How Can Mindfulness Help Your Corporate Wellness?

 

Recently, mindfulness has become more prominent in Western society, with companies even adopting mindful techniques as part of their corporate wellness programmes. Not only does mindfulness aid your mental and physical wellness, it also helps your work performance and leadership skills. Mindfulness also instills a greater sense of meaning and satisfaction in your life, meaning you’ll be happier when hump day rolls around.

 

According to Rachel Clements, BSc Hons, M Psych, MAPS, co-founder and Director of Psychological Services and Principal Organisational Psychologist at the Centre for Corporate Health, ‘Mindfulness is focused awareness of the present moment. It allows us to live our life fully conscious as to what is going on around us, such as a simple sensation like feeling the warmth of the sunlight or noticing the complex interplay between our internal dialogue of our thoughts and emerging feelings. By tuning in to our internal thought processes and by having a greater insight in to them, we are able to recognise that our thoughts are just thoughts and that they don’t necessarily represent reality.’ So how can you live your life more mindfully?

 

1. Observe: Clements recommends, ‘Try to bring the focus of your attention to the present moment and tune in to what is going on in the present i.e. focus on what your body position is, what it feels like, identifying any thoughts or feelings that may be present, or simply grounding yourself in what is going on around you at the moment. Mindfulness aims to shift one’s attention away from analytical thinking to observing thoughts, feelings, and one’s bodily reactions as activated by the five senses (e.g., sight, sound, taste, touch, smell).’

 

2. Describe: ‘Tune in to the small details of what you are observing and simply describe these to yourself,’ Clements instructs. ‘For example, you may observe and describe the contours of the chair in which you are currently sitting, against your body. When eating a strawberry you may observe and describe what the texture feels like in your mouth as you take a bite or you may savour the sweet taste which you may never have taken the time to notice before. When in a meeting you may focus on the person in front of you and really listen to what he or she is saying, being present to every word. When walking, you may notice and describe what your body feels like as you are putting one foot in front of the other, noticing the position and weight of your body as you balance etc.’

 

3. Reduce: Clements details, ‘Studies have revealed that multi-tasking places so much of a cognitive load on ourselves that our performance deteriorates. Therefore, in order to save time, maintain performance and wellbeing we are better off practicing mindfulness by doing one thing at a time and being fully present in that experience. Task switching in which we alternate tasks however remain fully present when undertaking each one, is often a better alternative for us.’

 

4. Accept: ‘It is important to be open and accepting of how you are thinking, feeling or behaving in the present moment,’ Clements asserts. ‘Adopting a witness perspective of you observing yourself in a situation allows some distance from a situation which we may be entwined in, allowing us to perhaps view the situation from another perspective. When practicing mindfulness, try to refrain from making comment or evaluating experiences as good, bad, right, or wrong, and try not to control or avoid the experience even if it seems unpleasant at the time. In mindfulness an experience simply “is what it is”.’

Categories: Acceptance, clements, corporate wellness, fully present, mindfulness, moment, multitasking, nbsp, practicing mindfulness, present, present moment

How to Set the Course for Your Personal Weight Loss Journey

We all have different reasons for wanting to lose weight. Some of us just want to fit into that new dress while others what to enhance our overall wellness. Taking the first step in determining which programme to follow and which goals to set is probably the easiest thing to do in terms of effort, but this can still be a complicated step to take. At the end of the day, you are responsible for your own wellbeing, and the weight loss plan you eventually choose is, evidently, up to you. However, there are helpful hints available to shape the way you make that decision.

 

1. Acceptance and Reason: On an emotional and mental level, acceptance and reason are the hardest stages to overcome, and they often go hand in hand. If you’re overweight, say, this probably means your health is deteriorating. This usually goes alongside high levels of bad LDL cholesterol and high blood pressure. In this example, you need to accept that your current condition of health is due to your excess weight, and then this becomes your reason to lose weight: your immediate concern is to get to a healthy weight so that your wellness improves. As I’ve previously mentioned, everyone needs their own reason or driving force to help them achieve their personal weight loss goals – you just need to be true to yours.

 

2. A Clinical Perspective: If you’re planning on losing weight, that’s obviously going to have an impact on your health and body and so it’s extremely advisable to consult your doctor. In weight-related conditions, cardiologists and nutritionists are the go-to experts so start there. These medical health professionals can help you set your goals and decide upon the course of your weight loss journey without coming into conflict with your individual needs. If you have medical conditions or unchangeable lifestyle traits, for example, this will determine ultimately what you can and cannot do.

 

3. The Objective: Once you have your reasons and medical perspective in place, it’s time for you to actually engage in your weight loss and set a goal. This needs to be something specific and that you can reasonably attain. While setting a big end goal – like losing 40lbs overall – is a good idea, setting little objectives or check points along the way can help you to stay motivated. If you say you want to lose 10lbs a month, then all you have to do is focus on that one small goal instead of striving for the big one. Before you know it, in four months time you would have reached your 40lb goal without stressing 40lbs worth over it! Make sure all your goals – both big and small – are realistic. However, when you lose weight, you might find the number on the scale doesn’t move much as muscle weighs more than fat, so you might want to use a different measuring system like clothes sizes, BMI or waist size.

 

4. The Plan: Most dieters try to lose weight by just changing their food intake, or just by exercising, but the truth is you need both for effective weight loss. When it comes to what you eat, you need to consume enough calories to sustain your daily needs which, as you’re engaging in physical activities, will be a little bit more than you think. Dividing your daily food intake into frequent small meals rather than three large meals is a good idea. Eat fruits and vegetables, lean meat, dairy products, rice/cereals/bread, even chocolates – the key is to not deprive yourself but let yourself have a little bit so that you don’t crave more later on.

