CategoryStudents

Finding The Time For Wellness At Work

Often times we are busy. Too busy to relax it seems.

But that’s not true. That’s a narrative we give ourselves. There’s always time to take care of ourselves. Sometimes it may not seem like it, but there is. Especially on a busy work day – that’s when we may need a moment of mindfulness the most. And it doesn’t take much! Read on to learn one of our mindfulness exercises for workplace wellness.

If you have ever had brain fog, decision fatigue (when someone asks you any question, and it feels frustrating), or felt short tempered after a long day, then you can understand how constant stress and stimulation affect us. We are not designed to grind for 8+ hours, jumping from one task, appointment, or event to another. We are meant to have cycles and periods of slowing down, to prepare the mind and body for action again when required.

Our health and particularly our stress levels play a huge role in performance and productivity. We function at our best when we are able to pause and reset throughout the day. For most people, productivity falls after about 2 hours of working. After that it is best to take a break. Practicing mindfulness helps us to increase our emotional intelligence (eq) recognize our current state of being so we can adjust accordingly. Wellness at work is extremely important and it begins with managing our stress and emotions. There are many factors to employee health, but for us it starts with the mind body connection.

When you start to notice those symptoms of stress and fatigue, it’s time to check in with yourself.

A Quick Check-In

Here is a short version of a mindfulness exercise from our employee wellness programs. This can be done in as little as 2 minutes. And helps you to recognize where you are at and if you want to shift your mindset at all.

  1. Sit comfortably with a straight back and shoulders relaxed.
  2. Close your eyes.
  3. Think of 1 word that describes how you feel right now, in the moment.
  4. Take 3 deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth.
  5. Continue breathing through the nose if possible.
  6. Observe the breath; notice the expansion/contraction of the lungs and belly with each inhale/exhale.
  7. Set an intention – Gratitude and presence, or anything you want to make a part of your subconscious action.
  8. Bring the attention back to the rhythm of the breath.
  9. Think of 1 word that describes how you feel right now, in the moment.
  10. Blink the eyes open (Optionally: Cup the hands over the eyes before opening).

We Are Here For You

JAH Advisory offers workplace wellness programs with self-mastery in mind. Starting with mindfulness and emotional intelligence, we teach how each individual can reach their highest potential. With these practices we can be more accountable, more focused, and more fulfilled! Health is wealth, and it shows! Companies can save millions by investing in employee wellness. Learn more about the benefits and schedule a call here:

Benefits of Workplace Wellness

Practicing Mindfulness With Family

Practicing mindfulness has many benefits for all areas of life. It affects physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being. It’s an even more powerful tool when that intention and awareness is shared with others – in this case, our family. A Family that practices mindfulness together, stays together.

A mindful family is:

  • Aware of each other’s wants/needs
  • Emotionally available
  • More likely to take responsibility for how we are feeling
  • Less likely to project negative feelings onto others

Cultivate Curiosity

Mindfulness can be a new and odd subject to those who are unfamiliar. To avoid awkward interactions like in the comic, we want to introduce mindfulness in a way that instills curiosity. Questions that may get others to be curious about mindfulness are:

  • Are you present?
  • How do you feel right now? Do you want to change anything about that?
  • Have you set an intention (for the day/activity)?
  • What do you think of taking a few minutes to be mindful with ourselves and each other?

Starting a Practice

A family that practices mindfulness together, stays together.

Start Small – try a short mindfulness minutes activity and reflect on the experience as a group (perhaps before/after a meal). Most of our mindfulness activities include the following steps which can be used as a basis for your own activity!

  1. Close your eyes. Take 3 deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
  2. Name an emotion – what word best describes how you feel right now? Take note of it and let it go for now.
  3. Observe the senses (can be just 1 sense: i.e. Listen to the sounds around; or engage each of the senses if time allows: hearing, smell, taste, touch, sight).
  4. Observe the breath – Let it happen naturally without thinking about it.
  5. Set an intention. If nothing specific comes to mind, set an intention to be present and express gratitude throughout the day. The more you are specific about your intentions, the more likely you are to act on them without even thinking about it. We subconsciously achieve our goals or desired state of being.
  6. Name an emotion – what word best describes how you feel right now? Take note of it. Open your eyes.

Discuss your experience with your family. Here are possible discussion questions to get you started.

  • How do you feel? Do you want to change that? Remember we can hold on to, or let go of any emotion. It’s a choice.
  • Especially with family, be accountable for your own emotions. Don’t use crutches or deflections such as “I feel like you…”, or “You made me feel…” Own your feelings.
  • What are you working on?
  • Do you need support?

Try this activity with your kids, parents, spouse, or close friends. It is a great way to connect and share perspectives.

