Mindfulness-in-Action: Opportunity for Cultivating Culture for Mental Health in a Post-Pandemic Workplace
Most people and workplaces are currently experiencing the highest levels of uncertainty and change they have ever encountered. We are just beginning to see the impact of this extended period of high stress and disruption on our mental health, economy and workplaces. Even though shelter in place restrictions are slowly lifting, the impact of this pandemic will be serious and lasting.
The World Health Organization says, “Good mental health is critical to the functioning of society at the best of times. It must be front and centre of every country’s response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The mental health and wellbeing of whole societies have been severely impacted by this crisis and are a priority to be addressed urgently.”
Here’s what we know:
- A majority (56%) of Canadians say their mental health has been negatively affected by COVID-19 according to a new Ipsos poll.
- Among those with an anxiety disorder or depression, their already high levels of anxiety and depression have doubled since the outbreak according to a survey by Mental Health Research Canada.
- Canadians with lower self-perceived mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic are more likely to increase their use of cannabis, alcohol and tobacco, according to Statistics Canada.
As we move forward into this next phase of responding to COVID-19 and disruption and uncertainty continue, the question remains, what can workplaces do?
The good news is many organizations are already doing it. In the face of the pandemic, almost half (48%) of employers are providing unique mental health supports, according to a survey by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) in Ontario.
It’s critical that these supports continue to be offered and expanded as needed. Despite the economy reopening and many people slowly returning to work, the world is still filled with more uncertainty than ever before. Employers who are ready to change as the world changes will be best equipped to support their people. Is there a common denominator that can help people, workplaces and organizations as a whole?
Mindfulness-In-Action
While we wait for a vaccination for the coronavirus, there is something we can do! Workplaces can provide employees the opportunity to learn and develop the skills of mindfulness-in-action as a catalyst for mental health.
Mindfulness is an inherent mental capacity and therefore, is accessible to everyone. Think of mindfulness as a new form of literacy, similar to reading and writing. It’s a necessary skill for living, working and communicating in today’s society.
Mindfulness is a form of mental exercise that helps us re-focus our attention into the present moment vs. being caught up in anxieties about the future. It helps us self-manage when difficult feelings, thoughts and impulses arise, instead of resorting to unhelpful behaviours.
Learning mindfulness doesn’t need to be yet another thing on our daily to-do lists. Instead, we can use mindfulness-in-action to flex and strengthen our muscles of mindfulness during our everyday lives. Just like daily exercise, there are many opportunities each day to develop our muscles of mindfulness, and repetition builds strength.
Workplace mindfulness training helps employees build resilience and develop the skills they need to respond more easily to constant change and uncertainty. Mindfulness-in-action training is a practical, accessible, and cost-effective solution that can impact a business on the individual, leadership and organizational levels.
At the individual level, every employee can develop their own personalized practice of Take 5.
Take 5: A Practice of Mindfulness-in-Action
Take 5 is a self-directed mindfulness-in-action proactive coping practice that can be customized and integrated into our daily life. No need for earbuds, quiet dark rooms and incense – Take 5 can be learned and practiced experientially within the context of our own unique lives. There are five tools to Take 5:
- Notice the Cue
- Notice Something New
- Notice the Body
- Notice the Breath
- Notice Now
Each of the tools of Take 5 can be practiced individually or in sequence with other tools. The underlying intention of MindWell’s core training, The MindWell Challenge, is to support employees in learning and customizing their own new habit of Take 5.
Mindful Leaders
Mindfulness training can build the self-awareness, emotional intelligence and resilience required to successfully lead an organization through crisis. When leaders enact mindfulness-in-action they are able to see the big picture and multiple perspectives so they can see clearly and respond effectively.
Mindful leaders can regulate their emotions during times of high stress and are more capable of sharing their own vulnerability, fostering openness and support within their organizations. Mindful leaders are strong listeners and respond with compassion to the challenges faced by their people.
Just like a parent offers a secure attachment to their children, or a teacher to their students, leaders in the workplace play an important role in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of their colleagues and teams via their own ability to self regulate, be present and responsive vs. reactive.
Mindful Organizations
Organizations trained in mindfulness-in-action experience the impact across all levels – from the front lines to executives. A new mindset is adopted and a new way of working emerges. Leaders and HR professionals integrate mindfulness when developing organizational policies, procedures and culture. Protocols enacted to nurture a mindful organization correlate with developing a psychologically safe and healthy workplace – for example, no emailing after work hours or starting meetings with a Take 5 to ensure everyone is fully present in-person and online.
The same way jogging or avoiding smoking shifted from obscure ideas for healthy living to an obvious part of our wellness routines, the importance of mindfulness-in-action has arrived as a basic human resource.
Mindfulness is no longer a nice-to-have, but rather a need-to-have for workplaces that want to help their teams and leaders respond skillfully to the looming mental health crisis.
About the Author
Dr. Geoff Soloway is the founder and Chief Training Officer at MindWell-U, a health tech firm that delivers research-backed e-mental health tools that are shown to increase resilience, lower stress and improve performance. Geoff has been working in the area of health promotion, mindfulness and wellbeing for almost 20 years.