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An introduction to mindfulness

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WORKBOOK

An introduction to mindfulnesswww.everywoman.com i

CONTENTS

About this workbook 1How mindful are you? 3Busting the myths 4The neuroscience of mindfulness 9Mindfulness for you: the personal impact 12Five techniques to get you started 14

Your personal action plan 19

everywoman experts 21Further reading 22Endnotes 22

An introduction to mindfulnesswww.everywoman.com 1

ABOUT THIS WORKBOOKEstablished in 1999, everywoman advances women in business. Our aim is to ensure women from all over the world fulfil their potential. We produce workbooks on topics that matter most to our members, and we’re constantly listening to your views to give you the tools you need to kick-start your career, at a time and place that suits you.

What is mindfulness? Emotional health guru Dr Kabat-Zinn’s definition (see below) is the one most commonly used to sum up the practice.

But how can such a straightforward concept have moved from the Buddhist margins to the mainstream of the business world? Discussed as much in the pages of Entrepreneur and the Harvard Business Review as it is glossy magazines and self help books? Embraced as passionately by the executives of global businesses and panellists at this year’s World Economic Forum, as it is yogis and meditation enthusiasts?

The answer lies in the changing working world. Workplace stress has been called the health epidemic of the 21st century, said to cost American businesses alone an estimated $300 billion annually1. Long hours, economic turbulence and hyper connectivity all play a role. The result? Overthinking employees who bounce between analysing what has happened and imagining/worrying what might happen, but are rarely calm and in the present moment; who check Facebook 21 times and

“Mindfulness is paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment and nonjudgmentally.”

Dr Kabat-Zinn,Founder, The Centre For Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care & Society

Estimated annual cost of stress to American businesses

$300 billionevery minutes3distraction


inboxes 74 times a day2; who can expect to be interrupted in either digital or human form at least once every three minutes3. Sound familiar?

The antidote to this constant brain chatter, to working ‘on auto pilot’ and distracted, unproductive and stressed out behaviours, say a whole host of practitioners, is mindfulness. In this workbook, we’ll delve deeper into the personal and business benefits of, and neuroscience behind, the practice, as well as providing practical ways you can incorporate mindfulness into your world.

We’d love to know how you get on. Share your experience with [email protected]. Good luck!

Karen, Max and the everywoman team


Agree

I sometimes find myself zoning out during conversations.

Activities like my daily commute or arrival at the office tend to blur into one.

I often eat at my desk while engaged in another task.

I am sometimes guilty of engaging with my smart phone more than those around me.

During meetings, I tend to focus on the next point I want to make, rather than the person speaking.

I rarely get the opportunity to concentrate on one task at a time.

I often forget about emails I’ve received because I was rushing through my inbox.

I am rarely able to stick to my to-do list or daily plan because I’m pulled in other directions.

As the weekend begins, I sometimes find myself brooding on aspects of the week just gone.

As the weekend draws to a close, I sometimes find myself dreading aspects of the coming week.

Total (out of 10)

HOW MINDFUL ARE YOU?Before you open a blank document and write your name at the top, you need you do your background research. This is from last month’s workbook. If you’re updating your CV with a particular role in mind, the job description is an obvious – and essential – place to start. But don’t stop there. Spend some time thinking about any knowledge you’re lacking around the lay of the recruitment landscape in your sector and work on filling in the blanks before you start listing your experience. The prompts below will give you some ideas for getting started.

Use the space on the next page to record all your research findings.


The higher your score out of 10, the stronger the likelihood that you experience regular workplace stress or anxiety, suffer low or diminished productive or creativity, and are focusing on past or future events rather than the present moment.

If your score is low, it might be that you are incorporating aspects of mindful practice into your working life. In that case, the remainder of this workbook will help you to do so in a more conscious way, honing your ‘being present’ skills to foster a calmer, more productive and more creative you.

