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Mindfulness in the Workplace
Being Proactive and Productive to
Enhance Workplace Satisfaction
Emily Keehn, M. Ed., LPC
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Specialist
Group Therapist
Learning Objectives
• Define mindfulness, identify accessible mindfulness based practices to
incorporate into daily lifestyle
• Participate in a mindfulness exercise to practice being in control of attention
• Understand how “multitasking is a lie”
• Learn how mindfulness and specific components of interpersonal and
working relationships can promote workplace satisfaction and effectiveness
mind·ful·ness
/ˈmīn(d)f(ə)lnəs
noun
1. the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.
2. a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present
moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts,
and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
Dictionary.com
About 167,000,000 results
What is mindfulness?
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Dialectic
A dialectic comes from the philosophy that two opposing truths can exist at the same time.
Emotions: I can be happy and sad at the same time.
Thoughts: I enjoy exercising and it is hard to make time
Behaviors: I want to go to the party and I have homework to complete
Behavioral Identifying that specific behaviors exist to serve a purpose or function
(validation) and we can add new behaviors to support a life worth living
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an empirically supported skills
based therapy, that utilizes four modules to support cognitive and
behavioral interventions to promote more effective outcomes in the face of
thoughts, emotions and urges.
ACCEPTANCE MODULES
Mindfulness
Distress Tolerance
Change Modules
Emotion Regulation
Interpersonal Effectiveness
The overall goal of DBT
To create a meaningful life by learning and using positive skills in
the face of difficult emotions, invalidating environments, problem
thinking patterns and old patterns of living.
DBT Skills
Difficult emotions
Invalidating environments
Problem thinking patterns
Old patterns of living
Meaningful Life
Thoughts vs Thinking
Thoughts: Something to observe
“ I am observing the thought that I am thinking that I am a bad employee
for missing that deadline”
Thinking: Something we do (thinking is the action before the action)
“I better make sure that I don’t mess up like that again, so I have to be better
about time management”
Thoughts are NOT invitations.
You don’t have to respond.
Mindfulness & Observing Self
Mindfulness of Current Thoughts
• Noticing and acknowledging thoughts
• Changing how we relate to these thoughts
Observing Thoughts as Thoughts
• Prevents or reduces unnecessary suffering and/or problem behavior
• Creates space between self and thoughts
• Thoughts are temporary, they come and go
• Allows us to see that a thought is just a thought, not a fact about reality
• Allows us to become less reactive to thoughts
• Controlling attention rather than controlling thoughts
Adapted from the DBT Skills Training Manual, M. Linehan (2nd Ed., 2015)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Mindfulness = Awareness
What Skills
Observe: Wordless watching, notice what is coming through with your five senses
(sight, smell, sound, touch and taste)
Describe: Put words to your experience, define what you observe
Participate: Engage in the present moment, do what is needed
How Skills
Non-judgmentally: Notice labeling your experience as good/bad, right/wrong, should/shouldn’t,
and decide what labels to attach to or let go
One-mindfully: Do one thing in the moment, and re-focus your attention when you notice it
wandering off to the past, present, other thinking, feeling or desires
Effectiveness: Do the best you can with what you have, challenge yourself to feel competent and in
control. If the task is too difficult, adjust your approach and attempt again
Mindfulness Exercise
• A mindfulness exercise is just like practicing any form of exercise with the
intention to improve on a task
• Practicing mindfulness takes the same type of commitment to improve on
your ability to be in control of your attention rather than letting your
attention be in control of you
Example:
Let’s say Joan wants to improve on her arm strength. She decides to
start lifting 5lb. weights for her exercise. At first it is difficult, and she
struggles. Her commitment to keep trying motivates her to continue
practicing the exercises regularly. Over time, Joan’s strength will begin
to improve and she can increase her lifting weight to 8 lbs. If Joan had
not committed to regularly working on her exercises she would have
struggled to improve on her goal to improve her arm strength.
