Wellbeing in the Work Place

Mindfulness can affect all aspects of your life, personal and professional. By activating the body’s natural parasympathetic system (also known as the rest and digest system), happy hormones are released and the body stops producing stress hormones.

When we are at work we need to be in the active ‘doing’ mode, where the mind is analytical and can solve problems and meet deadlines. Some stress is useful here, it allows the body to react quickly and blood flow to increase to the brain. The problem comes when the body is ALWAYS in this mode. For example, when you have finished work when you are with your family or loved ones, you do not want to be in this ‘stress’ mode. The body needs to be able to enter its natural state of relaxation otherwise it affects your home life and relationships.

At night, you might find it difficult to switch off thoughts of the day, and this results in poor quality sleep. This state of mind causes the body to produce cortisol on an ongoing basis. That is when we begin to see not only mental health problems but physical health problems – such as weight gain, tiredness and high blood pressure.

Some of the benefits of mindfulness:

  • Remain calm

  • Patience

  • Self-acceptance

  • Reduced problem behaviour

  • Improved relationships – personal and professional

  • Increased creativity, curiosity

  • Better sleep

  • Boosted immune system

  • Improved focus and concentration

  • Improved self-control

  • Greater energy levels

  • Increased resilience

  • Better memory

  • Reduced stress and anxiety

  • Improved cardiovascular health – including blood pressure

  • Pain relief

Those who practice mindfulness therefore notice an improved work-life balance. There is abundant evidence that in the workplace mindfulness has shown to:

  • Improve their job performance (Gallant 2016),

  • The reduction of stress means greater job satisfaction (Shonin, Van Gordon, Dunn, Singh, & Griffiths, 2014).

  • This can lead to reduced work-related burnout (Goodman and Schorling 2012).

All these factors are hugely important for the employer and the employee. As well as individual health benefits, mindfulness can help nurture a positive work environment. Mindfulness is an activity that can be done as a group, which in turn helps teamwork and foster working relationships.

Mindfulness does not work on the premise that stressors in your life will be abolished. Through acceptance and awareness of the present moment, it frees the mind from regrets of the past and ruminations of the future. As a result, it changes your experience and the impact of that stressor on your life.