Background
The Mindfulness-in-Nature Based Training through Virtual Environments (MINDLIVEN) project aims to provide an innovative solution to cope with work-related stress.
Social and Emotional Learning
Over the last decades, social and emotional learning (SEL) has been increasingly acknowledged to impact on competency areas such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships skills, and responsible decision-making. Mindfulness training is a multimodal intervention informed by the principles of positive psychology, with a central focus on skills that enable more effective coping and stress reduction.
The application of mindfulness-based practices (MBP) has been strengthened by the results of evaluation studies that typically report on the positive effectiveness of MBP in terms of SEL.
Research Results
In parallel, research results show that exposure to natural environments arouses positive emotions and stress recovery, and improves compliance to mindfulness training, making it more effective. As such, the role of nature in the workplace is receiving increased attention, and existing theory and research suggest that nature contact can be considered as a workplace strategy for reducing stress, while at the same time enhancing performance and overall well-being.
Therefore, Mindfulness-in Nature-based practices (MiNBP) joins together the healing effect of nature and the positive effect of MBP, with greater benefits. It is therefore essential for company’s managers to understand how MiNBP has the potential to benefit their staff towards a systematic approach to SEL, in particular when considering the perspective of the five-competency-area framework.
MiNBP contents
This e-environment will raise the awareness for the problem and it will enable owners, managers and decision makers to plan for and to mitigate the occurrence and the negative consequences of work-based stress.
