ISF Cambodia staff practices mindfulness meditation

The Benefits of Mindfulness in Times of Uncertainty

The unprecedented global COVID-19 crisis has an incredibly profound effect on mental health and wellbeing for many of us. To help its staff cope with growing uncertainty, ISF Cambodia invited Noem Chhunny for a mindfulness training session. Chunny is the co-founder of Anakot Asia, a leadership and professional development collective that focuses on empathy and self-mastery.

Across a two and a half hour session, he led a group of 20 ISF employees though bodywork and meditation training. The workshop began with light stretching and calisthenics that attendees could do while practicing social distancing at home. Between brief seated and standing meditations, Chhunny addressed the benefits of keeping aware of one’s thoughts. He explained that, while it is normal to experience distress in times like this, it is beneficial to recognise the transience of these thoughts. While we cannot control the state of world affairs, we can maintain agency within our own minds. Chhunny argues that once we refuse to hold onto negative thoughts and emotions, we are more able to calmly and clearly take stock of the world around us. 

The workshop also included tips on ongoing wellness like performing small digital detoxes, where phones or other devices are ignored for portions of the day. Chhunny also suggested performing daily affirmations to increase mood and self-confidence.  He posits that simply addressing yourself with positivity in the mirror each morning can do wonders. The training session culminated in a longer guided meditation and final Q and A segment.

Noem Chhunny teaches the benefits of mindfulness to ISF Cambodia staff
Noem Chhunny teaches the benefits of mindfulness to ISF Cambodia staff

The Benefits of Mindfulness

Studies show that keeping mindful training can help people in a variety of ways. Whether that be at home, at work, or at school, increasing awareness often reaps profound rewards. Though, what exactly is ‘mindfulness’? To put it simply, it is purposely bringing one’s attention to the present moment without judgment. It’s focusing on the here-and-now. Mindfulness is often developed through practicing meditation and other psychological training. 

For Health

One key area that mindfulness training has shown tremendous benefits is in reducing stress. With its focus on recognising the passing nature of thoughts, a 2016 study found that it leads to more adaptive responses to daily stressors (Donald, Atkins, Parker, Christie, & Ryan). Moreover, brief mindfulness training significantly improved visuo-spatial processing, working memory and executive functioning.

In a world with so many calls for our attention, mindfulness training has also been shown to help the brain focus more easily and reduce distractions. In a Harvard study, participants went through an eight-week mindfulness training program to test brain wave changes. At the end of the study, participants made faster and more pronounced intentional brain wave changes; favouring those that help to suppress irrelevant or distracting sensations and regulate the flow of sensory information between brain regions.

Even 10 minutes of mindfulness training can help you cope with COVID-19 anxiety

In the workplace

A recent Harvard Business Review article detailed the results of an employee survey at a company which encouraged meditation, yoga and other mindfulness exercises. The results were, “on average, mindfulness participants gained 62 minutes of productivity a week, which is an estimated $3,000-per-employee increase in productivity for the company each year.”

In Combating Bias

In 2015, Central Michigan University completed a study by Professor Adam Lueke to test the effect of mindfulness in unconscious biases. In it, participants listened to either a mindfulness or a control audio. In this study, mindfulness meditation caused an increase in state mindfulness and a decrease in implicit race and age bias.

In Conclusion

As we deal with our world’s increasing complexity and uncertainty, mindfulness training can lead to effective responses to problems that are seemingly insurmountable. Even two to ten mindfulness training exercises can lead to increased mood, lessened stress. improved cognition

HELP UP DELIVER SUPPORT IN THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES