How Meditation At Work Makes You Happier
If you find your work tedious or boring, or you’re constantly in a state of stress or overwhelm, then meditating at work may be just what the doctor ordered.
Meditation is really hitting it’s stride these days with mindfulness meditation rapidly growing in popularity amongst people from all walks of life. From movie stars and CEO’s to everyday workers and school kids, the need to find some relief amongst the pressures and noise of a busy life has never been stronger.
Meditating While At Work
It wasn’t so long ago that if you raised the idea of meditating at work you would have probably been laughed at. Whose got time to stop what you’re doing so that you can sit and do nothing for a few minutes? Surely that’s a waste of valuable time you could be using to be more productive, right?
Well, apparently not. Scientific research is now revealing that meditation at work not only helps you be more productive and creative during the day, it can also make you feel happier.
So how does meditation help you to be happier and more productive at work?
It’s quite simple really. Meditation allows you to disengage from the busy mind for a few moments. When that happens, then your mental and emotional energy that has been overstimulating your nervous system get’s to take a much-needed break.
Even the shortest of meditation breaks helps you to unplug from your nervous system. This allows your energy levels to start to come back into balance which instantly reduces your stress levels. In essence, taking a meditation break helps you to center yourself. The simple act of being centered is all that is needed to clear the mind and get focused again.
As for helping you to feel happier at work, when you meditate and center yourself you automatically feel a deeper sense of calm and peace. Happiness is connected to inner peace. If we are tied up in knots on the inside because of our workload or the pressures we are under, then there’s no room for us to experience peace in our mind or body.
However, the moment we start to unravel the knots and give ourselves a little space to think and breathe freely again, we start to feel a sense of calm again. With calmness comes peace and with peace comes happiness and joy.
There’s no miracle to happiness, it’s as natural as breathing. The only reason most people don’t get to enjoy more happiness and peace is because they are focusing more on their problems and distractions than on what’s going on naturally inside them.
How to Meditate At Your Desk
Whether you are at your desk or not, you can still meditate anytime you like at work. The simplest way to do this is to stop for 30 seconds or a minute at a time and just be mindful of your breath. Notice it coming in and out of your body by focusing on the tips of your nostrils as the breath moves in and out.
This mindful breath technique brings you back to the present moment. Even if you can only manage 2 or 3 breaths between emails or phone calls, that’s perfect. Just make sure you do this several times a day so that you can cultivate the feeling of being centered and present.
Just like it’s good to take a physical break from work during the day, it’s just the same with taking a break from your mind, it’s vital to your overall health and well-being. It’s so easy to get into the habit of pushing yourself all the time without stopping to think about what impact it’s having in your life and the lives of others you love.
This may work in short bursts but the longer you keep pushing yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally, the more likely you are to put yourself and your productivity at risk. None of us want to feel tired, depressed, anxious or overwhelmed, yet we allow it.
Just by taking short bursts of mindfulness during our busy day we are sending a message to our inner self that we value our health and well-being just as much as we value doing a good job. There’s no need to sacrifice one for the other because we can have both.
Mindfulness and meditation at work is a really simple, free, and fun way to help unplug and set the reset button in your head. All that’s needed at first is to set yourself a reminder every 60 or 90 minutes to take a 1 minute break to center yourself.
It’s also highly beneficial to meditate first thing in the morning before you go to work as this helps you to start your day from a space of calm and clarity. This helps gives you mental and emotional resilience throughout the day.
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Michael Atma
Meditation Dojo Blog
Skype: michaelatma
Email: Michael@MichaelAtma.com