Before you go any further, read back over the list of statements. Highlight any that have any particular resonance with your current workplace situation. Expand on the statement, noting down any thoughts you have around how learning to be in the moment could have a positive impact on you and your career.

Statement Expand How mindfulness could help

During meetings, I tend to focus on the next point I want to make, rather than the person speaking.

Last week I wasn’t really aware of what was happening in the team meeting, because I was focussing on the fact that when it came my turn to speak I was going to have to deliver bad news about a project.

By setting aside time beforehand to focus entirely on what and how I’ll communicate, I could relax during the meeting and engage more with the discussion. I’d also avoid the stress of wondering what important information I might have missed while I was caught up in my own thoughts.

EXERCISE:EXERCISE:


Statement Expand How mindfulness could help


The speed with which mindfulness has become a buzzword over recent years has given rise to plenty of misconceptions about the practice. Below, we explore three of the most common misunderstandings of what it means to be mindful in the business world. If you’re embarking on your first experience with mindfulness, it’s important you digest the counterarguments to such beliefs, so that they do not hinder your practice.

1. MYTH: Mindfulness is a Buddhist practice

While it has its origins in ancient eastern practices, the mindfulness we talk about in today’s business world has been very much adapted for that environment. Rather than a more traditional view of ‘meditating’ with incense or chanting, Judson Brewer, head of the University of Massachusetts’ Mindfulness Centre, encourages others to view mindfulness as a form of cognitive training4.

Mindfulness “is just the next generation of exercise”, he says. “We’ve got the physical exercise components down, and now it’s about working out how we can actually train our minds.” Brewer’s research has found that a mindful approach to business can lead to measurable changes in the brains of both experts and novices – some of which we’ll explore in the next section.

BUSTING THE MYTHS

“All human beings at some point were mindful. Partially due to the way our life has speeded up, we’ve lost the ability to be mindful. Often we are on autopilot: we are more like human doings than human beings. And we can return to that state of simply being in the moment.”

Dr Patrizia Collard, www.mindfulnet.org


2. MYTH: Only certain types of people are good at mindfulness

Before you dismiss mindfulness as something other people are better at – perhaps someone with a calmer disposition, who does a weekly yoga class, or who is less prone to stress - consider all the times in your life when you may have doubted your ability to get to grips with a new challenge. Whether it’s applying for a new job (“This is beyond my capabilities”), delivering a presentation (“I’m just not cut out for public speaking”) or keeping your cool with a difficult co-worker (“I’m just a fiery character”), there’ll doubtless be times when limiting beliefs have struck.

If you’ve been paying close attention, you might have noticed that throughout this workbook we’ve been referring to ‘mindfulness’ in terms of a ‘practice’. It’s important to remember that it’s not about a final destination, but on-going, regular application.

Another fact to be ‘mindful’ of is that you were born with the inherent characteristics of mindfulness. As you child you would have been completely drawn into what you were doing, absorbed by whatever was occupying you in the moment and unaware of concepts like ‘tomorrow’, ‘later’ or ‘in a while’. If you have doubts about your capability to be mindful, you may find it helpful to think about returning to this childhood state of mindfulness, rather than striving for a new type of consciousness.

3. MYTH: Mindfulness can help you in your personal life but there’s no proof it helps you in the business world.

Mindfulness first took hold in the 20th century after scientists proved that meditation could reduce the effects of chronic pain on sufferers. When mindful meditation crossed over into the business world, neuroscientists clamoured to prove (or


Do you have any lingering doubts about how mindfulness can help you personally in your current workplace situation? Make a note of them below, and set aside some quiet time in which you will not be disturbed to mindfully research around the belief you hold. You might want to draw on the resources listed under ‘Further reading’.

EXERCISE

otherwise) the many reported benefits if could have for stressed out executives, entire workplaces and even profit lines.

