The Conundrum of Mindfulness and Self Care

Mindfulness and Self Care are two of the hype words of this decade. Watch your thoughts. Take care of yourself. If you do this, you will function in life better- at home, at work, everywhere! Yes, practicing both WILL radically change your life. However, telling people to do more things is overwhelming and the exact opposite of what both mindfulness and self care are about. In fact, as I am writing this article, my email dinged, and it was my work telling me to download an app that will help me “relieve anxiety and stress during these challenging times.” This email itself is an indicator that it’s my problem and I have to fix it on my own to be a better employee. 

The concept of mindfulness is fascinating. How can you always be focused on the present when there is so much being bombarded at us from all angles? All the things you have to do and think about each day is a lot. The list of ways to self care is exhausting! Exercise, eat well, get sleep, journal, take a bath, drink tea with a friend, meditate, be in nature- the list goes on. 

So take a breath in. And a long breath out. The science behind mindfulness and self care is abundant- both lessens the impact of anxiety and depression on the body and mind. And it doesn’t need to be “something more” on your plate. 

-To practice mindfulness, of course you can set a timer and quietly sit, pray, or listen to a guided meditation. Perhaps a more significant use of your time would be to focus on the task at hand. Can you wash dishes without letting your mind wander- just focusing on the act of cleaning dishes? Watch where your thoughts go.  (Again, it’s a practice!)

-Self care doesn’t have to be costly or time consuming. It looks differently for everyone, as it should! It can be one thing that you enjoy- maybe going for a walk with a friend. Self care can also be a product of feeling good. If you make your bed, your space is clean, and you’ve accomplished something for the day. 

The second piece is that employers should provide space for people to practice both if they are hoping to benefit from an employee who is less-burnt out and connected to them self due to mindfulness and self care. Taking the time to relate and treat employees with kindness will pay off for any company. At this time, it is perfectly acceptable to give employees “time in the office” to work on themselves- instead of adding it to the list of things people need to do each day.