Categories: Acceptance, food intake, Goals, Lose, Lose weight, loss, loss journey, Objectives, personal weight, reason, weight, Weight Loss

Are You Going Through the Eight Stages of Rejection?

Whether your partner dumps you, your friend turns you down or a potential love interest doesn’t find too much potential in you, rejection really hurts. Everyone likes to be liked and when you aren’t appreciated for who you are, this can really impact your sense of wellbeing. In turn, rejection, or the fear of it, can further affect your sexual health and wellness – rejection is bad enough, but rejection when you’re naked? No thank you! In fact, relationship expert and sexologist Dr Gabrielle Morrissey, author of Sex in the Time of Generation X, finds parallels between rejection and the stages of grief. So, which stage of rejection are you in?

 

1. The denial phase: In this phase, you’ll probably be a bit stunned and have trouble believing that you have actually been rejected. If this sounds familiar, Dr Morrissey advises, ‘Acknowledge that yes, sad but true, the relationship is over (or it’s not going to start). Try not to dwell on the negative.’

 

2. The bargaining phase: Dr Morrissey asserts, ‘More often than not, “what ifs” won’t get you anywhere. Generally, it wasn’t only one thing that led to the rejection, but several things, and no amount of bargaining will turn the relationship into a healthy one.’ So what does she recommend? ‘Get yourself out of this phase as fast as you can,’ Dr Morrissey urges. ‘”What ifs” can easily spiral out of control. Reflect on any learning you can gain from the demise of the relationship (or date disaster), and apply that learning forwards, instead of backwards.’

 

3. The loneliness phase: Sometimes, it’s not just the rejection of one person you feel, but this one-off rejection can make you go through a general feeling of rejection, leading to feelings of sadness, self pity and isolation. If you’re feeling lonely following a rejection, Dr Morrissey suggests, ‘Surround yourself with people who do care, and who openly say so. Get your support team – friends, family – to spend time with you to break you out of feeling this way.’

 

4. The heartbreak phase: How intense this phase in will depend somewhat on how deeply you were involved with the person who has rejected you. ‘When you find yourself having sad thoughts, snap yourself out of it by literally snapping a rubber band around your wrist, or snapping your fingers, and make yourself think a positive thought about something that makes you feel happy,’ says Dr Morrissey. ‘If this doesn’t work, reach out to someone for support and distraction (but not the person who rejected you!).’

 

5. The depression phase: This means you’re feeling sad, worthless and perhaps foolish. Dr Morrissey notes you should allow yourself to feel the pain, ‘but do not wallow. Keep busy, exercise and take care of yourself. If necessary, seek support through counselling or from your doctor.’

 

6. The blame phase: ‘Once some of the intense internal feelings subside, the brain often seeks external blame,’ Dr Morrissey explains. ‘You might start with yourself, and then extend to them, but any which way it’s important to move past this destructive phase. There are two players in a relationship and fault is usually somewhere with both. Think about what you’ve gained and what they’ll be missing. Move past the blame and try to glean some learning from it instead.’

 

7. The anger phase: Not much explanation needed for this one; it basically boils down to “How dare they reject you?” Dr Morrissey points you should only indulge yourself in this phase temporarily. ‘Give yourself a time limit on how long you’ll be angry for,’ she advises. ‘If you don’t, you can become bitter, and that’s not healthy.’

 

8. The acceptance phase: Finally, you come to the conclusion that it wasn’t right and you’re going to be okay. Dr Morrissey enthuses, ‘Move forward with an open heart, ready to focus on new potential. Good for you. Now get out there!’

Categories: Acceptance, Denial, dr morrissey, morrissey, nbsp, phase, Rejection, relationship

Live Long and Foster: Strong Relationships Benefit Health

If you’re taking care of family wellness, there’s one thing you need; other people. Obviously, you need more than just you to make a family, but research shows that connecting with others is vastly beneficial to your wellbeing. Not only does interaction raise your spirits, but it also does wonders for your health.

 

According to the results of prominent researcher Sheldon Cohen, PhD, from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, if you form close bonds with other people, you’ll live for longer than those who don’t foster meaningful relationships. In one of his studies, Dr Cohen analysed the autobiographies of 96 psychologists and 220 literary writers for words that indicated close relationships, such as father, mother, neighbour, sister, brother etc. The writers who used the most of these words in their stories had lived for longer than those who used these terms less often. Moreover, a 2007 study from University College London found that people who have more negative interactions in their closest relationships are more likely to develop heart disease.

 

So how do you strengthen your relationship wellness?

 

1. Accept the things you cannot change. People are different and flawed and, no matter how hard you try, you’re never going to fix the things you don’t like about someone. Love the people in your life for the people that they are, warts and all.

 

2. Accentuate the positive. You can choose to look at annoying habits in others as deal breakers or irritants, or you can try to see them as charming quirks. That’s just part of who they are, and you might even miss those little annoying behaviours if they were gone.

 

3. Show your appreciation. Even if your loved ones are “supposed” to do certain chores, make sure you say thank you – a little gratitude goes a long way.

 

4. Walk a mile in their shoes. Your style of handling conflict or difficult situations may be different to the other person’s. You may rather hash it all out, but your loved one may be an internal processor, and would prefer to think things through alone. Accept the difference, and try to adjust the way you interact.

Categories: Acceptance, Appreciation, health, live, longer, nbsp, people, positive thinking, Relationships, strong relationships