5 Ways to Put Mindfulness to Work in Your Life

We hear the word mindfulness just about everywhere these days. But what does it really mean to be mindful, and how can you practice mindfulness to boost your personal and professional life?

Being more mindful has many perks. A recent study found that being part of a group that practices mindfulness is just as useful as one-on-one cognitive behavioral therapy for stress-related conditions such as anxiety. Mindfulness can relieve our perception of aches and pains, keep us more focused at work, and help us become more resilient. It’s also an ideal way to get a grip on emotions, which can affect our attention, memory and motivation.

“You almost need a black belt in emotion management in today’s volatile, uncertain and ever-changing organizational landscape,” says Kate Kerr, a mindfulness specialist from Canada. “Mindfulness gives us a space between our emotions and our fight-flight-freeze reactions, however brief, and increases our ability to respond more skilfully. This can lead to a reduction in conflicts and an ability to utilize empathy to drive stronger relationships.”

Being able to observe how your mind is spinning instead of quickly reacting in an upset way can certainly help us evolve, adds Dr. Shoshana Bennett, a California-based psychologist.

Mindfulness works wonders, but how exactly does one do it? Click here for a few tips to help you tune into your inner Zen.