A wealth of experiments – outlined in the next section – have demonstrated that mindfulness can make you more aware, more attentive, more productive, more compassionate and empathic, and more creative. All strengths that you can draw on in your working life - whether you’re meeting with your mentee after a difficult day at the office, dealing with a crippling to-do list, interviewing a candidate for a job, meeting someone for the first time at a networking event, or faced with what seems like an insurmountable career problem.


Countless studies by neuroscientists have uncovered robust findings about the way in which your brain works and how it is impacted by conscious meditation or other mindful techniques.

We’ve summarised some of the most useful findings in this chapter, and referenced the studies in the ‘Further reading’ section if you would like to read them in more depth.

FINDING: MINDFULNESS DECREASES ANXIETY5

THE NEUROSCIENCE OF MINDFULNESS

An ability to quiet the anxious mind can aid in multiple business

situations, for example, delivering a presentation following a difficult

past public speaking experience, or going into a meeting with a colleague

you’ve recently fallen out with.

Subject is hooked up to a brain scanner and asked to recall an

anxiety-producing memory.

Area of the brain governing emotional responses and ‘wandering mind’

immediately shows increased activity.

Subject is asked to meditate by consciously concentrating on the

here and now.

Activated brain region quickly quietens down


FINDING: MINDFULNESS MAKES YOU MORE FLEXIBLE6

A study of a part of the brain, the anterior cingulate cortex, showed differences between someone who practises mindful meditation, and someone who does not. This is the part of the brain that controls self-regulation: remarkably, just eight weeks of controlled meditation helped study participants with their ability to resist distractions, learn from past experience, and make decisions. Those who did not meditate regularly displayed low adaptability, impulsivity, and even aggression.

Can you think of a time when you’ve been unwilling to adapt to changing circumstances or responded to flux in a way you’ve later regretted?

EXERCISE

Can you think of a recent business situation in which conscious meditation might have calmed anxious thoughts and allowed you to be present in a situation?

EXERCISE


FINDING: MINDFULNESS ENCOURAGES CREATIVE THOUGHT7

Researchers studying creative thought patterns divided subjects into those who meditate and those who do not. The latter group tended to come up with solutions based on:

• Past experiences• The usual ways of doing things• Difficult or out-dated practices.• Those who regularly practice mindfulness came up with solutions based on:• ‘Out of the box’ thinking• What’s going on around them in the moment or present environment• Fresh thinking and new techniques

Make a note of any business tasks or scenarios that would benefit from you taking a more creative approach to problem solving.

EXERCISE


In the previous section, you started to think about the ways in which mindfulness practice might aid you in everyday business scenarios. We now encourage you to dig deeper, thinking about some of the ways you already behave in a mindful way and the impact this has, as well as they ways you behave which are at odds with a mindful approach, and how this might be limiting you8.

MINDFULNESS FOR YOU: THE PERSONAL IMPACT

Stressful situation from the past month

Example of a non-mindful approach

Example of a mindful approach

e.g., work overload in the run up to a deadline.

Turning down the opportunity to rejuvenate in the fresh air by using the walk to mentally recite my to-do list, panicking about how I’ll get it all done, as I’ve been doing ever since I woke up.

Using the walk from the station to work as an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, feel the sun on my skin, put all thoughts of the to-do list out of my mind as I take the moment to rejuvenate ahead of a busy day.

e.g. delivering training via video link.

Feeling hot and sweaty as the ‘green light’ moment approaches and chastising myself for getting nervous like I always do.

Noticing the feeling of nerves, reminding myself this is a normal way to feel and committing to doing the best I possibly can at this particular moment in time.


e.g. failing to meet a deadline because of frequent disruptions.

Abandoning the task to click on a desktop email notification before getting drawn into an email exchange and 30 minutes going by before realising I’ve been side tracked and now have no time to complete the task.

Better enabling clear focus by switching off WiFi for a period of time, and keeping a notepad nearby so that I can record distracting thoughts before immediately returning to the pressing task.


The following are quick and easy exercises you can incorporate into your everyday life. On the surface, they may not appear to bear little correlation to the business world. Scientists say, however, that by using them, you will be laying down neural pathways, which will enable you to better apply the art of mindfulness to the everyday workplace.

