According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 50 percent of all work-related ill health cases in 2020/21.
Whilst employers have a responsibility to look after their staff, there is a disconnect.
According to MIND, 30 percent of staff say they would not feel able to talk openly to their line manager if feeling stressed, while 56 percent of employers would like to do more to improve staff wellbeing
In honour of April being Stress Awareness Month, it is important to highlight the impact of stress on people’s physical and mental health.
Transcendental Meditation, as founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, is a simple, natural, effortless technique practised for 20 minutes, twice a day. Derived over thousands of years and validated by over 350 peer-reviewed scientific research studies, TM has been proven to be remarkably effective in helping people to deal with stress and anxiety.
TM is not a religious practice, nor a philosophy.
Ten million people worldwide have learned Transcendental Meditation, with around 250,000 of them in the UK.
TM is a mental technique that anyone can learn. It is not a set of beliefs, a philosophy, a lifestyle or a religion. Taught by certified TM teachers, it generates a state of inner silence and peace. Sitting comfortably with eyes closed, it can be practised anywhere, even on a train, aeroplane or taxi.
Stress is a natural response to events and situations but too much stress can make people feel overwhelmed or unable to cope with mental or emotional pressure.
Workplace stress caused by factors such as work demands, lack of support, office politics, bullying, and a change in role can affect productivity, absenteeism, staff turnover, and wellbeing.
Research by mental health charity, MIND, showed that 42 percent of people had considered resigning when asked how workplace stress affected them.
TM within the workplace
Dr Elizabeth Young, a North London GP, says: “I’ve been recommending TM to patients since 1984 and find that people benefit from this simple, natural, effortless technique. It gives people access to a state of deep rest, similar to the effect of a good night’s sleep, so that healing can occur on a deep level.
“Anxiety reduces and people are able to make better use of therapy. I have found that people are able to reduce medication if they practise the technique twice daily.”
Former barrister, Nigel Barlow, has found that practising the technique of TM has helped him enormously to have a cool head under pressure, make decisions with a sense of perspective, and to recharge his batteries.
“My life as a professional speaker to business leaders worldwide could be regarded as stressful,” he says, “I speak to large audiences, but the practice of TM has helped me to face the challenge almost without stress. TM gives you an invisible shield of confidence and calmness, even under extreme pressure.”
Mark Wilson, CEO at Intelligent Land Investment Group, says: “Every time I talk at a conference 20 minutes of TM gives me confidence and essentially puts me in the zone. I find it invaluable for these situations. Any stressful situation I know I am heading into I do TM beforehand. I also use it before a game of golf and find it helps to relax and centre myself.”
John Gray, Senior Business Analyst at Aggreko, adds: “What I love about TM is that I don’t take work home. When I get home from work and meditate, it clears away any worries or anxieties that I may have picked up during the day and leaves me free to have a relaxing night.”
TM has been researched in over 350 studies during the past 50 years, with results, including extensive benefits to health and wellbeing, published in the world’s leading scientific and medical journals.
Achieving greater benefits than standard meditation practices, this technique should be capitalised on by HR professionals when developing workplace wellbeing strategies.
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.