourish

The coaching process is unique to each individual and different tools may be adopted to help you move forward towards your goal.

One such tool is mindfulness, which is now widely recognised as beneficial in varying ways. Research suggests it may help with areas such as creativity, stress management and burnout. It’s been around for centuries, but is only more recently being valued as a useful practice in everyday life. In essence, mindfulness is about:

• being and living in the moment
• paying real and active attention to the here and now
• living now, not in the past that has gone by, nor in the future.

If you observe young children, you can often see them living in the moment naturally. As we grow older, with more demands, social conditioning and stresses, the ability to “just be” can reduce without us even realising what is happening. Instead, the demands of life, work, our environment or clients lead us to function by just “doing” without being in the moment. We often operate like robots on autopilot, but with that, we experience less pleasure. I am sure many readers can relate to that.

Whilst pressures do exist, being mindful in your tasks at home or work, or even in your hobbies or when exercising, can support you in a number of ways. Creating mindful space physically and mentally may take time as you remove any judgments or assumptions about it, but practice can create a new habit that helps you flourish.

10 benefits of being mindful

1. Greater awareness of yourself, your surroundings and the people in it.
2. Clarity of thinking and improved ability to evaluate and make decisions with composure.
3. Increased creative thinking.
4. Reduced stress.
5. Improved listening and communication for you and with others.
6. Increased ability to address and manage conflict or difficult situations.
7. Improved awareness of tasks or goals and how to reach them.
8. Finding others mirror your mindful calmness.
9. Improved morale and engagement with others or in activities.
10. Awareness of performance with improved performance and activity levels.

How to be mindful at work

Here is a simple example of how to be mindful before you start a task. It takes three to five minutes.

• Take your seat at your desk. Place your feet firmly on the ground but relaxed.
• Allow your shoulders to relax. Take a breath and a moment to ensure your shoulders have relaxed.
• Place your hands and lower arms comfortably on your desk.
• You may wish to close your eyes or lower your gaze. Do what is comfortable for you in your environment.
• Notice the sensations you feel as your feet are on the ground. You may notice nothing, or you may notice something, some tingling or other sensations. Do not be judgmental, just be.
• Take your awareness upwards, from your feet through your legs and to your bottom on the seat. Acknowledge any sensations. Take your time.
• Keep the awareness on your body, moving upwards through your back to your arms.
• Acknowledge any sensations.
• As you continue to move your awareness upwards in your torso, check that your shoulders are still relaxed. Bring your awareness to them. If at any time your body has tightened up, just acknowledge it in your mind and relax. Let go of the tension.
• Take your awareness to your neck and acknowledge any tension, then release it mentally. Just let it go.
• Take your awareness up the face towards the centre of the eyebrows. Relax.
• Sit here for a few moments. What do you notice in your body? Anything?
• You may hear sounds around you. If so, what sensations do you feel?
• Take a moment, focusing on the stillness of the body.
• After a minute, or whatever time is comfortable for you, bring your awareness back to the environment. Perhaps move your fingers and toes a little, enabling your senses to awaken steadily. Open your eyes.

You may now continue with your day.

In mindfulness, there is no need to alter the way you feel. It is about acknowledging this and living in the moment, giving yourself time to notice things. This time may allow you the opportunity to release tension and feel calmer. Remember, developing the art of mindfulness takes time, and it may take a few attempts to feel the benefits personally. Just be aware and let it flow.