Mind Present Moment
Mindfulness Exercise
Set up: • Take time to minimize distractions is your immediate space
• Mindfulness position: Empty hands and lap, feet flat on the floor, backs
firm and not rigid, eyes can be closed or fix a soft gaze on the ground
• Use 3 intentional breaths for grounding (inhale 1,2,3 and exhale 1,2,3)
• Anchor: Identifying something to commit to in the present
– Action, mantra, music, breath, activity
Mindfulness Exercises
• Square breathing
- Trace the shape of a square with your finger or eye gaze
• Color breathing: Choose 2 different colors
- Breathing one color on inhale and one color on exhale
• Counting breath: Breathing and counting
- Breathe in 1 breathe out 1, breathe in 2 and breathe out 2
- Breathing and counting up or down from 50
• Paced breathing and paired muscle relaxation
- Gently tense muscle group(s) as you inhale, and relax the muscle group(s) as you exhale
• Finger/Hand Tracing
• Trace your hand, inhale tracing up your finger, exhale tracing down your finger
Self Soothe: Engage your five senses in the present moment
• 5,4,3,2,1
- Using your five senses, count objects in the room
• Do an activity that engages one or more of your five senses at a time
Paced breathing: Engage your breath intentionally in the present moment
Multitasking is a lie.
It doesn’t work.
Multitasking doesn’t work.
• Multitasking myth and we think it is necessary
• Not very efficient or effective
MULTITASKING IS A MYTH 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Switchtasking
“When most people refer to multitasking, they are
really talking about switchtasking. No matter how
they do it, switching rapidly between two things is
just not very efficient or effective.” (Crenshaw, 2013)
Switchtasking
• Switching back and forth between two (or more) tasks can happen very
fast
• Results in breaks in concentration which takes time and energy
• Active Switch: Times when you decide to switch a task yourself
• Passive Switch: Initiated by someone else or something else outside of
your control
• Background tasking: Engaging in two or more tasks where only one of
those tasks requires mental effort
“Studies have shown that on average, each person loses
about 28 percent of the workday due to interruptions and
inefficiencies” – The Myth of Multitasking
Blending Mindfulness and Productivity
Mindfulness Observe/Non-Judgmentally
Describe/One-mindfully
Participate/Effectively
Productivity
Active Switching
Passive Switching
Background tasking
• Observe when you are engaging in Active Switch, Passive Switch, Background Tasking
• Return your attention back to doing one thing in the moment
• Engage in the moment (task, conversation, experience) the best you can
– Problem solve
– Harm reduction
DBT Consultation Agreements
To Support Relationships & Increase
Workplace Satisfaction
DBT Consultation Agreements
• Dialectical Agreement (the “BOTH/AND” perspective)
• Consultation to the Client Agreement
• Consistency Agreement (Consistently inconsistent)
• Observing Limits Agreement
• Non-Pejorative Phenomenological Empathy Agreement
• Fallibility Agreement
Adapted from Koerner, K. (2012) Doing Dialectical Behavior Therapy: A Practical Guide. New York, NY: Guilford Press and A Presentation developed by P. Holmes, Psy. D.
Dialectical Agreement (the BOTH/AND perspective)
• We recognize there is no absolute truth and must allow the truth to emerge
• We are looking for truth and validity in both positions
• We must become curious and humble to each other's truth and experience
Applying the DBT Consultation
Agreements to The Work Place
Consultation to our coworkers and colleagues
• We agree to avoid treating colleagues as fragile
• We avoid changing the environment to make it more comfortable
• We absolutely believe our colleagues have the capacity to be skillful
to be productive and effective
• We use every interaction with colleagues as an opportunity to
teach, strengthen and generalize skills
Applying the DBT Consultation
Agreements to The Work Place
Consistency (Inconsistency) Agreement
• We are accepting of change and diversity as they emerge
• We do not always have to agree on how to respond to specific situations
• We want to be ourselves and bring our personality into the interaction
• We foster real, genuine relationships with each other
Applying the DBT Consultation
Agreements to The Work Place
Observing Limits
• We establish conditions essential to perform our job and work
effectively with colleagues
• We practice disclosing to colleagues how their behavior is affecting us*
• We model limit setting with colleagues to also model skillful behavior
• We agree to not judge our colleagues for setting limits of their own
Applying the DBT Consultation
Agreements to The Work Place
* Using effective communication can be received in ways that feel invalidating or threatening. Please use your best discretion to observe
your limits of safety and self-respect.
