Die aktuelle Krise, ein Virus, das die Welt seit fast zwei Jahren in Atem hält, über 5 Millionen Tote weltweit, steigende Infektionszahlen und der erneute Lockdown sind eine Herausforderung für jeden von uns. Eine Pandemie, die sich nicht nur auf eine Infektion beschränkt, sondern tiefgreifende wirtschaftliche, soziale, emotionale, gesellschaftliche und psychische Auswirkungen mit sich bringt.

Right now, being mindful of yourself is more important than ever. Numerous studies during the Corona pandemic indicate that meditation helps people cope better with difficult emotions, stress, anger, and anxiety during challenging times. A balanced mind leads to thoughtful decision making, higher social skills, resilience, and balanced leadership skills that include presence, compassion, kindness, and empathy.

About mind-leadership to better self-knowledge

In order to be able to deal with the crisis better, the HR department of the FH Wiener Neustadt decided to offer employees an internal experience-based training on these topics. Through self- and mind-leadership, important aspects were to be learned and skills acquired that build up one's own resilience and can be drawn upon at any time. A positive effect is that what is learned is passed on to one's own environment, both professionally and privately.

A seminar series for more understanding of individual social and emotional intelligence

Running over ten weeks, the seminar series is composed of theory impulses, experiential meditations, and exercises. Each module addresses different aspects of mind-leadership and personal and work-related mindfulness, with reference to our overlapping work, personal and leisure worlds. What skills do I need to thrive in a hybrid work world shaped by digitalization? How do I deal with difficult emotions? What is stress and how do I deal with stress triggers and stress reactions from a mindfulness perspective? What features of the brain allow us to keep learning new things? Why are empathy and compassion in the professional context guarantors for better cooperation and team cohesion? Why does mindful communication mean present, compassionate listening or eavesdropping?

Joint exercise sessions

Between the online seminars, which took place every two weeks, a joint practice session was offered in each intervening week. This put the theory, tips and exercises into practice.

Here are some voices about it:

As participant Lisa Zach personally put it: "This seminar is a great enrichment for me personally and I was able to take a lot away with me. Thank you very much for the great course. It was time well spent".

"It was borderline awesome that UAS made this seminar possible. I am super, super grateful" said another participant.

Agnes Hofer was of the opinion: "The course offered a good mix of scientifically based knowledge and practice, so that there was something new in every unit, even if you were already familiar with the content. It's all about practice - the fact that we got together regularly over several weeks to practice with each other really helped the transfer of the content into everyday life and the attitude taught. Martina leads with great experience and expertise, so that the time was always well spent. In sum, a great gift given to us by our employer."

Dr. Alexandra Zimmermann, HR manager and initiator of the seminar, said: "A heartfelt thank you! I was able to take away a lot for myself personally".

Ten weeks of mutual inspiration!