探索正念的力量

什么是正念?

“正念”练习已经存在了数千年.  然而，近年来，这个想法似乎获得了很多支持.  正念到底是什么, 练习瑜伽对个人有什么好处, 以及它如何应用于工作环境?

正念 is “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, 同时冷静地承认和接受自己的感受, 的想法, 以及身体的感觉".  In short, it’s a state of being acutely aware of the present moment in a non-judgmental way.  Research has shown that developing the skill of being present has a multitude of benefits.  Let’s take a look at what the research says about the benefits of developing mindfulness through a practice such as meditation.

减少压力、焦虑和抑郁

在一个不受控制的 2003年的研究, Jon Kabat-Zinn demonstrated that a mindfulness meditation training program could effectively reduce symptoms of anxiety and panic.  Since excessive orientation toward the past or future when dealing with stressors can be related to feelings of depression and anxiety, experiencing the present moment openly and non-judgmentally can effectively counter the effects of these stressors.  The slow and deep breathing involved in mindfulness meditation may also alleviate bodily symptoms of stress by balancing sympathetic and parasympathetic responses.

增强“认知灵活性”

在另一个 2003年的非随机试验, Richard Davidson 和其他人 demonstrated that meditation activates the brain region associated with more adaptive responses to stressful or negative situations and produces demonstrable effects on brain and immune function.  Activation of this region corresponds with faster recovery to baseline after being negatively provoked.

提高工作记忆和注意力

A 2010年前瞻性队列研究 研究了正念对一个人工作记忆的影响.  The participants were military groups that were in a highly stressful situation before deployment and a non-military civilian group.  一半的军人被分配进行为期8周的正念训练, and the other half of the military group and the civilian group did not receive the training.  The researchers found that the non-meditating military group experienced decreased working memory capacity over time, 而非冥想的普通人的工作记忆容量则随时间保持稳定. 在冥想的军事团体里, 然而, 工作记忆容量随着冥想练习而增加. 除了, meditation practice was directly related to self-reported positive affect and inversely related to self-reported negative affect.

A 2009年的研究 looked at how mindfulness can affect participants’ ability to focus attention and suppress distractions.  When comparing experienced meditators with a control group with no meditation experience, the researchers found that the meditation group demonstrated significantly higher self-reported mindfulness, 哪个与认知灵活性和注意力功能直接相关.

The benefits listed above only scratch the surface of what can potentially be gained through a mindfulness practice, but the research has shown that engaging in a regular mindfulness practice essentially makes a person happier, 更有情绪弹性, 更有生产力.

这对雇主有什么影响?

而 有些人质疑道德 运用正念练习来提高工人的生产力, 事实是, while the primary benefit of your employees engaging in a mindfulness practice is at the individual level, 作为雇主，你也许也能从中获得一些好处.  正如我们在前面提到的 博客, untreated mental health issues in the workplace can have a big impact – both personally to the employee and financially to the employer.  在美国, 16 million adults are affected by Major Depressive Disorder and 40 million adults are affected by an anxiety disorder.  Researchers who analyzed responses to a questionnaire from the World Health Organization found that workers with depression reported the equivalent of 27 lost work days per year – nine due to time taken off or work and another 18 reflecting lost productivity.  So by helping your employees to be more aware of their 的想法 and emotions and deal with them in a positive way you could potentially improve your company’s productivity.  更不用说你会为员工的心理健康做最好的事情.

存在什么资源??

在威奇托，雇主可以求助于诸如 回归快乐, 哪家公司提供职场正念研讨会, 午餐和学习, 以及领导力培训.  还有几个应用程序可用，比如 平静 or 顶部空间, that provide guided meditations and other resources for developing mindfulness in daily life.  Helping your employees be mindful can also be as simple as providing a quiet space to reflect or building in “mindfulness breaks” that encourage employees to disconnect from technology.

一定要 注册 为我们的 工作场所心理健康教育项目 10月11日, where we will take a deeper dive into the issue of mental health issues and you as an employer can best support your employees.

图片来源.