Facing Burnout? Start Meditating

The Harvard Gazette found that 36% of Americans suffer from stress.

Employees under a lot of stress aren't productive. The result? It's estimated the decrease in productivity costs the economy approximately $30 billion per year. To boot, stressful work situations lead to a number of health risks including an increase in blood pressure, weight gain, and a high frequency of sickness. As a small or medium business owner, it’s easy to over-schedule and overwork, especially without a good project management platform.

To treat stress, high-level execs are turning to meditation, a medicinal practice for the mind and body that has been practiced since prehistoric times.

Meditation transforms the mind, and Buddhist meditation is regarded as a way to develop concentration, clarity, and emotional positivity.

In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, said, “I am very interested in keeping a clear head. So I enjoy meditation, which I’ve been doing for over a decade - probably to relieve stress.”  

Benioff’s not the only one. Fred Wilson, co-founder of Union Sq Ventures, began meditating recently and has seen hard and fast results.

“Meditation is like a repetitive exercise of the focus muscle in the brain.” - Fred Wilson

He attributes his new practice to an increased ability to avoid distraction and remain focused on the project or conversation at hand. If you’re burnt out at work and looking for a few minutes of serenity during the day, meditation can be great and the effects will likely be far greater than anticipated.

Why Meditation?

• We love science, and science says that meditation works.
  • It increases the cortical in the hippocampus, which runs our memory and ability to learn new things. The hippocampus also helps our long-term memory.
  • Meditation links to our amygdala and prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain that houses fear, tells us how to respond to stressful and fearful situations (think: an annual review, talking to your boss about a raise, leading a group, or giving a presentation).
  • Meditation shrinks the grey matter in our brain. When grey matter shrinks, the prefrontal cortex thickens, which controls awareness and decision making.

The long and short of it is that those who practice meditation consistently are more courageous, have a slower reaction time in emotional situations (they take time to respond, not react), and they’re better and more efficient decision makers.

So, what does this have to do with project management and tech for business? Well, the waves are inevitable, but we can learn to surf. Meditation is the surf. Work doesn’t have to be a source of stress. Use Accelo’s Team Calendar to schedule in morning meditation. It’s as important as any other standing appointment, and your co-workers will respect the time you’ve set aside.

If you haven’t worked in a Service Operations Automation platform before, see how easy it is to set aside time for yourself, communicate with coworkers, and manage projects smoothly. Sign up for a demo and see how it syncs up to your life and your work.