mindfulness and coaching

This article provides an overview of the way we perceive and illustrates related concepts. He also underlines the advantages of a high level of mindfulness, goes into scientific findings in this context, gives an opportunity to test mindfulness at home and finally refers to the business level.

What is mindfulness

After the well-known retired professor Jon Kabat-Zinn means “to be mindful, to be nonjudgmental and conscious in the present moment.” In this context, the word conscious means that we choose to knowingly draw our attention to the present moment.”

Current science states that an absolute majority of our perception is unconscious. In concrete terms, this means that our brain processes around 11 million sensory impressions per second, of which we only consciously perceive around 40 of them. Our organism filters all the different stimuli in advance until about 40 remain.

Converted to a distance of 11 kilometers of unconsciousness, there is only 4 centimeters of consciousness.

These 4 centimeters are roughly sensory impressions that are recorded through our eyes, such as colors, movement, contrasts, shadows, etc., but at the same time also our current self-esteem, self-confidence, acoustic, olfactory, tactile stimuli or other stimuli invisible to our eyes.

This fact makes it clear how relatively little enters our consciousness and at the same time how enormous our unconscious perception is. Mindfulness is a focus on the present moment. Implementing this statement is easier said than done for many people, because some people have little or nothing to do with it. This is where coaching comes into play!

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In professional coaching or in mindfulness training, you can learn how to change the focus of your consciousness at will, regardless of where and in which situation you are. With sufficient training, this ability allows you to perceive many hitherto unconscious stimuli that are not visible to the eye. This includes, for example, the perception of your heartbeat, your emotions, subtle energetic changes in your environment and also the sensitivities of the other person in an important negotiation.

distinction between reality and actuality

Perception can be conscious and unconscious. Your perception is what you perceive as true and what you build your reality with. Reality is your perception of how the world affects you. This reality is subjective and shaped by your genetics, values, personality, social interactions, and many other factors. You can also think of your reality as the result of seeing the world through a very specific and unique set of "perceptual glasses." Reality, on the other hand, i.e. what the environment "does" in a purely rational manner, is, strictly speaking, not measurable at all, since a subject must be present for the measurement. Learn more about the topic here stress management.

Conclusion: We all live in a world with many different realities.

What are the benefits of being mindful?

There are now a number of scientific studies on the effects of regular mindfulness practice. This research proves that mindfulness training has demonstrable effects on physical and psychological symptoms as well as quality of life (cf. Hölzel & Brähler, 2015). Research on mindfulness falls into three categories:

1. Symptom improvement

• Decreased depression, anxiety, pain, fatigue, stress and stress associated with illness
• Increase in quality of life, improvement in sleep quality and increased functionality in everyday life
• positive effects on stress, negative affects, anxiety or rumination

2. Improvement of biological markers

Mindfulness training is not an intervention in the body, but a change in behavior that has measurable effects on how the body functions. For example, mindfulness practice leads to a reduction in cortisol levels (cortisol is a stress hormone), which is considered an indicator of a reduction in feelings of stress.

3. Impact on neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change in response to life circumstances, experiences and learning. Mental habits, behaviors or psychological injuries affect the brain structure. Regular mindfulness practice and mediation lead to structural changes in the brain. These changes not only affect mood, but also the way we interpret body signals such as pain.

How can I measure my mindfulness?

There are many ways to measure mindfulness. One of them is the so-called "Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire" (FFMQ) according to Baer et al., 2006 and Michalak et al., 2016. These forms of measuring mindfulness can also be used in coaching.

FFMQ is based on a faceted model of mindfulness. Mindfulness is defined by five facets: observing, describing, acting with attention, accepting without judgment, and non-reactivity. The FFMQ consists of 5 statements reflecting mindfulness that can be agreed on a scale. High values ​​are achieved here if you can strongly agree with as many statements as possible.

If you are interested, you can take the self-test here at any time: CLICK FOR SELF-TEST

The effects of mindfulness in professional life

The effects of mindfulness practice are relevant for all people in the profession and thus also for companies and organizations. Stress is one of the most frequently mentioned causes of illness, so dealing with stress differently not only has positive effects for employees themselves, but also for companies.

The so-called MBSR-Training (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) according to Jon Kabat-Zinn. Some well-known international corporations such as Google, Bosch and SAP, but also some medium-sized companies are setting a clear example and establishing themselves With thechung of mindfulness in the internal coaching processes. Since 2007, Google has offered its employees a program entitled "Search within yourselffor personal growth. The coaching program is a mindfulness course to learn emotional intelligence with the aim of becoming happier, calmer, more creative and ultimately more successful. Daniel Goleman was also involved in the development of this course. At this point we ask you: How do you feel about mindfulness and mindfulness in your company? individual advice set up? Have you personally already had experience with the topic of mindfulness and coaching? Here is an interesting article about stress.

Conclusion for the business context:

Especially in the business world, in which we come into contact from our individual level with the level of the organization and the social encounters contained therein, a multitude of needs arise that need to be reconciled.

The presence represents a valuable resource or opportunity to design the interfaces synergistically. The lived corporate culture with value-free feedback, for example, can be decisive. Managers also benefit enormously when they are able to regulate themselves to the extent that there is enough room for empathy and the needs of employees. To ensure that the results are comprehensible and that the focus is always directed on the necessary path, coaching and training on the topic of mindfulness can bring a decisive advantage for various levels of every company.

Mindfulness is an attitude that can be trained and built up. For more information you can contact us at any time. Training sessions are onsite and Online possible. Thank you for your careful reading! Also read our article about the Big five.

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