Meditation helping employees learn focus, increase productivity in workplace
LOS ANGELES - It's no surprise that a recent study found that forty percent of workers find their jobs to be very or extremely stressful. Some big employers are trying to help, even hiring consultants to help workers learn to slow down and get mindful to lower stress and improve focus.
FOX 11’s Rita Garcia spoke to David Nichtern, a Buddhist teacher and corporate consultant to companies like Goldman Sachs about work stress and a simple way you can combat it.
He helps employees learn to focus and increase productivity, and says the main thing that companies are interested in is developing clarity and resiliency in their employees.
In his book “Creativity, Spirituality, and Making a Buck,” Nictern says one of the best tools to combat work-related stress is a meditation practice.
According to Nichtern, the simple antidote is slowing down and introducing the idea of some kind of stillness and spaciousness — even for five minutes, you can just sit at your desk for five minutes.
In recent years the benefits have been backed up by numerous studies, with schools and businesses nationwide adopting meditation programs.
So how does it work? There are many techniques but in essence, you just pay attention to your breath and still your body and mind.
You can start with just a few minutes a day, and before you know it, you’ll see results.
Nictern says meditation is the first step toward greater satisfaction with work and might even result in your finding a whole new meaning of the term success: “So the first thing is getting some clarity about who you are and what you're trying to do, and the meditation can be really helpful for that.”
FOX 11's Rita Garcia contributed to this report.