Let’s talk about bridging the gap between corporate structure and human experience. How can organizations become more mindful, compassionate, and have sustainable people practices, without sacrificing productivity or results? Individually, we are unlikely to affect the corporate machine. Individually however, we can show up for ourselves in a way that can create ripple effects to those around us.

For this post, we’ll talk about the nervous system at work. The nervous system can be seen as the foundation of our human awareness. Our nervous system shapes how we perceive and interact with the world around us. The nervous system also impacts how we perform our work. Consider doing work while relaxed versus when stressed. I can tell you that my work is different depending on the state I’m in. For example, the tone and response to an email, or my participation in a meeting, may be different based on being in a stressed or relaxed state. Or if I am working on a large data set, I make mistakes when stressed and have to go back and fix my errors. While relaxed, my error rate is reduced, and I don’t have to go back and fix as many things. 

Stress At Work

Taking this into consideration, we need to reframe how we approach work. As leader, managers, HR professionals, we need to consider how we impact the staff we interact with. How do the processes we support and drive impact others? How do we contribute to burnout, employee engagement (or disengagement), and employee job satisfaction (or dissatisfaction)? 

Consider the processes we support and drive. How often do you find time on someone’s calendar and take it, because you cannot finish something without input from this other person? What does your calendar look like? Are you working back-to-back meetings all day, every day? If so, how are you accomplishing anything? These are rhetorical questions, since most of us are not able to make any meaningful changes to the corporate machine. But these are questions you can keep in mind. Ask yourself, how can you exemplify good work practices that honor the human experience, while still producing what is expected of you?

Multi-tasking is stressful to the brain. Cal Newport writes that humans are meant to be single-thread processing. He even paraphrases David Allen, stating that the more commitments we have taking ups pace in our minds, the more the psychic toll. We tolerate the negative side effects of multi-tasking because it is easier than fixing the broken workplace. Building professional workflows that better respect the fundamental nature of our brains is not something we can do on a whim. There is a greater system out there that needs to be burned to the ground, so that from the ashes, a new and improved way of doing things can rise. 

In the meantime, how do we deal with the stress of multi-tasking, back-to-back meetings, competing demands for your attention? The answer is to take care of yourself in a way that combats the stress of your work. For example, doing a hobby that requires focused attention; like crocheting, knitting, reading, painting, drawing, etc. Since our brains spend so much time in multi-task mode, it is beneficial to give your brain time to focus on just one thing. 

Breathwork for Stress Response

In addition to the above, a regular yoga practice and exercise regime will also help. Moving the body, getting the heart rate up, finding exertion in the physical body. Also, breathwork is also a key component to this. Breathwork, or pranayama is a way to reset the nervous system. 

There are numerous practices out there. Finding the practices that most resonate with you is important, but challenging yourself is also something to consider. For example, I love bhramari pranayama, or bees breath. To contrast, I am not as inclined to the kapalbhati practice. There is a time and place for all practices. 

The Science of Pranayama at Work

A study by Jayawardena et al. (2020) shows an improvement in Quality of Life (QoL) through a consistent pranayama practice. Another study by Novaes et al. (2020) shows a reduction in anxiety and positive affect to the areas of the brain related to emotion processing. 

This is all to say that a regular breathwork practice may result in the reduction of stress, anxiety, and an increased ability to focus. While we may not be able to change the environment in which we work, we can change our response to it. So go to your work calendar and block off three, 10-minute breaks. Have them repeat every working day. Take these breaks to stand up, stretch, and get a glass of water. Find a comfortable seat and go through a few rounds of a pranayama practice. You don’t have to make it a big or grandiose practice. Start small and simple. These small practices will add up. Hopefully you’ll see these breaks as a way to break up your day and reset your nervous system, resulting in improved quality of life, improved outlook toward your work, and improved productivity.