Tag: mindfulness

  • Make your work break count!

    Have you heard new adage “sitting is new smoking” …

    When I heard about it I thought hell yeah! better I had quit smoking already now I need to quit sitting too? Until I got diagnosed with chronic back pain a couple of years ago. I told my chiropractor “I am quite a fit bloke” How come I got back pain in spite of working out and leading an active lifestyle? He mentioned about the science of posture and how the human body is meant for hunting in the fields and not sitting in front of a damn computer the whole day long. 

    Now if this was 1860, I could have done something about the “hunting in the fields” part but in 2017 it is a pretty tough gig. Specially living in this civilization makes it even harder to imitate our ancestral modus operandi.

    We might have come from the planet of the apes but now since we are in the information age let’s see how we can still quench our postural thirst by staying in “well-being worker” limits. This is what I suggest as our plan of action to make our work breaks count.

    Breaks are good, but do we take them? Ask yourself, “What makes a good break for me?” Do you take yourself to the local park, call a friend, check into the gym, or laugh out loud with colleagues? Or it might be just eating your food mindfully—which one is your fit? Find it and use it.

    Ensure you drink more than 2 litres of water: Have you been asked this questions – Do you drink enough water? I am sure you would know the benefit but it has the added advantage of making you run to the toilet pretty often and also break the sitting posture cycle for the sake of your bladder.

    Get a fitness tracker: A little bit of technology to help you motivated and stay on track, most of the trackers can now start to beep (like mine) every 50th minute of an hour asking you to move your body (I said body…)

    Don’t press the send button:  At times you’ll catch yourself sending an email to a person sitting at the same floor. Have you done that? I know I have, why not try the alternate and walk to the person to have a chat.

    Catch that yawn:  Yawning is actually a signal from your brain craving for oxygen! That is body’s natural response to initiate a break in posture. Next time when you catch yourself yawning at work get up and stretch yourself.

    7 min refresher: It is scientifically proven 7 minutes is what it takes to break your postural pattern, experiment all the activities you could do in 7 minutes like brushing your teeth after lunch with an added advantage of dental hygiene.

    Power Naps: There is a misconception, you don’t have to actually sleep merely closing your eyes and listening to some relaxing music for 10-20 mins would do the job.

    In conclusion, it matters less what you do than why you’re doing it. Pay attention to three aspects of body, mind and spirit to tune into your own energy style and choose work break activities that will truly refresh you.

    Originally Published On September 18, 2017

  • Creating a mindful culture

    Creating a Mindful Culture

    I’m sure you would have come across the word “mindfulness” a lot of people I meet think it is something to do with meditation. Nevertheless, practicing meditation isn’t a bad start however mindfulness is a lot more than just sitting down closing your eyes and feeling like Buddha.

    Have you lately caught yourself standing in a room thinking why the hell did I come here? Or driving down the road on autopilot? Or brushing your teeth in the morning without even realizing which side you have already brushed? Or eaten your lunch at the desk without even tasting a single bite? I got you didn’t I ha ha… well Mindfulness in essence is the opposite of mindlessness.

    There are two parts to mindfulness –

    First, learning to focus and attention on one thing, and being able to bring the attention back when distracted.

    Second is about the attitude you bring to paying attention i.e. being open, being focused and interested in what you are doing.

    Why suddenly mindfulness is a buzz in corporate culture rather than in monasteries? It is due to the benefit it brings along with it. Imagine if someone can become more creative, have higher levels of pattern recognition, greater confidence, greater motivation, greater focus and less anxiety obviously they’re going to be more productive and valuable to the company.

    So what are few simple ways to create mindful culture?

    • Do one thing at a time and do it well
    • Be aware of your mindlessness patterns
    • Create a soft anchor to flip out of distractions
    • Set a time limit for worry or anxiety
    • Switch off for at least 10 minutes every day
    • Recharge your battery often
    • Ask for help if you’re under stress
    • Develop mindfulness as a skill
    • Choose to do three things mindfully every day like brushing your teeth.
    • Choose to respond rather than react
    • Learn to accept difficult experiences or changes
    • Lastly, Nab’s new marketing punch line – “talk to yourself more”

    As said earlier, mindfulness is like a muscle that gets stronger and stronger with regular practice. Try the mindfulness app by smiling mind to get started I find it best to switch it off during my train trips. You can find your own based on what works for you… happy minding.

    “You can’t cross the sea by merely by standing and staring at the water – Rabindranath Tagore”

    "Originally Posted On May 16, 2018"

  • Results and Emotions – Dispassion

    Results and Emotions – Dispassion 

    “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit” – Conrad Hilton

    There are two parts to life, there are results, and then there are emotions. What messes people up is when they tie them together cancerously. Results don’t mean anything unless we attach a meaning to them.

    Emotions, on an elementary level, are chemical explosions that our brain controls. You don’t need to do anything to feel a certain way. Do you? it automatically happens. But awareness of those emotions makes a big difference.

    Similarly, a result isn’t an emotion. Take any result like earning an income of a million dollars. A million dollars doesn’t mean anything until you attach a meaning to it. I have seen people loose their sleep over achieving such goals. So when you attach your emotions to results inseparably it begins to haunt you.

    However, there is a better way of doing this. When you can separate emotions and results, you will find a much fulfilling way to achieve your goals. In eastern philosophy, this is known as dispassion theory of keeping oneself grounded.

     “Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better” – Samuel Becket.

    “Originally Posted On November 18, 2018”