In recent years, we have become more and more aware of how our mental health impacts our lives, and as a result, more mental health management techniques have begun to pop up. Of these techniques, meditation has risen significantly in popularity, and more specifically, mindfulness. Mindfulness, while lacking a universal definition, refers to the act of keeping one’s attention focused in the present moment, while letting all other thoughts pass without judgement.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness finds its origins in Buddhism as part of the Noble Eightfold Path, which are teachings that are often associated with the Four Noble Truths. These are recognized as Buddha’s first teachings, and are some of the many teachings that Buddhists must follow to find liberation from suffering or rebirth.
Also sometimes called the Eight Right Paths, the eight facets of this path are:
- Right View – The knowledge of the Four Noble Truths, and that our actions have consequences, including after death, as death is not the end.
- Right Resolve – Living with wholesome and ethical intentions, without thoughts of attachment, violence or hate.
- Right Speech – No false speech/lying, no divisive speech, no harsh speech, and no idle chatter.
- Right Conduct – No killing, injuring, stealing, sexual misconduct, and so on.
- Right Livelihood – Choosing work that is ethical and does not harm others, including no trading in weapons, living beings, meat, liquor, or poisons.
- Right Effort – Prevent unwholesome (mental) states and generate wholesome ones.
- 7. Right Mindfulness – Never be absent-minded, always be aware of the body and be fully present in the moment.
- Right Concentration – The development of a one-pointed, focused mind. Allow the mind to fully and completely focus on a single object of concentration through meditation.
The first seven paths are often considered the foundations to help one realize the eighth, although the paths are often realized together rather than one after the other, and many of these practices are done in conjunction with meditation. Also, while these teachings are important to Buddhism, there are many other teachings that are important as well, including the Middle Way, the doctrines of dependent origination, the three marks of existence, and karma, among many others. When looking at mindfulness alone, while it can help with calming the mind and staying on task, it is important to note that only focusing on mindfulness paints an incomplete, westernized picture of Buddhism.
Mindfulness and Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive psychology focuses on the cognitive process that includes attention, the three stages of memory, perception, language, and metacognition. Many people who work in cognitive psychology have noted that mindfulness includes many of the facets of their field of study, including memory, attention, and perception. Additionally, due to the interest in how mindfulness affects those who practice it, and how it may better their mental states, research has been done to understand how mindfulness and meditation can help those in their daily lives, finding that mindfulness and meditation can improve personal health and wellbeing.
Mindfulness in the Workplace
The use of mindfulness in the workplace is still a relatively new concept, and as such, research is extremely limited. However, based on the limited research that we do have, in conjunction with the research of various people’s individual experiences with mindfulness, some conclusions can still be drawn.
For instance, those who use mindfulness to individually help themselves at work, often see a reduction in perceived stress, as well as a reduction in health complaints. Thus, improving job performance, job satisfaction, interpersonal relationships, prosocial behaviour, self-regulation, moral maturity, and multi-tasking. In addition, when organizations implement mindfulness-based programs for their employees, they also see that these programs have positive effects on burnout. These findings are especially true in environments that are seen as unpredictable, chaotic, and dangerous, such as healthcare.
Research has also found, however, that in order for mindfulness to be truly beneficial within the workplace, leadership and workplace culture need to promote mindfulness. This means that mindfulness programs must be offered altruistically, rather than as a way to placate disgruntled employees, and leaders must approach mindfulness with a high degree of humility. Mindfulness can enhance employees’ awareness of and attention to leader behaviour, impacting the well-being of employees.
In instances where mindfulness is not practiced and encouraged by leadership, and workplace culture shuns those who practice mindfulness, outcomes for those who do practice are often negative, although the full extent of the negative outcomes have still yet to be seen. In general, more study is needed to assess the negative outcomes of employee wellbeing in terms of mindfulness, rather than just the positives. However, it can be concluded for now, that when implemented correctly and promoted by leadership, mindfulness can have positive impacts on organizational outcomes.
Lily Frances | Contributing Writer
