MIND FULL OR MINDFUL?Alison Moore29th November 2012

Which are you?

BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS Mindfulness can help reduce workplace tensions. People who practice mindfulness at work report an

improved ability to communicate clearly and more appropriate reactions to stressful situations.

They also report a better ability to handle workplace conflict, Improved teamwork, a better ability to "think out of the box" and in some cases enhanced creativity.

MINDFULNESS & INNOVATION While innovation can't be manufactured on

demand, it can be cultivated both inwardly and outwardly through the practice of mindfulness. Cultivating attention and awareness through mindfulness provides a new way for all to live all aspects of their lives with a greater sense of skill, connection, openness, and balance.

WHY MIGHT IT MATTER? Mindfulness quiets mental chatter and it lays the

foundation for better decision-making and communication.

Learning from professional athletes, we can actually do more in less time by practicing the art of recovery. Professional athletes understand that pushing themselves at 100% of their capacity 100% of the time results in little or no long-term performance gain. They build time to recharge into their training routines. We can do the same.

Some Science:

Your Mindfulness Practice:

1. Explore meditation practises and find one that works for you.

2. Regularly spend time unhooked from social media. Recognise if you are addicted to Facebook etc. the dopamine hit from messaging that is identical to the brain chemistry of a drug addiction.

3. Spend time in nature. 4. Spend more time with people with whom you

feel good 5. Find ways of being kinder to yourself.

YOUR PRESCRIPTION

6. Move your body 7. Find out what foods give you energy 8. Phone a friend 9. Occasionally watch clouds 10. Walk the labyrinth 11. Stand up straight shoulders away from the

ears. 12. Step away from the computer

YOUR PRESCRIPTION 2

HOW TO BE MINDFUL – BACK TO BASICS Concentrate fully on whatever activity you are

engaged in. Thich Nhat Hanh suggest that 'when you are washing the dishes, be only washing the dishes'. Give your full concentration to the activity of washing the dishes. You may find that time seems to slow down and calmness sets in.