Use These Mindfulness Practices to Smooth Your Transition

Life as a new hire can be extremely stressful. Adjusting to new duties, different procedures, and people can become overwhelming. There are ways to manage your stress and keep calm and in control. Implementing mindfulness strategies into your work day can ease your transition as a new hire while you look composed and eager for your new responsibilities.

Why Does Mindfulness Deliver Results?

If you are looking for results, mindfulness practices and strategies can make big differences in your brain, productivity, and health.

• Brain- Your brain drastically changes and improves with mindfulness practices. The amygdala, which is the center for fear or flight, shrinks. Not only that but the connections between your amygdala fear center and the decision center of your brain shrinks too. So your actions are less governed by fear. Other improvements include:
  • Prefrontal Cortex Grows Thicker
  • Concentration Increases

Incorporating Mindfulness in Your Daily Routine

Harnessing the power of mindfulness is simple. Here are a few strategies to jumpstart your focus, energy, and composure with mindfulness:

• Begin Your Day with Meditation-Practice breathing exercises, yoga, tai chi, take a walk or other forms of meditation. Even just 10 minutes in the morning can start your day with positivity.
• Remember Your Purpose- Before you work, before you’ve set foot in your office, think about the good you are doing at work today. No matter what company or type of business you work for, you provide a much-needed service. Concentrating on that purpose can recommit you to your work and drive your focus. It can also keep you from getting involved in petty disagreements.
• Find Time to Pause- Stop for a moment, completely focus on one object. Take in every aspect of the object, the way it looks, feels, even smells. Try concentrating on the feeling of your feet as you walk along the floor. This ultra-focusing exercise can help center and calm you. You don’t need to take multiple breaks throughout the day.  Just one to five minutes can make a big difference.
• Breathe- When stressful situations start, take a moment to breathe deeply. The simple action of focusing on your breathing allows your brain to refocus, pause, and regain control of your actions. This will help your brain respond instead of react. Plus, higher levels of oxygen help increase your memory.
• Review Before You Leave- For many employees, stress from the work day often spills over into their personal lives. It is important to leave work at work and take a break. Before you leave work, do a quick review of the day. Write down accomplishments, make a to-do list for the next day, consider what you might do better the next time. You can also simply go through it in your mind. Reviewing the day will help you prepare for the next day, take an honest look at your performance, and help you leave your work at work.
• End the Day with Relaxation- At least a half hour before you go to bed, turn off screens. That means, phones, iPads, TVs, Laptops, everything. Turn them off. Studies have shown the blue light from all these devices are interrupting vital sleep patterns. Read something. Talk to someone. Soak in the tub. Meditate. Tune into your spiritual side. The entire routine gives you a relaxing and centering sensation that will help you enter a restful and deep sleep.

End Your New Hire Stressing, Meditate and Breathe Your Way Calm

Being the rookie can be extremely stressful, especially when you are young and starting fresh in the marketplace. You can easily transition from new hire to valued team member when you practice mindfulness. Using breathing exercises and focusing exercises will not only help you grown into your new role, it can improve your work, health, and happiness for many years to come.