Inhaling copious amounts of caffeine and frantically replying to your emails in the middle of the night used to be a marker of career success. Leaving work on time was seen as slacking, and even our morning commute was nothing more than an opportunity to get a head-start on the day.

Thankfully, this work-hard-then-work-harder attitude is no longer believed to be the road to a successful business. With tech giants Google, Apple and Facebook leading the way, business owners are learning to prioritise employee mental health and wellbeing.

Preventing Burnout with Mindfulness

The dangers of working too hard can be seen both physically and mentally. More sick days, poorer employee satisfaction and strained relationships are just a few of the negative side effects that stem from a high-stress environment.

A mindfulness practice can help to prevent burnout, increase energy levels and improve mental wellbeing. Both business owners and their employees can benefit hugely from a regular mindfulness practice and redress the work-life balance. By encouraging your employees to practice mindfulness, you’ll be rewarded with greater productivity, fewer sick days and a lower staff turnover.

The Benefits of Mindfulness

Mindfulness has become a popular technique all over the world to help slow down, regulate stress and boost happiness in its practitioners. It can improve self-confidence, creativity and productivity.

Following a mindfulness practice, you should feel alert, focused and ready to tackle the day with increased energy. In fact, many successful business owners swear by practicing mindfulness first thing to set them up for the day ahead.

Maintaining a Work-Life Balance

There’s more to mindfulness than just a regular meditation practice. Maintaining a work-life balance is key, and encouraging your employees to take regular phone and laptop-free breaks is a great first step.

Try to encourage employees to take lunch away from their desks, and get outside for a walk in the middle of the day. Maintaining a good work-life balance will be far more beneficial than frantic, late-night email checks.

Budget depending, you could set up subscriptions to a meditation app, with Headspace and Calm being the most popular. Of course, this comes at an initial cost, but many CEOs find the benefits to employee productivity and mental health far outweigh what they have spent. 

Forming a Habit

While a one-off mindfulness practice is relatively easy, finding the time to be mindful everyday can feel a little harder! Try to bring mindfulness into your day by simply spending some time focusing on what’s going on around you. This could be taking slightly longer to enjoy your morning coffee, or consciously noticing the colours around you as the seasons change. 

While these little moments of stillness may seem small and insignificant, they can have a hugely positive impact on your mental health and wellbeing.