MindfulnessAWT

Modern day lives are much more complex than it was for our predecessors. The ongoing sheer volume of available information—and the way that digital devices interrupt our work is impacts not only our well-being, but our decision making, innovation, and productivity. Huge volumes of new information being constantly created.  In recent years there has been an exponential increase in channels to receive information by; radio, television, print media, websites, e-mail, mobile online meetings, RSS feeds, blogs and social media. Did you know that it can take you over 25 minutes to return to a work task after an e-mail, text or media interruption? 

As a result of increasing uncertainty and information overload it’s easy to become over stressed and frazzled. This can trigger an inability to focus, reduced productivity, fractured relationships, reduced resilience and unhappiness, which in turn triggers more stress leading to a vicious circle that can be hard to escape.

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6 week MindfulnessAWT program

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Mindfulness at work Training (MindfulnessAWT) is a next generation mindfulness training program designed specifically for the workplace.

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MindfulnessAWT: an overview

MindfulnessAWT is an evolution of WorkplaceMT, which in turn was an evolution of the 'Frantic world' mindfulness course which evolved from Mindfulness based Cogninitive Theraphy (MBCT).

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MindfulnessAWT is an evidence informed program designed especially for busy working professionals. At the heart of all mindfulness programmes is behavioural change.  MindfulnessAWT is normally taught over a six week period to allow sufficient time to develop and embed new habits and behaviour patterns.  It can be taught 1:1 or to groups, online or face to face in a group workplace setting.

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The ideal format for the  workplace is one 60 or 90-minute session taught face to face each week followed by daily practice  (around 10 minutes) to develop and embed skills.

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The MindfulnessAWT 6 week program could be exactly what you need if:

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• You really want to improve your self-awareness and self-management

• You want an effective way to improve your flexibility and resilience

• You want to reduce your levels of stress and anxiety

• You have tried everything else and want to find new ways to deal with life’s challenges

• You want to improve your relationships, in and out of work

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Next Generation?  What does that mean?

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• MindfulnessAWT is the culmination of ten years of research into how best teach mindfulness to busy working professionals.

• Unlike its workplace predessors it effectively blends ALL three core elements of mindfulness (Intention, Attention and Attitude) into a pragmatic, neuroscience informed model for training. 

• Unlike its predessesors which were designed to be taught face to face in a group setting, MindfulnessAWT can be taught with ease online or face to face, 1:1 or as a group. 

• It can be flexed and adapted to fit the needs of the group being taught, whilst still retaining its evidence informed core.

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​MindfulnessAWT: Course overview

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Each week of mindfulness training builds sequentially on the last weeks learning, so it is essential that participants attend all of the six training sessions, and have time to practice for 10 minutes a day at a time that suits them.

 

Week 1: Stepping out of autopilot and into control

In week one participants learn that up to 50% if each day is spent on autopilot. Many decisions are made with little or no conscious thought. Participants start to cultivate the skill of switching off autopilot and taking back control. Home practice for week 1 is mindfulness of breath in which participants notice mind wandering and cultivate the ability to refocus their attention. 10 minutes practice each day at work or at home.

Week 2: Observing the interplay between your mind and body

Everytime we have a thought it triggers an emotion and a physical response in the body. This goes on all day long usually without us noticing. Participants learn how to tap into emotions and sensations in the body to help them to manage themselves better to improve both their health and productivity. Home practice for week 2 is the body scan in which participants start to regain their ability to tap into the messages their body is telling them. In addition they reinforce the ability to reduce mind wandering and refocus their attention. 10 minutes practice each day at work or at home.

Week 3: Cultivating a mindful mindset

Week three explores the mindset that we bring to our lives and work. Participants learn that its not what you do, but how you do it. Home practice for week 3 is the mindful movement. Some participants find sitting still and focussing their attention hard. This weeks practice offers partipants an alternative way to focus attention, notice mind wandering and refocus their attention on what is happening now.   10 minutes practice each day at work or at home.

Week 4: Observing the impact of your thoughts

Thoughts are not facts, they are merely mental events created by brain activity.  Despite this, as humans we routinely treat thoughts as facts and then build on them. We develop our own 'stories' about how things are which can be significantly different from how things really are in the present moment.  For the most part this serves us well, but sometimes we get things wrong and make poor decisions as a result. Week 4 enables participants to observe thoughts as mental events that come and go.  Doing so allows us to detatch from unhelpful thoughts and see things more clearly. This weeks practice helps participants to learn to detatch and observe their thoughts as opposed to getting sucked into them.  10 minutes practice each day at work or at home.

Week 5: Approaching difficulty

When we find something difficult we have a tendancy to avoid it.  The effort we take to avoid things can be disproportinately greater that the actual effort of actually doing it. In week five participants develop the ability to approach things we find difficult and see them as they actually are in this moment.  Doing this provides useful insights, and gives participants a sense of control over things that once contolled them. This weeks practice helps participants to learn to gently approach things they normally avoid and observe their impact. The aim of the exercise is not to solve the difficulty or make it go away, but to regain control and perspective.  Doing so is empowering and can reduce psychological blocks that get in the way. 10 minutes practice each day at work or at home.

Week 6: Developing Intention

It is well known that intentions tell the brain what to do, often at a subconscious level. The science of intention is woven throughout all six weeks of training, but in week six participants set their own conscious intentions. This helps to reinforce learning. It also makes participants aware of the power of their own thoughts for good or ill.  Week six also summarises learning from weeks 1-5 and helps participants develop strategies for continuing to develop mindfulness post training.