If you’re new to working from home, you might have various feelings flooding in throughout the day. One minute, you’re excited about a different change of pace. The next minute, you’re stressing over how you’ll get your work finished on time.
That’s because changes in your environment like this can disrupt your routine. In turn, your stress levels can increase, making it challenging to stay focused on tasks.
Distractions are most likely to happen when you work from home, as opposed to a traditional office. So, here are a few ways to practice mindfulness and help relieve your anxiety.
Mindfulness = present-moment living
Mindfulness has everything to do with being fully aware of your surroundings and remaining in the present moment. As you’re present, you’ll pay attention to what is happening and what you’re feeling. Mindfulness plays a large role in accepting any situation and letting it go with self-compassion.
When you’re mindfully aware of each moment as you go through your workday, you’ll be able to bring yourself back to a peaceful state at any time.
Mindfulness and your well-being
You can practice mindfulness in many ways. Numerous people like to use mindfulness daily through meditation, Yoga or quietly walking the dog. When you meditate, you’ll reduce your stress, enhance your productivity and gain insight, and you can also direct your attention to others’ well-being.
Studies show that mindfulness may soothe anxiety, depression, insomnia and high blood pressure, and it may even improve brain function.
Mindfulness can take some practice, but once you find your preferred method of practicing it, you’ll be more in control of your thoughts and feelings. Rather than letting your negative thoughts control you, you may feel less pressure and consistently maintain a calmer state of mind.
Here are seven of the best mindfulness tips you can use to help yourself create a better workday.
Take breaks
While working from home, you can lose your sense of balance as your personal and professional lives compete. When stressed, office workers can take a break and have a quick chat in the kitchen with a co-worker. In contrast, you may experience isolation at home.
Sometimes, it’s easy to forget about yourself when you’re feeling focused and would rather get work done. However, giving yourself breaks is the best way to reduce your stress level and increase productivity.
Give yourself multiple breaks by going outside to get fresh air or eating lunch away from your desk. Moving around and doing Yoga stretches can also renew your energy and help you remain calm.
When you’re in a calm state, you’ll feel refreshed, and you’ll be able to get back to work with a refreshed approach.
Establish a daily routine
A routine will provide you with a sense of clarity. Once you get into a rhythm, you’ll know what to expect. As a result, you’ll find comfort in knowing what you need to do next. In addition to feeling comfortable, your ease will allow you to get better sleep at night, and quality sleep is the key to promoting health and having a more productive workday.
To carry out a routine, set a specific time for your lunch and snack breaks. Doing so will help you maintain structure throughout each day of work.
Be kind to yourself
When you work from home, you’re going to face new setbacks, especially as you start. You may have times when you won’t always feel productive. Your mind may race and begin to turn itself towards other things.
It’s especially important to practice mindfulness at these times. When you’re constantly aware of your feelings, you can practice letting go of your ego and feeling happiness.
Be still and ask yourself what you’ve learned from your mistakes, so you can move forward by making changes to better yourself. Over time, you’ll develop more self-compassion and understand when kindness is needed most.
Appreciate the tiny moments
Stepping back and appreciating the small moments will lead to more happiness and greater work satisfaction. When you allow yourself to slow down, consider being grateful for the time you spent connecting with a friend, or spend a few minutes thinking about an interesting question someone asked in a virtual work meeting.
Pausing for a moment and appreciating the little things will help you stay positive and grounded.
Give yourself downtime
After working a full day at your home office, it can be challenging to transition into play mode. If you’re having difficulty switching off your brain, try to practice mindfulness by giving yourself some downtime.
The best way to slow down is to make mindful choices about your activities. Take care and allow yourself to relax by watching your favourite TV show. Tuning into your mind and journaling your thoughts can also help relieve stress. Other fairly quiet mindful activities, like listening to music or reading a book, can contribute to your overall well-being, too.
Inhale and exhale
Taking deep breaths helps calm the body and mind. During the moments you’re feeling stressed, take a minute to sit down, and then focus on the places your body feels tense. You can relax by releasing your body when it feels clenched up. Once you feel comfortable, start to take a deep breath in, hold it in for a second, and then exhale to help let go of worrying thoughts. Repeat this a few times until you feel better.
Deep breathing is helpful because it increases the oxygen supply to your brain. This quick action will stimulate your nervous system and promote a state of relaxation. As you emotionally connect with your body in this way, you’ll create more awareness, which will calm you and keep your brain quiet.
Generate positive thoughts
It’s easy to let negative thoughts in while you’re constantly worrying about specific things, but one good trick to ease your mind is writing something positive before starting your work. Starting your day with a positive thought will set the tone for your overall mood that day. Even if you take just a few minutes to watch a funny video, laughter can bring more joy to your workday.
While you can’t control the things that happen to you, you can always learn to control your feelings, thoughts and actions.
Practice mindfulness every day!
Taking the time to breathe, establishing a routine and being aware of each moment as you work can help you reduce stress. For that reason, it’s best to try to practice mindfulness daily. You can set yourself up for regular practice by scheduling a reminder via an old-fashioned note or a smartphone app.
When you implement the seven mindfulness tips above, you’ll instill better habits within yourself, which will allow you to gain happiness and the ability to focus on the most important things at hand.
Medical disclaimer: This page is for educational and informational purposes only and may not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended to replace medical advice offered by physicians. Please refer to the full text of our medical disclaimer.
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