This ancient Buddhist practice can help to combat stress, burnout in the workplace, experts say

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Practicing mindfulness in the workplace can be an effective buffer against anxiety, stress and burnout, new research reveals.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Nottingham in England, suggests that staying mindful is an essential tool for workers in the 21st century.

Mindfulness, derived from ancient Buddhist practice, is defined as awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings, according to the American Psychological Association.

The practice can “help people avoid destructive or automatic habits and responses by learning to observe their thoughts, emotions, and other present-moment experiences without judging or reacting to them,” the APA said.

The study, which analyzed data collected from 142 workers, focused on the increasingly digital workplace, SWNS first reported.

Participants were asked about their negative experiences in this modern office environment and encouraged to report negative side effects such as stress, overload, FOMO (fear of missing out) and addiction.

The findings, published in PLOS ONE, revealed that workers who were comfortable in these environments were less likely to suffer from anxiety, while those abiding in a state of mindfulness were better protected against other negative outcomes.

“As work is increasingly mediated by digital technology, we wanted to find out the impact this is having on people’s health and whether there are ways to mitigate this,” said survey co-author Elizabeth Marsh, a PhD student at the university’s School of Psychology.

“We found that being mindfully and confidently digital should be considered important elements of living a healthy digital working life in the 21st century,” she said.

“Digital workplace technologies like e-mail, instant messaging and mobile devices have been shown to contribute to perceptions of stress by employees,” associate professor Alexa Spence added.

“Employees may experience stress when having to adapt to a constantly evolving digital workplace which can lead to burnout and poorer health,” she noted.

“Helping employees foster mindful awareness when working digitally could really help overall well-being,” professor Elvira Perez Vallejos said.

“The research shows that organisations need to consider how to manage digital workplace hazards alongside other psychosocial and physical risks in the workplace.”