Personal and professional challenges can easily bring us into a disconnected state. With the growing speed of change and multi-dimensional life demands, the tendency to misalign with ourselves and others can affect our core being.
Stressors can be all over our environment. Lack of trust, power play and office politics are found in all layers of society. It can be detrimental to actualizing our genuine aspirations. In our world, climate change, like unpredictable weather patterns, disrupts our activities and adds stress. Differing views expressed via social media has also divide us and cause strain in our relationships. Indeed, it becomes a challenge to our personal leadership to withstand the pressure, manage the change and stay connected within.
Building our coping skills cannot be addressed by simply focusing on our technical competencies. At this time, we are moving towards self-mastery as the fundamental source for increasing personal capacity.
What is the impact of self mastery? It increases emotional intelligence, particularly our resilience, which is our main leverage to cope with change.
Resilience is defined as the ability to cope with ongoing disruptions, withstand pressure and bounce back easily after a setback. It allows us to adapt easily without adversely affecting our general well-being.
In order to be resilient, nurturing our psychological health is very important. One emerging practice which has made significant gains to mental fitness is mindfulness training.
Mindfulness is defined as a state of active and open attention to the present. When one is mindful, he can observe his thoughts and feelings from a distance and without judgment. A study measuring brain electrical activity show that a short program in mindfulness meditation may significantly change brain and immune function in positive ways. When this skill is developed, it declutters the mind and clarifies one’s priorities in life, whether it be family, health, relationships or wellbeing.