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Mindfulness

By Madison Hanscom, PhD Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to be a helpful workplace tool for many individuals. They are associated with great outcomes like reductions in stress and negative affectivity. But there are still a few interesting questions remaining… • Do these interventions only work for people in certain occupations (e.g., education and health)? • Do these interventions fail for people in certain social contexts (e.g., when they are surrounded by individuals who think mindfulness if a waste of time)? A recent study explored these questions. The best way to determine if an intervention works is to test it experimentally by randomly assigning

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By Madison Hanscom For many who are still employed, difficult times will bring exhaustion. We are in a time when routines are being completely uprooted. Many individuals are essential workers, which means they are putting themselves and their families at risk by supporting our communities. These workers often are experiencing new responsibilities, changes in work hours, new stressors and sometimes compassion fatigue. Other individuals are now forced to work from home while juggling new responsibilities, caring for children during work hours, and suffering from guilt or tension if there is a dip in productivity. Just because we are living in a stressful

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By Melanie Kramer, Steph Andel and Brie DeLisi What is mindfulness? Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., the man credited for inventing the fundamental of mindfulness, describes it as the moment to moment, non-judgmental awareness. In other words, by paying attention in the present moment without reacting or judging (13). Even more simply, it is noticing what is happening while it is happening. Kabat-Zinn (13) argues that the greater the mindfulness, the greater the awareness (and thus insight) that may stem from it. From an evolutionary perspective, it is clear that being mindful served as an advantage – to be aware of what was happening in

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By Madison Hanscom & Kelly Cave We are living in a turbulent time. Unfortunately, when life becomes hectic, we may unintentionally place our mental health on the backburner. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals are feeling extreme financial strain and are trying to juggle increasing priorities. Many people who typically work in professional spaces are now working from home with spouses and/or children and are trying to establish new routines. Amidst the painful anticipation of this unfolding situation, and the current stress we are experiencing, it is important to keep mental health in the forefront. Mindfulness is described as a moment

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By Brie DeLisi Burnout? It’s all the rage right now… Technology has had both a wonderful and terrible impact on the workplace. We’ve streamlined processes, resulting in the ability to take on more tasks in a day than ever before. Not only that but we are connected 24 hours a day to ensure we don’t miss a thing in the office, our social circles and world news, all at once. Our brains, which are the same brains originally developed to simply ensure we are fed, sheltered, and mated, are now also dealing with the complexities of juggling responsibilities, concerns of status both

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