Leading corporate mindfulness facilitator Gillian Coutts has shared helpful tips and a mindfulness exercise that can be practised every day to promote calm and reduce stress.

Her presentation is available to watch in full as part of the Tech Fest Webinar series.

“What you attend to in this moment becomes your reality.” – William James

Mind training and mind management is a crucial part of navigating stress. In times of difficulty our brains alert us to unavoidable worries (e.g. Coronavirus, financial downturn, business challenges), but while in this uncomfortable mode it can cause greater distress by firing up thoughts with avoidable, mind-made worries (e.g. fear and anxiety).

The good news is that regardless of what is going on in our lives – at home and at work – we can train our minds to become resilient to help us find calm and get passed internal upheaval.

It is comforting to remember, too, that resilience is not a matter of never having doubts or experiencing panic, it is the ability to bounce back after a “wobble”.

Mindfulness is at the heart of resilience

There are many ways to train the mind to be more resilient to restore calm. Research has shown that practicing mindfulness for as little as 10 minutes a day for eight weeks can be enough to cause a physiological change in the brain. Practicing mindfulness has been shown in clinical trials to improve memory and mood, as well as foster a better work life balance and improved work performance - among other benefits.

In this short video, Gillian demonstrates a 3-minute exercise that anyone can practise to enhance mindfulness and to train your brain not to allow worries – unavoidable or avoidable – sabotage your state of mind.

 

Concluding her presentation, Gillian provided 3 tips (plus a bonus tip) for building mental resilience:

• Practice mindfulness – give yourself a challenge and make it a habit
• Don’t be a hero – don’t ignore stress and soldier on; listen to your body
• Self-care – get enough sleep, exercise, create time and space for recovery

BONUS TIP: When you get back out into the world and it feels like things are going a million miles an hour, you’re feeling overwhelmed and simply don’t have time to stop and practice mindfulness, just focus on one thing or one task at a time.

 

View Gillian’s presentation in its entirety to benefit in greater detail from her expertise.

WATCH WEBINAR