Providing the best care to our Texas Children’s patients and their families starts with looking after and taking care of ourselves. For the month of October, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Well-being are sharing how the simple act of mindfulness can reduce the negative impact of stress and anxiety.
Practicing mindfulness throughout your work day
Mindfulness is not just about meditation or carving out long periods of relaxation – it’s about enhancing focus and awareness while you are in the midst of your workday and your daily life. As you practice removing distractions, your attention comes back to the present moment. This improves your concentration, your mood and your ability to cope with daily stressors.
Try taking control of your own mindfulness by trying these three easy, in-the-moment mindfulness activities and see what they do for you. You can also download the Three Ways to Be Mindful Throughout the Day flyer here.
- Washing your hands
Check in with your thoughts every time you wash or sanitize your hands. As you wash your hands, feel the water or sanitizer on your hands. Think about your thoughts – are you in the present moment, or is your mind on the past or the future? Check out this video for more on hand-washing as a mindfulness practice.
- Opening a door
Before you enter a room, touch the door knob and focus on taking a deep breath and focusing your mind on a positive thought, such as “I enter this room fully present.” Walk into the room with a calm perspective and leave your old thoughts outside the door.
- Taking a break
Taking breaks throughout the day can help you avoid burnout, renew your perspective and refresh your creativity. This can be a long break, like lunch, or a short 5-minute walk away from your work area. Change up your scenery, take some deep breaths and refocus your intentions.
Additional mindfulness tools and resources
- Watch on-demand mindfulness videos, such as mindfulness guided meditation and unwinding before bed on Texas Children’s Well-Being website.
- Log into Netflix and watch the interactive “Unwind Your Mind” video series from Headspace.
- Download the Insight Timer app that helps you to practice mindfulness at any time.
- Tune into the Mindfulness and Meditation Podcasts | Cigna CLIMB Program from Cigna, or access the Cigna Stress Management Toolkit.
- Review the Mindfulness and Relaxation toolkit from EAP Plus.
- Take a look at the Managing Stress Toolkit from Cigna. There are also guided mindfulness and meditations.
- Register to take a Healthstream course (hosted by EAP):
- Authentic Happiness – First Friday of every month
- Building Resilient Staff – Second Friday of every month
- Mental Health First Aid – Third Friday of every month
- Stress Management – Last Friday of every month