“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” ~ William James
The workplace, particularly in the modern competitive world, can be a very stressful environment. These stresses can produce problems by themselves and they can also magnify existing problems or weaknesses in the workers. So, it is not surprising that 18% of all workers report some kind of mental health problem during the last month. It has been estimated that among all physical and mental problems that depression is the most costly disorder to employers producing high levels of absenteeism and lost productivity.
The types of mental health problems that occur in workers are no different than those seen in the entire population. They can, however, present themselves differently due to the unique conditions of the workplace. Exacerbating the problem are workplace insecurities that cause the individual to not seek out treatment for their problems. They worry that the stigma attached to mental health problems could threaten their jobs and careers.
Hence, workplace mental health problems present special challenges. Preventive measures or treatments are needed that don’t threaten the individual’s career. One potential stealth treatment is mindfulness practice. These have become more and more accepted in the workplace, not as a mental health treatment, but as a method to boost productivity and creativity. In addition, meditation practice has been found to be associated with better job performance, job satisfaction, and work engagement (see http://contemplative-studies.org/wp/index.php/2015/07/17/work-smarter-with-meditation/).
In today’s Research News article “The Potential for Mindfulness-Based Intervention in Workplace Mental Health Promotion: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4569475/
Huang and colleagues investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness practices for mental health issues in the workplace. Based on a large survey of factory employees they selected and recruited 144 workers who displayed mental health problems, exhibiting both psychological distress and job strain. Half were randomly assigned to a Mindfulness-Based Intervention, very similar to a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, conducted over eight weeks. The other half of the workers constituted a waiting list control group.
The intervention resulted in significant reductions in psychological distress, prolonged fatigue, and perceived stress compared to the control group. Importantly, the effects were still present and significant four and again at eight weeks after the completion of the mindfulness training. These are very encouraging, clinically meaningful results and suggest that mindfulness training is effective for mental health issues in the workplace. The mindfulness training is safe and effective and because it is not seen as a mental health intervention does not produce stigma and fear of job loss.
There is considerable evidence that mindfulness practices are effective for a variety of mental health issues. They appear to work by improving present moment awareness which undercuts worry, rumination, and anxiety for the future (see http://contemplative-studies.org/wp/index.php/2015/08/25/alter-your-thinking-with-meditation-for-mental-health/). They also have been found to improve emotion regulation allowing for more effective responses to emotions (see http://contemplative-studies.org/wp/index.php/2015/09/10/take-command-and-control-of-your-emotions/). In addition mindfulness based programs have been shown to reduce both the physiological and physiological responses to stress (see http://contemplative-studies.org/wp/index.php/2015/07/17/destress-with-mindfulness/). This may be particularly useful for the work environment.
So, heal workplace mental health issues with mindfulness.
“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation, but your thoughts about it.” ~Eckhart Tolle
CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies