The second quarter of the Global Wellness Program for 2019 was dedicated to the topic of mindfulness. This article shares some of the initiatives in which employees participated around the world.
Mindfulness can be defined as a non-judgmental awareness of the present moment in its entirety. Given all of the distractions and responsibilities that people need to balance, mindfulness may be a tool to help cope with stress. The American Psychological Association even cites techniques such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) as possibly being helpful in treating depression and reducing anxiety and pain.
Under the Global Wellness Program’s theme for the second quarter of 2019, Dentsply Sirona employees had the opportunity to participate in a 10-day campaign called “Daily Moments for Mindful Living” that was distributed worldwide. Each of the 10 days incorporated a theme. For example, after an introduction on day one, day two discussed eating mindfully, followed by breathing techniques on day three.
Daily Moments uses simple activities such as calming breaths, improving awareness of one’s eating and sleeping habits, exercising the brain, and focusing on physical activity as ways to practice some of the techniques of mindfulness. The mindful living campaign aims to help participants increase focus through greater awareness of day-to-day activities and to help reduce stress by integrating more moments of intentional awareness.
Employees who participated signed a pledge committing to actively participate. Their names were entered into a local drawing after the campaign’s completion for an opportunity to win a prize through their site.
Alongside the initiatives around mindfulness, employees also received information and tips on reducing stress through regular exercise (including exercises for the workplace), ensuring adequate sleep, and maintaining a healthy diet among other things.