It’s Never Too Late

Have you ever heard anyone talk about their health as if they are stuck and can’t improve? I teach yoga and too often do I hear “I’m not flexible enough for that.” or “I’m too old for that.”

I’m not just talking about yoga here. I’m talking about life, health, relationships, goals, and anything else where self-limiting beliefs might show up.

Well, there’s good news! It doesn’t matter how old or flexible you are – you can still practice yoga. In fact, we are capable of much more than we think. All it takes is the right intention and the openness to the possibility of “success” whatever that looks like to you. We have to believe – and I mean truly believe on a deep subconscious level – that we can accomplish whatever it is that we set out to do. Otherwise, you fail before you start.

So I’m not just talking about yoga here. I’m talking about life, health, relationships, goals, and anything else where self-limiting beliefs might show up. It’s never too late to work towards our goals. In fact, if you haven’t started already, NOW is the best time to start! Whether its running marathons, saving money, mending broken relationships, or simply living well – it is never too late to start!

Remember, everything works with patterns and repetition. The more you stretch and exercise, the easier it will become. In fact, the more you do anything, the easier it becomes for your body and brain! At first a new activity may feel difficult or awkward – and we may even want to sink into old habits. With practice, the pattern leaves more of an imprint on our brain and body, and it becomes easier.

Examples:

  • The more you eat healthy, the easier it becomes.
  • The more you practice eating out of stress, the easier it becomes.
  • When you relax more frequently it becomes easier.
  • When you practice self-doubt, it becomes easier.
  • When you practice positive affirmations, they become easier.

Some Hard Facts – Don’t Let Them Scare You!

  • Children are like sponges. It’s much easier for them to adopt new habits and behavior patterns than adults, but we can still do it! Our brains work similarly with the main difference being as adults, its filled with so much that we have to ‘overwrite’ old patterns to save new ones.
  • We can practice training the body and mind to its youthful capacities.
  • Believe in yourself! You can do anything you put your mind to!
  • Never say “It’s too late!” You are always capable of improving!

You Always Have A Choice

In life we have many decisions to make. Everything we do is the result of a choice – conscious or subconscious. One of the most important choices we can make doesn’t have to do with our actions, but has to do with our attitude – our state of being. Regardless of what our actions are, we also choose an attitude – a mental state to go with it. The difference between a positive attitude and a negative attitude is the difference between success and failure, motivation and depression. Choosing a positive outlook is a simple decision (so is a negative outlook) that can happen for some people without thinking about it. For others, it might take practice. It is completely normal to have mixed feelings, confusion, self-doubt, anxiety, and, fear. This is the natural disposition of human physiology and the fight/flight responses of the nervous system.

Once we understand that, we can accept it. We can understand the source of our feelings and from there choose a positive outlook. For most people, things can always be better, and they can also be worse. It is important to realize that we are not subject to our emotions or impulses. A good place to start being positive is practicing gratitude. Try naming 3 things that you are grateful for. Another great practice is to list 3 things that you like about yourself.

Here’s mine for today:
I am grateful for: life, my health, and the ability to share my knowledge.
I am wise. I am strong. I am capable.

Be Yourself

Here I’ll share a little bit of a personal story.

Halloween is around the corner and because irony is one of my more favored humors, I wanted to leave everyone a positive reminder; wearing masks is fun, but being yourself is best.

But as I am writing this, I came across an interesting tidbit. October 29th is international internet day. I find this fitting because the internet is a symbol of communication and expression. The internet up many new channels of communication and expression. It gives us the ability to wear infinite masks. It also shows us how interconnected everything really is. We can open up portals to speak with and see friends and family from across the planet. Or we can communicate anonymously with millions of people. We can access information stored from incredible distances and carry it in our pockets. So I guess the other message for this post is let’s remember not to take the internet for granted and most of what we see online is a mask.

Some people worry about being judged by others, some people judge themselves too much. I fall into the latter category. As a child it bothered me that I would not be accepted into schools because of my hair – and when I did, I would be teased and get into fights with other children. It took a while for it to even occur to me to change myself for acceptance (which I tried and felt miserable).

You have to accept yourself before others can.

I’m more of the person to always ask “why?”. I accepted being different and stopped caring what other people think. Instead, I cared more about what I think, and set high standards upon myself. There’s nothing wrong with this but it’s important to remember not to judge yourself too harshly. Above all else, you have to accept yourself before others can.

We may want to be accepted into a certain circle, or simply appear a certain way to others. There are many reasons for wanting to wear a mask. Some believe that we are always wearing a mask. Regardless, we know what comes naturally and comfortably for us. This would be our “default mask” and nothing is better than this one. If it is a mask, it is one that does not create stress for us when we wear it, rather we find joy in being and expressing ourselves. Be yourself. Love yourself.

So yes, of course that means you can still be yourself AND dress up for Halloween.

Blessings,
Jahmaal