Depression affects more than 300 million people worldwide. Mental Health issues affect 1 in 4. Such are the numbers that the World Health Organisation has recognised mental health as the leading cause of ill health & disability & categorised it at pandemic proportions.
In the UK alone, mental health is the leading cause of sick leave in amounting to 70 million sick days per year. And someone who has been diagnosed with depression or anxiety will have around 25 days off sick a year.
Couple this with the statistics that 70-80% of employers feel stress at work & we are dealing with a lot of unhappy, unwell, stressed individuals who are not performing at their full potential within the work place.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that those who practice mindfulness see a significant reduction in the symptoms of stress, depression & anxiety – just Google it & see for yourself.
The Oxford Centre of Mindfulness found that those who experienced 3 or more episodes of depression saw a significant (40-50%) reduction in the recurrence rate of future episodes after completing MBCT (mindfulness based cognitive therapy) course.
Meanwhile the University of Surrey in May 2018 recorded the following statistics in those experiencing mental health issues following a mindfulness course:
63% reduction in depression
58% reduction in anxiety
40% reduction in perceived stress.
It all tots up to mindfulness being more effective than medication at significantly reducing the symptoms of stress, depression & anxiety & the rates of recurrence of these insidious illnesses.
Mindfulness also offers the following additional benefits within the workplace:
• Increased resilience
• Boost performance
• Increased concentration levels
• Improved decision making
• Increased adaptability & absorption of new information
• Aids problem solving & facilitates creativity
• Increases customer relations & team work
• Improve self regulation & empathy for others leading to higher quality interactions
• Reduces perceived stress
Many leading businesses such as Yahoo, Google, Capital One, Nuffield Health & British Telecom are already leading the way providing mindfulness within the workplace to create a happier, healthier, more productive & resilient workforce.
MYAnanda in Business offers mindful solutions for more productive & resilient employees & a more efficient & happier workforce. To book your free consultation & introduction to mindfulness in the workplace workshop email me at alex@myananda.co.uk
