PowerPoint Presentation Annual Conference... · Title: PowerPoint Presentation Author: Rachel Smedley Created Date: 6/10/2019 1:30:42 PM

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 (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)


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



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



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



* 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



• 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



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



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



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



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



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



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]

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PowerPoint Presentation Annual Conference... · Title: PowerPoint Presentation Author: Rachel Smedley Created Date: 6/10/2019 1:30:42 PM