Through practicing mindfulness, we cultivate presence, intention, and awareness. This makes nearly all facets of our lives run smoother, including our hours spent working.
There isn’t just one way to cultivate or strengthen the mind. And while meditation may be the most well-known way to flex your mental fitness muscles, there are many other mediums to maximize mindfulness throughout the workday.
Amp up the ambient sound
If forms of traditional meditation aren’t appealing, your path to mindfulness may be through sound. Listening to specific types of music and sounds may actually help your productivity. Being mindful doesn’t look the same for each person. While for some, it means finding a quiet moment in solitude, for others, getting grounded and focused can be done through listening to ambient sound. Published studies have shown that a moderate level of ambient noise can boost creativity. For example, a soundscape (like rain on leaves or the rush of a waterfall) may help block out distractions to get you to a state of flow during focus hours.
Explore personal growth
Mindfulness means turning attention inward, drawing awareness to the here and now. What better way to do so than to look towards your personal growth? For those aiming to fine-tune mindfulness skills, learning from experts and leaders in mindfulness can offer a new perspective. Wisdom-filled content, classes, or podcasts help build up your toolkit for mindfulness and resilience—which is especially useful in the workplace.
Make playlists part of the mix
Listening to curated music playlists can help you get into a working groove, whether your workplace is in an office or a designated spot at home. Specialized playlists of low-fi beats or classical music are known for helping focus, in addition to blocking out other auditory distractions.
Take a breath
A quick way to tap into a mindful state is by simply checking in with our own breathing pattern. Mindfulness asks us to be present to what’s happening right now. Between deadlines, meetings, emails, and assignments, it’s easy to get caught up in dissecting a past interaction or preparing for the next task during our working hours. Noticing how we’re breathing can immediately draw us back to where we are. Taking a few rounds of slow, intentional breath is an easy way to practice mindfulness throughout the workday.
From ambient sound and specialized music playlists, to personal development exploration and breath work, the journey of mindfulness meanders beyond meditation. Finding multiple avenues to strengthen mental fitness is the key to a lasting mindfulness practice that’s sure to benefit your working hours and beyond.
