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Mindfulness For Beginners

The good news is you don’t have to be an expert to experience the benefits of practising mindfulness and meditation in your daily routine. Explore these simple tips to get started.
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Published 16 Sep 2022
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Updated 23 Dec 2024
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4min read

Did you know practising mindfulness can improve your mental health?

Quietening a busy mind and mastering the ability to be fully present in the moment has numerous benefits according to leading mindfulness research. From decreased stress and sadness to increased levels of focus and happiness, here’s what you need to know to get started on your mindfulness journey.

Defining mindfulness

The practice of mindfulness has been around for thousands of years with roots in Buddhist meditation, entering the Western mainstream in the 1970s when professor Jon Kabat-Zinn developed the “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction” (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre.

Using a combination of meditation, body awareness and yoga, these practices aim to help you be present and fully engaged with whatever we’re doing at the moment — free from distraction or judgement, and aware of our thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them.

Benefits of mindfulness meditation

Several recent research studies have linked mindfulness practices to a staggering collection of health benefits.

Mindfulness can:

  • Reduce stress and anxiety
  • Improve our concentration and memory capacity
  • Reduce pain
  • Make us more compassionate
  • Improve our physical and mental health
  • Reduce depression risk
  • Help us to sleep better

Sounds good but still impossible? Our minds are not used to slowing down, and it seems to be hard to just “switch off” and be aware. Right?

The good news is that mindfulness is not about stopping your thoughts. It’s about watching them.

How to be mindful

Mindfulness is a way of living, not a temporary state of mind – where you’re able to step back and be present in a situation.
Whilst mindfulness doesn’t eliminate stress, it does allow you to become aware of your thoughts and emotions that arise because of these situations. Awareness provides you with choice in how you’ll handle the situation – whether that be approaching it with empathy and understanding, or keeping your cool.

Here are our top tips to help you get started on your mindfulness journey:

  • Bring awareness to your daily life. Consider the sounds, smells, and colours around you.
  • Pay attention to your breath. Breathe in deeply and breathe out slowly, being aware of your body and how you’re feeling.
  • Practice. Meditation apps such as Headspace are a helpful way to get started. Whilst at first meditation helps you to become present temporarily, overtime practising meditation will help you to develop the ability to be present throughout the day.
  • Remember that you can practice mindfulness exercises anywhere, anytime! You can practice mindfulness for one or two minutes on your commute home, or if you work in an office, at your desk at work.

Easy mindfulness and meditation for a calmer workday

Quietening a noisy mind can be difficult at the best of times. Yet the benefits of mindfulness are clear, with research showing reduced stress, rumination, fretting, depression and anxiety.

Think of mental health like a muscle; the more you practice, the stronger it gets. Mindfulness is like a gym session for your mind. You might struggle to nail the techniques to begin with, but over time you will improve, becoming better at building on your mindfulness muscles.

Here are a number of guided meditation videos for you to enjoy.

Short Meditations | Under 5 Minutes

Mindfulness Minute #1 – Winding Down

Had a busy day? Just feeling a bit tense? Take a minute to be mindful and wind down from your day. All you have to do is press play and watch the screen or close your eyes as you listen to the instructions.

Mindfulness Minute #2 – When you’re overwhelmed at work

We can all feel overwhelmed from time to time, but when it feels like there’s too much going on at work, it can be hard to know what to do.

Just take one minute to be mindful by listening to the instructions in this video.

gPause – Google Meeting Starter

Ran at the 2014 Happy Workplaces, a surprising hit was the Google-led meditation meeting starters prompting many organisations to consider starting internal meetings with this guided meditation.

Medium Meditations | Under 10 Minutes

Good Morning Medication | 8 Minutes

Looking after yourself is more important than ever. That’s why we’ve created a guided meditation series, Present, to help bring a little calm to your day. This morning meditation helps you start your day with energy and intention.

Email Pause Meditation | 8 Minutes

This stretch and relaxation meditation encourages you to take a gentle break from emails to find a moment to get into the body and breath.

Calm Your Nerves (before a presentation, audition, test, or interview) | 10 Minutes

Meditate and relieve some anxiety before you walk into an audition, interview, test, or maybe just an awkward conversation. Meditation can help you walk into the room fearless, with confidence and clarity!

Body Scan Meditation | 6.5 Minutes

This body scan meditation focuses on gently guiding awareness through the body to encourage a deep sense of relaxation and peacefulness.

Long Meditations | 20 Minutes +

Beginner Meditation | 19 Minutes

This simple meditation is perfect for those new to the practice of meditation.

A happier, healthier you with Headspace

The good news is you don’t have to be an expert to experience the benefits of practising mindfulness and meditation in your daily routine.

That’s why we’ve recently partnered with Headspace – a leader in mindfulness and meditation – to offer Employment Hero users two months free on any three-month Headspace subscription. Available now in the Benefits tab, start accessing practical mindfulness and mental training that covers everything from stress, sleep, movement and so much more.

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