Non-pejorative Phenomenological Empathy Agreement
Non-pejorative = We avoid judgmental, disapproving language
Phenomenological Empathy Agreement = We attempt to view our colleagues
subjective experiences through their lens
Applying the DBT Consultation
Agreements to The Work Place
• We avoid the use of labels to describe our colleagues and their experiences
• We attempt to understand that most behaviors make sense given certain contexts
• We agree to take a non-judgmental stance towards our colleagues
Fallibility Agreement
• We are often guilty of the things our colleagues accuse us of
• We practice honesty and humility to strengthen the working relationship
• We recognize our own fallibility and vulnerability to making mistakes
• We let go of a defensive stance to prove our competence
Applying the DBT Consultation
Agreements to The Work Place
Blending Mindfulness and the
Consultation Agreements
Blending Mindfulness and the
Consultation Agreements
Dialectical Agreement (the BOTH/AND perspective)
• Acknowledge when there is a difference of opinion or perspective
• Observing thoughts, feelings, judgments or actions when in conflict
• Practicing to validate the other person effectively
Consultation to our coworkers and colleagues
• Observing when we are feeling pulled into “fix it” mode
• Acknowledging “emergency urgency”
• Consider what tools or resources you can offer to support effective
outcomes without taking over
• Avoid taking over or fusion with being in control
Blending Mindfulness and the
Consultation Agreements
Consistency (Inconsistency) Agreement
• Consider how we can contribute our unique thoughts, feelings and
experiences in the moment
– Acknowledge others unique thoughts, feelings and experiences
• Observing what barriers keep us from showing up
Blending Mindfulness and the
Consultation Agreements
Observing Limits
• Observing when we have reached our mental, emotional and physical
limits (symptoms?)
• Noticing the choice to disclose the limit or deny/avoid the limit
• Acknowledging and validating when others set limits
Blending Mindfulness and the
Consultation Agreements
Non-pejorative Phenomenological Empathy Agreement
• Observe when we are using slang, jargon or labels to describe the
experience
• Consider being in the other person’s shoes to gain more awareness
• Use descriptive rather than evaluative language
Blending Mindfulness and the
Consultation Agreements
Fallibility Agreement
• Acknowledge the statements being made regarding the experience in a non-
reactive manner
• Consider the other person’s perspective for understanding and validation
• Observe personal defenses or reactions to maintain the relationship effectively
• Identify acknowledgement of the experience and make amends as necessary
Blending Mindfulness and the
Consultation Agreements
References
Crenshaw, D. (2008). The Myth of Multitasking. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Hayes, S. C. & Smith, S. (2005). Having a Thought Versus Buying a Thought. Get Out of Your Mind and Into
Your Life (70-86). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
Koerner, K. (2012). Doing Dialectical Behavior Therapy: A Practical Guide. New York, NY: Guilford Press
Linehan, M. M. (2015). Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets. (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press
McCubbin, T., Dimidijan, S., Kempe, K. Glassey, M. S., Ross, C. Beck, A. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
in an Integrated Care Delivery System: One-Year Impacts on Patient-Centered Outcomes and Health Care
Utilization. The Permanente Journal, volume 18 (4). Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org.10.7812.TPP/14-014
S Rupprecht. (2016, November) Mindfulness in the work place. Is it effective and what are the challenges?
Retrieved from http://oxfordmindfulness.org/news/mindfulness-workplace-effective-challenges/
Emily Keehn, M. Ed., LPC [email protected]