During a busy work day it’s hard to find the time to shut it all down and take a break, but in some companies, meditation breaks are becoming a way for employees to deal with stress and improve productivity. There are smartphone apps, most notably Headspace, that involve daily mini-meditation breaks. While meditation and mindfulness are trendy buzzwords, there is actual science that shows how helpful it is for people to take a few minutes to shut out the noise around them and focus their minds on letting go of stress and being present in your surroundings.
There have been several peer-reviewed research studies that have shown the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. Lower blood pressure, improved emotional control, decreased cortisol levels and improved focus are all benefits that studies have shown to be from regular mindful thought and meditation. In Transcendental Meditation, a mantra, usually a meaningless word that will not trigger any stress is repeated mentally, breathing is paced and slow, and ideally doing this twice a day for about 20 minutes each time can really improve employee health, office relationships, and productivity.