As well as the benefits you noted in the previous section, we’ve listed examples of how these techniques will help specific areas of your business life.

1. THE RAISIN TECHNIQUE9

This exercise is designed to slow down your mind and allow it to focus on the here and now in minute detail.

Take a single raisin in the palm of your hand. Imagine that you have never before seen such an object. What occurs to you about it? Allow your eyes to examine it, the colours, shades, textures, the way the light catches it, the grooves and how it looks in the context of your hand. Close your eyes and activate your powers of touch, rolling it between your thumb and finger to discern more characteristics. Smell it and notice how your body responds. Move the raisin to your lips, noticing how the movement feels. Slowly taste the raisin, mindfully turning it over on your tongue, noticing how the aromas and textures feel. Finally, take a moment to reflect on the experience, what surprised you, how you felt throughout it, and what you might have learned about your ability to concentrate.

Consider how you can incorporate this exercise into your daily life: while making and drinking a cup of tea (savouring the feel

FIVE TECHNIQUES TO GET YOU STARTED

Improve alertness and

attention to detail

through activation of the

senses.


of the warm mug in your hand), while reading and responding to an email (hearing the click of your keyboard and how you feel after you’ve hit ‘send’).

Take it further at work: Make the most of your attention to detail skills when proofreading documents at work, typing emails, or through actively listening to conversations in your 1-2-1 meetings.

2. GO BACK TO YOUR BREATH WITH A GUIDED MEDITATION

Practised meditators can guide themselves through breathing meditations. Start by allowing yourself to be directed through the process. You’ll need to make sure you’re in a safe, comfortable place (in your bedroom at home; in a booked out meeting room) as you’ll need to close your eyes and simply go with the directions of your practitioner.

There are plenty of guided meditations online. Try: http://bit.ly/ewmeditate1 http://bit.ly/ewmeditate2

With practice you will find it easier to simply sit with your breath. Do not feel that you have failed if thoughts take over. Simply notice the thoughts and then return to the breath.

Instil a sense of calm and

capability in stressful,

fearful times.


Take it further at work: As well as the benefits of mindfulness, this breathing practice can help steady yourself ahead of a difficult conversation, a nerve-wracking presentation, or a challenging meeting.

3. COLOURING10

If your mind is whirring with office activity, unaided meditation - whereby you sit still, close your eyes and simply concentrate on your breath for any length of time - can seem like a big ask.

Notice your reaction

Use the breath as an anchor for your attention

Your attention wanders

Notice that your attention has wandered

Return your attention to the sensation of

breathing

Source: Mindfulnet.org


The popularity of adult colouring books lies in their ability to enable your focus and complete attention through repetitive motion. Studies show that engaging in artistic pursuits outside the office, makes you a more creative problem solver at work11, so let go of preconceptions, print off some patterns (search Google images or Pinterest for countless downloadables), stock up on pens or pencils and get artistic.

Take it further at work: Make the most of your lunch break and flex your creativity ahead of a brainstorm.

4. MINDFUL LISTENING12

Select a piece of music you’ve never heard before, perhaps something outside your usual genre of preference.

Commit to listening without judgement, simply noticing the various aspects – the melody, the rhythm, the vocal, the musical arrangement, the instruments you can discern, how it makes you feel.

Take it further at work: As you become a more mindful listener, put these skills at play in conversations, paying attention to what is being communicated through words, tone, facial expressions and body language, and the impact all this has on yourself and others.

Image: Nevit, Wikimedia Commons

Improve

conversation

and relationship

skills.


5. JOURNALING

Throughout your guided meditations, you’ll be used to the command to let go of worries and all that cannot be changed at this moment in time. Approach your practice with this same non-judgement: It doesn’t matter if you allowed your mind to wander from the taste of the raisin or couldn’t get past the fact you didn’t like the chosen piece of music in the listening task. Simply notice these feelings, and record them in your mindfulness journal.

