Mindfulness: Healthy Mind. Healthy Life.
Our jobs are our bread and butter. On a regular day, we spend an average of three hours commuting to and from work and eight hours doing actual work at a minimum. But our day–to–day pursuit can be tough and stressful. Commuting alone can trigger plenty of unpleasant emotions. Dealing with challenges at work can be physically, emotionally, and mentally draining.
During the past months, the stress we have to deal with has multiplied due to COVID-19. The enhanced community quarantine leads to adjustments in our lifestyle, routine, work-life balance, and social life.
Mega-companies such as Google, Nike, Intel, and Apple have started to cultivate a culture of mindfulness. Can UnionBankers, despite the present challenges posed by COVID-19, slow down, feel present, and make mindfulness work?
Make a conscious decision to do it.
Like every endeavor, being mindful is a conscious decision. Saying yes to starting this practice is already being mindful that you actually need it.
Identifying the reason why you want to do it is also vital. Do you want to be less reactive and less stressed at work? Do you want to be happier and more focused? Do you want to declutter your mind, proactively? Do you want to decide faster during a crisis?
Whatever reasons you might have, little steps to mindfulness can help you achieve all of these eventually.
Get the tools for it.
Mindfulness tools can be as simple as a mobile app. These apps can be programmed to alert the user to practice meditation at a specific time of the day. While most meditation apps can cost between PHP 1,200.00 to PHP 2,500.00 annually, these apps offer a free trial for a week or a month that help you get used to this habit.
One free source of guided meditation is podcasts. Spotify has podcasts channels like Headspace, Meditation Minis by Chel Hamilton, The Daily Meditation Podcast, and Guided Sleep Meditations. Similar materials are also available in other streaming sites such as YouTube and Apple Music.
Make time for it.
Time spent on meditation is always a time well-spent. It doesn’t matter whether it is a short practice as long as you do it regularly.
Setting your phone alarm or synchronizing your meditation with your coffee or lunch break will be a good practice to remind yourself of your meditation practice.
Do not force it.
Meditation is the same concept for the mind as what exercising is for the body. It helps the brain build resistance against stress and anxiety; it improves focus and promotes emotional agility.
But it is not advisable to force yourself to do it. You may start with as quick as a 5-minute breathing exercise, a 10-minute midday reset, or a 20-minute sleep meditation.
Stay with it
Studies say that it takes 18 to 254 days to develop a new habit. So, be patient with yourself and stick to your practice. The more you practice mindfulness and meditation, the more you will realize how much your mind and body benefits from it.
To help you stay with it, you can track your weekly progress through a simple checklist:
Am I calmer than last week? When I started with my practice?
Am I more aware of what I feel, internally and externally?
Am I more receptive and open?
Am I more creative?
Am I sleeping better?
What are the benefits of meditation?
1
It allows you to acknowledge and understand your emotions.
Meditation can help you control your emotions and prevent them from overpowering you by helping you acknowledge and shift your perspective on each one.
2
It helps you communicate and connect better.
Have you ever experienced zoning out while in the middle of a meeting? Meditation helps you focus and be more conscious of the present and help you avoid getting sidetracked by distracting thoughts.
3
It helps you manage and lower stress.
Less is truly more. By allowing yourself to relax, breathe properly, scan, and acknowledge your physical and emotional joys and pains, you make yourself more emotionally resilient.
Mindfulness is one of the proven ways to inject moments of calm and serenity in our busy minds. It is a practice that allows us to be more self-aware by pausing for a moment, focusing on the present, and acknowledging our feelings without judgment.
Now, more than ever, we need to create some headspace to allow ourselves to think faster and smarter during emergency and challenging situations. This practice will enable you to focus your energy on what makes you feel alive, creative, and productive!
Rising above and beyond the challenges brought about by the pandemic takes a lot of resilience and faith. It is comforting to know that Unionbank supports work-life balance. I am excited to join you very soon.
Thanks, Nova! We can’t wait to co-create innovations for a better world with U!