Mindfulness in Motion (MIM): An Onsite Mindfulness Based Intervention (MBI) for Chronically High Stress Work Environments to Increase Resiliency and Work Engagement

The overall goal of mindfulness in motion. A pragmatic intervention for people in high stress work environments is to significantly increase resiliency and work engagement. This is achieved through weekly one hour group sessions that introduce participants to the daily practice of mindful awareness principles of being mindful as a group to the utilization of gentle yoga stretches, all while experiencing relaxing music.

The respiration rate of participants decreases significantly over eight weekly sessions and based on self-evaluation forms, the participant's work engagement and resiliency increases significantly as compared to waitlisted controls. The main advantage of this technique over existing methods like stress reduction upon which this program is based is that it can be easily delivered during the workday and on site. As director of critical care nursing, I realized that the physical aspect of the work was significant.

However, the staff was incredibly stressed and suffering. Using Dr.Klatts method, the staff was reengaged and reenergized, demonstrating the procedure will be the creator of the program. Dr.Klatt, along with intensive care personnel from the original study One week before beginning the MBI collect some baseline measurements from the participants.

Do this after having met with the managers and employees of the high stress work environment to plan the dates and obtain written consent, begin with measuring resilience using the 10 item version of the Connor Davison Resiliency Scale. Here the participants rate their connection to 10 different statements from not true at all to true nearly all the time. On a zero to four scale, tally the total score by summing the scores of the 10 statements.

Next, measure work engagement. Using a nine item Utrecht work engagement scale, ask the participants to indicate how often the nine statements apply to them on a scale from zero to six, which corresponds to never to always tally the total score as well as the three subscores for vigor, dedication, and absorption. Follow the same format during each one hour weekly session of the eight week program.

Begin each session by asking participants to count their respiration by placing their right hand on their chest and counting only inhales for 30 seconds as timed by the instructor. Ask each participant to record their breath. Log on a provided log.

Play relaxing music in the background. To set the climate for the NBI each week, deliver a prompt for contemplation. During the next hour, the participants must write their answer to this prompt in their workbooks, then deliver a 15 minute PowerPoint presentation.

The content of the PowerPoint presentation directly relates to the weekly prompt. For example, on week two, the prompt, what keeps you from getting a restful night of sleep is used to show participants that sleeplessness often occurs as we're either ruminating about past events or worrying about things in the future that haven't even occurred yet. We're not living in the present moment.

Becoming aware of the narrative that's interrupting our sleep is very important. Mindfulness, becoming aware of our thought patterns helps us identify the patterns. Only after one identifies what the pattern is.

Do we have a chance of changing it? The PowerPoints help the participant in becoming aware of the thought pattern as the first step to cultivate change. Following the prompt, lead the participants through a mind body relaxation relating to the weekly prompts.

Ask the participants to cross their arms over their chest. Then to cross their arms the opposite way and notice whether or not this feels uncomfortable or unusual. Ask the participants to relax their feet and legs to drop their weight into the chair, to relax their shoulders down and to relax the muscles of the face mindfully.

Relax all the muscles of their body at the conclusion of all sessions. Each participant counts their respiration for 30 seconds and records the count in their personal logbook. In the second weekly session, ask the participants to settle in their chairs, instruct the participants to close their eyes and begin a body scan, thereby relaxing each part of the body.

Ask the participants to bring attention to their feet, legs, buttocks, stomach, chest, shoulders, lips, and to relax their face, muscles, and lower jaw. In the third weekly session, ask the participants to become aware of their breathing by concentrating on the rise and fall of their chest. For just a few minutes, allow the mind chatter to become quiet.

Instruct the participants to tense each part of the body, the lower body, the torso, the neck, and shoulders, the head, and then release the tension as each body part relaxes. In week four, pass out an orange and a small piece of dark chocolate. Instruct the participants to eat both of these with all five of their senses.

For example, ensure that the participants hear the orange peel come off the orange and the wrapper coming off the chocolate. Direct the subjects to taste each of these two food items. Smell each of the orange and the chocolate.

Notice the difference, and to notice the surface of the chocolate as opposed to the surface of the orange. Instruct the participants to take three minutes in silence to eat each of these two food items, noticing the experience and the potential enhanced enjoyment of food involved in mindful eating. On the fifth week of onsite intervention, lead the participants through yoga poses appropriate for the work site, which can be performed without changing clothes or taking off one's shoes.

For example, use balancing poses such as tree pose, ego pose, and chair pose. Ask the participants to notice the factors that are helpful to physically balance their body in these poses. In the sixth week, guide the participants through a self massage.

As an example of a pleasurable break from stress, explain how all 10 fingertips massage the head and scalp and then move down the back of the neck. Then the left hand massages the right side of the neck, down the upper arm to the elbow ending at the palm of the hand and the fingers. Then repeat these instructions for the opposite side of the body.

Ask the participants to bring to mind the list of stressful items present in life. Instruct the participants to stand up and shift their weight to the right to represent the items that are stressful, that are in part amenable to change while tipping to the left to represent the items that cannot be changed. Then ask the participants to rotate their shoulders in circles, followed by arms and hands.

Moving in circles. Then to shake out the hands and finally to return to a seated position. In the final weekly session, display an image of a mountain for the group.

Ask the participants to imagine themselves as a solid mountain with all the situations in life. Circling around the mountain while the mountain stays. Still imagine the body as an unmovable mountain.

Then assign the homework to turn in the following week. Ask the participants to rate the various components of the weekly sessions. Additionally, ask them to fill out a post intervention survey to measure resilience and engagement.

Breath counts were self measured by participants at the beginning and the end of each weekly session. The decrease in the breath counts between the beginning and the end of each weekly session was often significant, and there was all a decrease in the average number of breaths from the beginning to the end of the program. Analysis of the Connor Davidson Resiliency Scale scores showed a significant difference between pre and post eight week intervention for the MBI group with no change in the wait list control group.

The U Trek Work Engagement Scale uncovered a significant increase in work engagement after the intervention group, which was not seen in the control group. This was most strongly reflected in the vigor subscale of the analysis component. Parts of the intervention were ranked by the participants in terms of relative value.

The music CD containing daily home mindfulness practices, the trained instructor and institutional support were deemed most valuable to them. This was also congruent with qualitative comments made by the participants during the eight week program. Employees that work each day in very high stress jobs need work site resiliency programs that support them to stay fresh, focused, and engaged in their work.

The success of program has been expanded as it's been implemented in other stressful work environments. The key to implementing this program is to be creative in terms of scheduling and coverage, and for the staff to understand that their employer is invested in their wellbeing.