As organizations attempt to optimize their workforce, they are increasingly turning to practices connected to mindfulness, an intentional awareness of our present experience. Here, Darren Good (MA '02), assistant professor of applied behavioral science at the Graziadio School, shares exercises drawn from his specific research in workplace mindfulness to combat common daily stressors and improve employee performance, relationships, and well-being.

每日苦差事

当我们在工作中感到熟悉时，我们通常会自动做出反应。 Without thinking, we simply do whatever worked well enough before.

试试这个: 改变你的行为，避免在熟悉的日常生活中变得舒适。 Try to speak one level louder than usual, hold eye contact with someone a second or two longer than you usually would, or search for aspects of the physical space you may not have noticed before.

连续的会议

In organizations with meeting- heavy cultures, employees often move from one meeting directly into another. When this happens, we carry with us all of the unfinished business and interpersonal complexities from the previous meetings, leaving us less able to be fully present to the new ideas and people.

试试这个: 当你从一个会议到另一个会议的时候，进行正念行走。 Pair your breath with your footsteps, taking a stride with an inhale and another stride paired with the exhale. It is critical to do something to clear the mental decks before entering the next meeting.

绩效考核

While none of us particularly like to receive criticism about our behavior, it can sometimes feel crippling to our self-esteem.

试试这个: 在进入反馈环节之前，做一个短暂的、专注的呼吸冥想。 Even a few minutes of meditation serves as a sort of “self-esteem shield” for people who receive negative feedback.

人际冲突

On good days, disagreements can provide diversity of viewpoints and the friction necessary to spark great ideas. But with differentiation comes the inevitability of conflict, which can make us feel ungrounded and lost as to how best to manage.

试试这个: When feeling ungrounded, the simplest thing to do is notice what’s on the ground— your feet. 注意它们与你的鞋子和地面的接触。 Notice the distribution of weight. It seems strange, but in stressful situations, we need a simple action like this to keep ourselves grounded.

没完没了的电子邮件

电子邮件已经与承担更多的工作或处理棘手的关系联系在一起。 As a result battling your inbox can be one of the most stressful aspects of your workday or night.

试试这个: 观察你对电子邮件的生理反应。 Does your breathing become shallow or do you hold your breath when engaging with particularly difficult emails? These are signs of stress. This presents an opportunity to take several deep breaths as a way to relax and then re-engage in a more relaxed way.

正念呼吸练习

找一个舒适的坐姿。

With your eyes open, take three breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. 每次呼气时，注意你的身体是如何开始安定下来的。

第三次呼气时，闭上眼睛或温柔地凝视。 Now allow your breath to return to normal, taking an inhale through your nose and out through your nose.

Turn your attention to the experience of sitting, sensing the contact of your back and legs against the chair, and your feet on the ground. Then bring your attention to sensation of breathing. You may focus on the feeling of cool air entering your nostrils on an inhale and leaving on the exhale. Notice the experience of where the inhale seems to reside your body (could be your chest or stomach). Simply focus on the experience of this.

And now the important part: as your mind wanders away from the awareness of your breath, just gently steer it back to sensation of breathing. This wandering of the mind is good, as it provides the opportunity to return to the focus on the breathing. This returning to the breath is the important work and where mindfulness grows.