Why Mindfulness Practice is a TENSH Habit

Mindfulness practices are a research-validated tool for managing stress and enhancing cognitive performance, both of which are critical in the modern world. Mindfulness practice has positive effects on mental health and wellbeing, with demonstrated benefits for the prevention and management of depression and anxiety.

Mindfulness practice is a practical and accessible tool that requires no equipment or guidance and can be performed anytime, anywhere. The main challenge lies in finding time to perform the practice.
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Mindfulness practice benefits stress management, focus, clarity and emotional regulation in the short term. It is an effective tool for managing performance and responding to performance in stressful situations, such as delivering a presentation, during conflict, or in other challenging environments. Considering mindfulness practice as a tool to be used in stressful settings, rather than a relaxation tool, helps highlight the importance of building the skill.

What’s Essential to Know

TENSH recommends building a habit of daily ten-minute mindfulness practice. Research shows that ten minutes
of daily practice achieves many of the benefits of practice while being easily integrated into a busy lifestyle.

Concentration meditation - focus on breath or an object

Heart-centred meditation - bring awareness to the heartbeat

Walking meditations - coordinate breathing with footsteps at a slow/moderate pace

Mindfulness meditation - observe thoughts objectively as they arise and pass

Transcendental meditation - repeat a word or sound.

The key principle is practice, not perfection. Your mind will wander more often than you like, especially during the early stages of meditation practice. The objective is to develop your ability to refocus your thoughts on your target, depending on the type of practice you are performing.

Actionable Implementation

There are three things you need to do: Select a type of meditation, select a time to perform it, and create a conducive environment.

Select a type

Five options are listed above, and there are hundreds more variations. If you can’t pick one, pick none - just sit down and try to think of nothing for ten minutes.

Select a time to perform it

Time selection is often underappreciated. Start by tying your practice to a specific time of day or an activity, such as after waking up, near lunchtime, or when getting into your car.

Create a conducive environment

A quiet and comfortable space will help your mindfulness practice. Noisy and busy environments are distracting and can risk making you feel self-conscious.

Impact on Chronic Conditions

Mindfulness practice benefits mental health and wellbeing, in particular anxiety and depression risk factors. Mindfulness-based stress reduction has been associated with coping better with chronic conditions.

Impact on Workplace Health

The impact of mindfulness on mental health and wellbeing may benefit workplace productivity and resilience during stressful periods. Mindfulness training has been demonstrated to reduce work-related stress and increase psychological resilience in the workplace.