All you need is a notebook and pen, and the commitment to spend a few seconds at the end of each practice, day or week, noting your observations. An example might be:

Mindfulness of Breathing. 25 minutes. Had a hard time staying focused. Nodded off to sleep a few times — hadn’t had enough sleep. Felt a bit despondent13.

You might discover that the act alone of committing such thoughts to paper allows you to let go of guilt, self-chastisement or despair, and move on from them.

Take it further at work: ‘Smashing’ limiting beliefs doesn’t mean you have to push them aside without engaging with them - listen to what the voice in your head is saying. The first step to breaking negative thought patterns is to accept they are there.

Develops emotional

intelligence though

self-awareness.


Reflect on your quiz responses and your current mindfulness levels discovered throughout the workbook.

1. What have you learned about yourself?

2. Summarise the personal benefits to you of a mindfulness practice.

3. Which of the getting you started techniques can you commit to trying out?

What and by when?

YOUR PERSONAL ACTION PLAN


4. What might hinder you in your mindful practice? Consider how you can limit the impact of these blockers.

e.g. cynicism – can spend more time reading up on the neuroscience and proven results too little control over my working environment – can look at ways of limiting distractions, booking out meetings rooms when I need to devote attention to a complicated task

5. Consider ways you can move your practice onto the next level, e.g. research advanced techniques, make a start on the next part of this workbook, on Mindful Leadership.

What and by when?


EVERYWOMAN EXPERTSEverywoman creates workbooks on topics that matter most to our Network members. We draw on member surveys and the latest thinking from the academic and business worlds, as well our own experiences as we navigate our careers. Each workbook offers practical advice, enabling tangible actions for your daily work lives ahead of those important performance reviews.

Maxine Benson MBE & Karen Gill MBE Co-founders of everywoman, Karen and Max have spoken to thousands of women about the challenges they face at work. Through their own experiences of starting a business, they uncovered a real need for a network where female entrepreneurs and business-women could interact and share experiences. The everywomanNetwork, launched in 2011, serves as a truly global tool to enable members the world over to propel their careers through online membership.

everywoman workbook teamRebecca Lewis, Associate EditorMel Spencer, Managing Editor

Any topics you’d like to see covered on the everywomanNetwork? We’d love to hear from you: [email protected]


ENDNOTES1. World Health Organisation, 20122. blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2015/04/19/the-office-chair-designed-to-restore-your-focus-at-work/ 3. The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress, by Gloria Mark, Department of Informatics University of

California, Irvine ics.uci.edu/~gmark/chi08-mark.pdf4. forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/12/14/60-minutes-explores-the-rise-of-mindfulness-meditation-and-how-it-can-

change-the-brain/5. forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/12/14/60-minutes-explores-the-rise-of-mindfulness-meditation-and-how-it-can-

change-the-brain/6. hbr.org/2015/01/mindfulness-can-literally-change-your-brain 7. journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0036206 8. See more examples in mindfulness-works.com/userfiles/Chapter1.pdf9. hfhc.ext.wvu.edu/r/download/11446910. psychologies.co.uk/why-adults-are-going-back-colouring-books11. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joop.12064/abstract 12. pocketmindfulness.com/6-mindfulness-exercises-you-can-try-today/ 13. wildmind.org/background/journal

FURTHER READINGOn the everywoman Network

Diagnostic tools:Quiz: How mindful are you?Quiz: Which type of stress are you experiencing?Quiz: How resilient are you?

Workbooks:Resilience: bouncing backDeveloping your emotional intelligence

Bite-size reading:Digital detox: time for some conscious technological uncoupling?Why you should consider meditation at workIs multitasking making you less productive?

External resources www.mindful.org Magazine-style website of mindfulness resources, opinions and latest thinking.www.mindfulnet.org Comprehensive list of recommended books, videos and research on mindfulness.


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