Consider being mindful to grow life satisfaction

By SCOTT BELLOWS
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Summary

• While up to 94 percent of workers report stress on their jobs, an American Psychological Association survey found that 36 percent of employees feel that their workplace stress levels are categorised as high.
• A Ginger survey shows that 70 percent of workers feel even more stressed during Covid-19 than at any other point in their professional careers. Stress reduces employee productivity, lowers job satisfaction, increases staff turnover, and increases worker health problems.
• Job stress and the commensurate negative effects leave employers scrambling for solutions.

Stress permeates our daily work lives. Arguing colleagues, senseless meetings, promotion fears, job cuts, incompetent bosses, unrealistic key performance indicators all stand out as stress-inducing employment factors.

While up to 94 percent of workers report stress on their jobs, an American Psychological Association survey found that 36 percent of employees feel that their workplace stress levels are categorised as high.

A Ginger survey shows that 70 percent of workers feel even more stressed during Covid-19 than at any other point in their professional careers. Stress reduces employee productivity, lowers job satisfaction, increases staff turnover, and increases worker health problems.

Job stress and the commensurate negative effects leave employers scrambling for solutions. A new take on an ancient stress remedy is piquing the interest of psychologists and organisational behaviourists: mindfulness.

Kenyan mindfulness author Dennis Odeny explains that mindfulness is about being fully conscious of one’s present reality. Mindfulness is defined as a condition of awareness to the present, current events, and experiences that is not interrupted by rambling or intentional thoughts.

Ana Atanes and a team of researchers found strong statistically significant negative correlations between one’s mindfulness and an individual’s perceived stress levels. Higher mindfulness levels relate with lower perceived stress levels even among cancer patients with unimaginable difficulty with uncertainty.

Often in Kenya we associate mindfulness with Eastern religions and meditation. But even the Bible contains passages championing the benefits of stillness, such as Psalms 46:10. Modern science has delved deep into the techniques, levels, and benefits of mindfulness over the past 10 years. A plethora of research studies now confirm the benefits of incorporating mindfulness as a way of life.

Social scientists Ruth Baer, James Carmody, Matthew Hunsinger, Shari Cordon, Kirk Brown, and Pamela Gibson, among numerous others, use a mindfulness-based stress reduction programme that lowers perceived stress levels among participants. Such programmes involve a combination of experiential methods that usually involve eight-weekly classes lasting 2.5 hours each, a one-day retreat in the sixth week of the programme, then 45 minutes of daily self-reflection throughout the programme.

Interestingly, by week two of such plans, participants feel more mindfulness traits in their daily lives. Then by week four, their perceived stress levels start to drop substantially. Interventions with less frequent meetings often see stress levels fall in the second month.

Recognising the benefits of mindfulness, proceed to score yourself to ascertain your own level of trait mindfulness. On each of the below statements, give yourself a number that corresponds to your level of agreement: strongly agree (1), agree (2), neutral (3), disagree (4), and strongly disagree (5).

I could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of it until sometime later.

I break or spill things because of carelessness, not paying attention, or thinking of something else. I am always daydreaming, imagining, or strategising such that I find it difficult to stay focused on what’s happening in the present. I tend to walk quickly to get where I’m going without paying attention to what I experience along the way. I tend not to notice feelings of physical tension or discomfort until they really grab my attention. I forget a person’s name almost as soon as I’ve been told it for the first time. I find myself listening to someone with one ear, doing something else at the same time. I find myself doing things without paying attention. I get so focused on the goal I want to achieve that I lose touch with what I am doing right now to get there.

Now, take your total of all your scores and divide by nine to get your average score. If your average score is above a four, then you flourish as holding trait mindfulness.

You would expect lower stress levels, better life satisfaction, and higher job satisfaction in your life. If your average score falls between a three and a four, then you have moderate trait mindfulness.

If your average score is lower than a three, then you hold low trait mindfulness and likely do not benefit from the benefits that mindfulness brings.

Dr Scott may be reached on scott@ScottProfessor.com or on Twitter: @ScottProfessor