Try these 5 strategies to be more mindful at work

During the holiday season, finding that productive sweet spot of stress can be a lot more challenging. Between planning for the year ahead, juggling projects while your co-workers are out of town and managing all of your own extra holiday obligations — you probably don’t have much time to unwind. At times like this, practicing mindfulness can have a tremendous impact on your ability to embody grace under pressure.

To help you get through the rest of the holiday season, we’ve compiled our five favorite tips for cultivating mindfulness at work.

1. Breathe

With so much to do and so little time, you may find yourself feeling consumed by stress. The next time you start to feel bombarded by requests, try taking a step back and practicing mindful breathing. This is an essential step in growing your sense of awareness. According to Mirabai Bush, co-founder of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, taking just three long slow breaths, and focusing on nothing else, can often be enough to calm you down so you can respond to life with clarity and intention.

2. Meditate

The benefits of meditation abound— regular practice can help lower blood pressure, improve the immune system and increase your energy level. The best part? You don’t need to schedule a weekend retreat to get in the zone. Just try scheduling 5 minutes a day to clear your busy mind. Consistency, not duration, is key. For help getting started try downloading a free app like Headspace or Breathe2Relax. Here at Limeade, we held meditation Fridays and invited all employees to a ten-minuted guided meditation each week. We all left the quick session feeling completely rejuvenated for the weekend.

3. Take a Tech-free Break

The constant stimulus of technology all around us throughout the day can definitely contribute to stress and too much multitasking. Experts are even suggesting that it’s making us more impatient and forgetful, too. Try regularly scheduling time to go outside for some fresh air (without your phone!). You can extend this beyond work hours as well by committing to a tech-free weekend or evening.

4. Listen

Being present for yourself means being truly present for others as well. Set your intentions behind focusing intently on others when you are interacting with them. Start by listening more in your meetings at work. You can easily do this by leaving your laptop behind and waiting to respond to emails and texts until after the meeting.

5. Try Yoga

Sitting or standing in front of a computer all day takes a toll on the body. Give yourself some time to stretch. If you can’t make it to a yoga class, try a quick breakout session at work. For inspiration on how to do this, check out these yoga poses.

Bonus points if you can grab a few co-workers to join you! Check out a quick yoga break we had at Limeade during a recent all day planning session: