{"id":3405,"date":"2020-04-21T08:41:26","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T08:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.highlands.in\/?p=3405"},"modified":"2021-04-30T09:40:32","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T09:40:32","slug":"mindfulness-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highlands.in\/mindfulness-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindfulness at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"
A\u00a0<\/span>technology company\u00a0<\/span>can be a beast\u00a0<\/span>to run on a day-to-day basis\u00a0<\/span>and Highlands\u00a0<\/span>is no exception<\/span>;<\/span>\u00a0our tech company<\/span>\u00a0wrestles with<\/span>\u00a0its\u00a0<\/span>share of<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>hassles and urgencies<\/span>\u00a0on a daily basis<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Looming\u00a0<\/span>deadlines, personnel issues, softwar<\/span>e glitches<\/span>, or any other set of troublesome, but inevitable<\/span>\u00a0business<\/span>\u00a0concerns<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>are here to stay.\u00a0<\/span>The question is not how to avoid them<\/span>\u2014<\/span>because\u00a0<\/span><\/i>we<\/span><\/i>\u00a0can\u2019t<\/span><\/i>\u2014<\/span>but rather how to address the<\/span>\u00a0daily headaches\u00a0<\/span>calmly<\/span>, thoughtfully<\/span>\u00a0and with as little unnecessary upheaval as possible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n W<\/span>e have\u00a0<\/span>our corporate \u201ccoping mechanisms\u201d: the\u00a0<\/span>office protocols, hierarchies of\u00a0<\/span>people with\u00a0<\/span>specific responsibilities, and\u00a0<\/span>SWAT<\/span>-like<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>team<\/span>s\u00a0<\/span>designed<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>swoop in and\u00a0<\/span>fix\u00a0<\/span>cris<\/span>e<\/span>s\u00a0<\/span>as efficiently as possible<\/span>. But is there another\u00a0<\/span>tool we can use to\u00a0<\/span>both improve employee well-being and gain a<\/span>\u00a0competitive<\/span>\u00a0edge<\/span>?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Turns out that\u00a0<\/span>Google<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Intel<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>General Mills<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and many others\u00a0<\/span>have\u00a0<\/span>implemented\u00a0<\/span>their own training programs<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>for<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0field<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>of study\u00a0<\/span>once considered incompatible with\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>no-nonsense\u00a0<\/span>climate of\u00a0<\/span>business<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Google\u2019s \u201cSearch Inside Yourself\u201d program, in use since 2007, has presumably reduced stress levels, and helped employees across the organization develop greater levels of empathy and inner calm.\u00a0<\/span>As abstract<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>as it may seem on<\/span>\u00a0one level<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>mindfulness<\/span><\/i>\u00a0has a\u00a0<\/span>very\u00a0<\/span>real and concrete part to play in the tech world.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n M<\/span>indfulnes<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>as a program\u00a0<\/span>got its start some 50 years ago\u00a0<\/span>when\u00a0<\/span>Professor\u00a0<\/span>Jon\u00a0Kabbat-Zinn\u00a0<\/span>of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center\u00a0<\/span>developed\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>course<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>as\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>supplement to traditional medicine<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Mindfulness-<\/span>Based Stress Reduction\u00a0<\/span>(MBSR) teaches people how to cope with stress, chronic pain and depression by changing thought patterns and encouraging patients to focus\u00a0<\/span>their energy\u00a0<\/span>on\u00a0<\/span>meditation and openness<\/span>\u00a0to the present<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Medical practitioners\u00a0<\/span>noted that\u00a0<\/span>p<\/span>atients practicing some aspect of mindfulness\u00a0<\/span>generally\u00a0<\/span>had<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>more positive<\/span>\u00a0experience<\/span>s when<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>dealing\u00a0<\/span>with serious medical conditions<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mindfulness principles\u00a0<\/span>ha<\/span>ve<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>become mainstream\u00a0<\/span>in recent years\u00a0<\/span>as\u00a0<\/span>their<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>ability to benefit<\/span>\u00a0areas outside of medicine, like\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>work\u00a0<\/span>environment\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>everyday life<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0ha<\/span>ve<\/span>\u00a0become more\u00a0<\/span>apparent<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>o\u00a0<\/span>better\u00a0<\/span>manage the\u00a0<\/span>stresses of a typical\u00a0<\/span>workday<\/span>\u2014<\/span>from interacting<\/span>\u00a0with\u00a0<\/span>clients<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to coping with\u00a0<\/span>deadlines<\/span>\u2014<\/span>many\u00a0<\/span>have found\u00a0<\/span>mindfulness principles<\/span>\u00a0useful<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>clinical studies have\u00a0<\/span>supported these findings as well<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>Companies have found that m<\/span>indfulness\u00a0<\/span>training help<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0employees\u00a0<\/span>develop\u00a0<\/span>a higher level of\u00a0<\/span>emotional intelligence<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>greater\u00a0<\/span>creativity and focus<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and helps with\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>company\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>productivity<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>as well<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At\u00a0<\/span>Highlands\u00a0<\/span>we\u00a0<\/span>believe\u00a0<\/span>that practices that can help\u00a0<\/span>employees\u00a0<\/span>maintain<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>a balanced emotional state and outlook\u00a0<\/span>are<\/span>\u00a0beneficial\u00a0<\/span>to both\u00a0<\/span>the individuals<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>company<\/span>\u00a0as a whole<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Here are some\u00a0<\/span>key\u00a0<\/span>points\u00a0<\/span>about mindfulness<\/span>\u00a0to consider\u00a0<\/span>and use\u00a0<\/span>right away<\/span>:<\/span>Mindfulness\u00a0<\/span>M<\/span>oves out of\u00a0<\/span>M<\/span>edicine<\/span>\u2026<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and into the\u00a0<\/span>O<\/span>ffice\u00a0<\/span>B<\/span>reakroom<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n