Many times throughout the day you might find yourself asking yourself different questions. How can I better reach students that are struggling in class? Why did this person wait to the last minute to reach out to me? How can I get better organized? Why am I so tired? What is the reason for this task? Our inner voice, or self-talk, may answer some of these questions in a way that leads us to feel more stressed – that we ‘have to,’ ‘should,’ or ‘need to.’ When you are likely already feeling stressed or anxious about your tasks, this might lead to an unsustainable level of stress.
The Wellness Team invites you to reframe these questions. As Simon Sinek says in his Ted Talk, start with why. Before you open your computer at the start of the day to see how many new emails you have to respond to, start with ‘why.’ You may be fully aware of ‘what’ you do for work or ‘how’ to do your work, but how often do you think about ‘why’ you do your work? Why you are here, in this particular role with these particular tasks? We are more likely to lose sight of the ‘why,’ leading to a greater sense of disconnection with your work-self.
By engaging in mindfulness, you can create more mental space to reflect on and discover your own personal ‘why.’ Quieting the constant internal chatter through breathwork, observing your thoughts without judgement, and being present allows you to take yourself out of autopilot mode where you are only focused on tasks and deadlines. When practicing mindfulness regularly, you can recognize when you have drifted from your ‘why’ and regain the ability to navigate back to it.
The Wellness Team will be hosting a virtual workshop on finding motivation and mindfulness at work on Monday, 9/15, at 11:00am. Please follow this link to register for the workshop.
Check out the attached infographic on Self-Care at Work to help in those times where mindfulness feels impossible.