Mindfulness as a New Lifestyle

Have you ever heard about the mindfulness concept? Read more about my experience in a mindfulness session!

Last year, for Employee Appreciation Day, the Medline human resources team prepared some great activities for us. We had an on-site massage and a mindfulness introduction session. The on-site massage was very relaxing, but I’d like to focus on the mindfulness session, as, for many of us, this was the first time we had ever heard of this concept. My mind automatically linked the concept to relaxation, but I didn’t know exactly what it meant. For this session, a specialist came to the office. I remember being very excited to learn more about it and try it out!

Awakening the senses and living in the present

The mindfulness expert explained to us that mindfulness is an experience that involves training the mind with the aim of reducing stress and focusing your attention on the present moment. Most of the time, we are continually thinking about the things we have to do. Sometimes we completely forget to enjoy the present moment: the ‘here and now’. It is very important to pour all of our energy into the day at hand and try to focus on enjoying every moment to the fullest. We can apply this method in our personal and professional lives.

To practise mindfulness, you have to use or apply your:

• Body
• Mind and thoughts
• Feelings
• Spirituality through silence and meditation.

The raisin moment

Once we gained a better understanding of what mindfulness means, we did a practical exercise. The exercise consisted of eating a raisin. Instead of chewing and simply eating it, we had to feel it. We had to chew and taste the raisin slowly, understanding its texture in our mouth. We did this activity in silence and with our eyes closed. In our daily life, we carry out many activities mechanically. We forget, for example, the pleasure of eating. The purpose of this exercise was to learn how to better enjoy the little things, like a simple raisin. For my colleagues and me, the ‘raisin moment’ became famous and very relevant to our further application of mindfulness concepts.

Sensing our bodies

Another point the specialist talked about was the idea of consciously thinking in our bodies. We have to stop for a moment and think about all of things our body allows us to do. This is, simply put, amazing. For example, when we take a shower and wash our hair, we can focus on this action and try to relax to the greatest possible extent. The point of this exercise is allowing the body to feel simultaneously relaxed and alert in order to be capable of responding to external stimuli. It is important to recognise the implications of each action. When applying this further, the key is to feel awake and achieve an equilibrium of professional success and personal satisfaction.

Why you should apply mindfulness in your professional life

• Mindfulness reinforces resilience. Resilience is defined as the ability of people to adapt positively to adverse situations.
• Mindfulness increases our emotional balance, precision, lucidity and global perspectives, which allows us to take decisions more optimally.
• It can help us learn to manage stress and situations in uncertain times.
• It improves self-confidence, and this supports business decision-making.
• Mindfulness improves communications skills, such as active listening.