I wrote recently about my regular column for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy’s Counselling at Work Journal, and I’m pleased to share the Winter 2014 column on being mindful in the workplace.
We can learn lessons from the huge companies that surround us on a daily basis, and I was particularly taken with how Google appointed their own Head of Mindfulness to ensure employees pay attention to their emotional wellbeing. While we can’t all afford such luxurious appointments in our team of employees, we can take heed that being mindful is as important as our physical fitness, and intentionally seek to counter the continual bombardment of information that the technologically enhanced world gives us through our devices. These counter-measures need not be huge – we don’t have to find time in our days to ponder vast seas or climb huge mountains – we can find small ways of ensuring that at least part of our day includes fresh air, a nice view, and a physically healthy pursuit.
Some days I feel tied to my laptop! It’s true I am here at the Lenovo-face pretty much all day and the vast majority of the evening, and if I didn’t feel strongly about ensuring I include some form of screen break intentionally I probably would have developed those square eyes our parents warned us about. So my own way of connecting to the world outside is to ignore online news sources and walk to the local newsagents each day for a paper (dead-tree!) copy of my newspaper, and weather permitting, sit in the garden to read it. I’m lucky to live near Linlithgow Palace and Loch, so each day I can admire the beautiful historical building and nod to the swans and other wildlife. My main news sources may be 24 hours out of date, but at least I can feel connected to life without a modem for a while!
Read my article on the importance of mindfulness in the workplace by downloading it from the BACP Workplace Journal website, and remember to look up from your device during your work day when you can!