Finding Time to Meditate - at Work!
How often do you think “I want to meditate but I don’t have time”? And then you find yourself sitting at your desk, staring at a report or your computer screen, completely unable to focus? Well, I’m going to suggest that you use that moment to get in a little meditation time - at work!
Now, some people don’t have the option to incorporate meditation into the work day. If you’re busy on a construction site or you’re in the middle of a hospital helping patients, then you may want to try fitting meditation into your routine at home. But, for those of us who have desk jobs (and even those of us who don’t, but need to take little breaks to reset the mind) I think using a 5 or 10 minute break during your work day is not only a good opportunity to fit in meditation, but it is perhaps when you need it most.
Meditating at work seems like it wouldn’t be possible. People come into your office, the phone rings, emails ping at you every few minutes, and Janet needs that report yesterday! But like all things, you need to be able to set some simple boundaries, and prioritizing self care in the office is something that I think more of us should be promoting. Plus, you only need a few minutes of meditation to feel refreshed! You’re not trying to squeeze an hour into your day, just a few minutes here and there. You can make it work if you try applying the following steps:
1) Choose a time based on what works in the moment - don’t try and schedule it
This seems counter-intuitive, as most people only remember to do something if it is in the calendar. But trying to schedule it means that you’re ultimately going to end up pushing it to a later time because a meeting came up, or someone needs to speak to you right away, or you’re sent on an errand and you’re not back in time. Now, if you are able to schedule it and keep that meeting with yourself, then go ahead and do that! But I suggest just putting a note somewhere on your desk or cork board or wherever you keep reminders, and just say “meditate” - the goal is to fit it in at a truly convenient time, which may come up unexpectedly. You should be able to capitalize!
2) Close your office door and put a note on it
This works very well for me. I have colleagues who come and see me at my office on a regular basis, and as soon as they see the note, they just come back later. It doesn’t need to say “Go away, I’m meditating!” but it should say something to the effect of “I’m unavailable at the moment, please come back in 10 minutes” or however long you wish to take. Could be 5, 10, 15, or even longer if your job permits.
Now, you may not have an office. Many workplaces use large open spaces with cubicles. If that’s the case, you can get creative. There may be quiet spaces (many offices have quiet rooms now) or you could even go to a nearby park if there is one near your office. If you want to be really bold, you can put in headphones, close your eyes, and just hope that everyone around you takes the hint and doesn’t bother you for those few minutes. I see no reason why you can’t inform those working around you that you take 5-10 minutes each day to meditate. It’s no different than a coffee break.
3) Turn off phone and email alerts and take your office phone off the hook
Having sounds play every time you get a text or an email is a distraction at any time, but obviously it will be more of a distraction when you’re meditating. I turn my alerts off all the time because it affects my productivity to constantly be looking away from the task at hand in order to check a text or an email, but I especially ensure that everything is on silent when I’m trying to meditate.
As for your office phone, don't be afraid to take it off the hook. If someone really needs you, they’ll leave a voicemail, they’ll send an email, or they’ll come to your office (hopefully once your’e done meditating). So leave it off and deal with the messages afterwards.
4) Make it comfortable
This one really depends on your office set-up. If you’re in a cubicle it probably means that you’re putting in headphones and you’re staying seated at your desk. But if you have the ability, go ahead and get creative. I prefer to lay down sometimes when I meditate, so I push aside my desk chair and I roll out my yoga mat. My office is small, but I have just enough room for this. Then I turn off the fluorescent lights, turn on my desk lamp, and I even roll some essential oil blends on my head and neck to encourage relaxation. Sometimes I’ll make a nice cup of herbal tea right before so that I can drink it once I’m done. Whatever you need to do to make it a really relaxing experience, do it. That’s the point! You want to get a little moment of zen into your otherwise hectic day.
5) Use an app
I find using an app is the easiest way to meditate in the office. If you’re at home and you’re lucky enough to get a long stretch of silence, then you can just sit in a room and enjoy the quiet mindfulness. But in the office, it can be hard to tune out the chatter. So, find an app (I love Headspace) which has 5 or 10 minute guided meditations. For longer ones, I love Boho Beautiful’s youtube guided meditation videos (just search Boho Beautiful Meditation in youtube - they’re easy to find). Apps can help you learn to meditate as well, so if you’re a beginner then I definitely recommend this.
The reason I like to meditate at work is because home sometimes feels more busy. It isn’t that I have more to do, but it often feels like home just doesn’t involve a lot of alone time. If you have kids, a spouse, or pets, then you know that home can be filled with people and/or animals that are constantly mulling about. Plus, by the time the evening comes, many of us feel more relaxed anyways and while meditation is a wonderful thing to do at that time, I think there’s a real benefit to getting in some meditation in the midst of your stressful work day. I find that after a brief session of meditation, I’m all set to get back to work with a bit more focus. So give it a try! And let me know what you do in order to find little moments of zen in the workplace.
