Say 'mindfulness' and half the room checks out. A shame, because behind the image lies a practical idea: your attention is trainable, and those who direct their attention better are less bothered by the daily grind.
What It Is
Mindfulness is practicing noticing: noticing that your mind is already on the next meeting while this one is still ongoing, noticing that you react before you've thought, noticing that you are building up tension. Noticing that is the first step to choosing something different. The exercises themselves are short and practical: focusing attention on your breath, consciously starting one task, taking a real break. You don't have to sit on a cushion for it; most exercises fit into a regular workday.
What It Is Not
Not a religion, not a miracle cure, and not therapy. Also, don't expect a turnaround after one exercise: just like with sports, the effect builds up through repetition. And for serious psychological complaints, the GP is the first step, not attention training.
How to Start
Start small: two minutes a day, linked to something you already do, like your first cup of coffee. If you want guidance, a mindfulness coach will help you translate the exercises to your workday, often in combination with stress or career questions. A coach mainly helps with perseverance: the exercises are simple, the habit is the difficult part. Therefore, schedule a fixed time and keep the bar low; two minutes you actually do beats the half-hour that never comes.