Why mindfulness is important for your success.

"Our body is the most sophisticated piece of machinery on the planet - it represents the highest level of mechanics, the finest electronics and the most complex electrical circuitry imaginable."¹.
One important measure for maintaining and protecting this machinery is mental hygiene - the protection of our mental health.

Mental health problems at work place an enormous burden on employees, organisations and society as a whole² and are also often associated with absenteeism³. Practising mindfulness has proven to be an effective and sustainable method to counteract this.

According to the "two-component model", mindfulness consists on the one hand of regulating one's attention in a certain way - self-regulation of attention. This means focussing attention on what is being experienced and perceived in a particular moment. This can mean focussing attention on internal processes (e.g. thoughts and feelings) or external perceptions (our sensory perceptions). On the other hand, mindfulness consists of accepting the perceived state in an unbiased and non-judgemental way without changing it - inner attitude⁴.

Both components enable a decentred attitude. One's own thoughts and feelings are no longer perceived as an immediate, overpowering reality⁵, but are accepted in their transience.

Here is an example: If your internet connection drops again during an important appointment, you can...

... be annoyed about it for the rest of the day

... deal with the situation mindfully and accept it

A mindful way of dealing with this situation would be to consciously recognise and accept the feelings you may be experiencing. At the same time, you do not judge them as positive or negative, but perceive them as transient feelings that were rooted in this particular situation. Accepting the things we cannot change is fundamental to overcoming anger. With this attitude, we spare ourselves suffering.

With the help of mindfulness exercises, this is exactly what we can learn: to distance ourselves from thoughts and feelings, accept them and let them go again to reduce stress⁶.

In today's VUCA situations (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous situations), good self-management is one of the key skills for managers⁷. Self-management includes, for example, self-observation, visualising one's own performance and reflecting on one's own assumptions⁸. At Coaching Change, we benefit from mindfulness exercises such as meditation, breath awareness, the 4-7-8 breathing method, body scan and the Wim Hof method to increase self-management.

We believe that practising mindfulness also leads to long-term regulation of stress and can provide more relaxation, which is why we plan joint team mindfulness sessions.