Organizations are beginning to put greater emphasis on their employees' mental health than ever before. In the Workforce Attitude Towards Mental Health 2022, Headspace reported 71% of employees stated that their organizations had increased efforts surrounding their mental health.
Companies have realized that offering mental health and wellness opportunities for their teams such as free or affordable therapy, memberships to gyms, and guided meditation applications, leads to higher rates of productivity and job satisfaction, research found.
Taking it a step further, employees are implementing wellness rituals into their daily routines. Setting aside time to step away from their computers and take a moment for themselves, people have been enjoying mid day walks, establishing phone-free times with friends and family as well as participating in group workout and yoga challenges. Hunt Club’s Erica Nwachukwu, a Platform Success Specialist for Atlas, has become a champion for creating such spaces to focus on self-care and mental health throughout the workweek.
Erica shared her recommendations for prioritizing mental health and mindfulness as part of a daily routine.
Erica’s guide to prioritizing wellness
- “I encourage people to take a moment to notice what sort of things they naturally gravitate towards to provide relief when they are experiencing stress. Look for the patterns in the remedies you often employ.”
- “Mindfulness takes practice. The only way to improve is with consistency - pick a time, choose an activity and stick to it. I’d give myself a benchmark until it becomes second nature.”
- “My last bit of advice would be to have fun and remember that as much as mindfulness is a practice, it’s also a process - the process may change many times to fit your needs but ultimately it should make you feel great in the end!”
While it’s becoming more widely acknowledged that wellness and mindfulness practices can significantly reduce stress and anxiety, it’s important to understand that the two are not interchangeable. Mindfulness refers to centering the mind, focusing on breathing and the state of one’s body, experts have concluded. Mindfulness activities can be a part of an individual’s wellness practice, with wellness being defined by the Global Wellness Institute as “the active pursuit of activities, choice and lifestyle that lead to a state of holistic health.” Identifying even a singular mindfulness or wellness practice that helps you unwind at the beginning or end of the workday can have an amazing impact on your overall well being.
For Erica, this looks like melodic affirmations. With a background in voice and vocal arrangements, Erica sings melodic affirmations after work to affirm her power and decompress after the workday.
Offering a glimpse into her practice, Erica shared one of her recorded melodic affirmations, here.
The practice of recharging after the workday transpires from both the top down and bottom up as leaders and employees are given the time to focus on their overall wellbeing. As companies continue to promote wellness as a means for rest and rejuvenation, they can expect to see a ripple effect of productivity and contentment throughout their organizations.
Mindset begins with the leaders
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