Daily grind getting you down? Whether you’re facing an impossible work deadline, a difficult coworker, or simply feeling overwhelmed with too many tasks, practicing mindfulness can help. Mindfulness can allow you to better handle one of life’s major stressors — work.

Mindfulness is the ability to intentionally pay attention to the present moment without judgment (e.g., good/bad, right/wrong, fair/unfair). In other words, it is the ability to be in control of our own minds instead of our minds being in control of us. Some experts refer to it as “training for advanced living.”

We sat down with Laurence Magro, a therapist specializing in mindfulness-based interventions, and Tara Healey, a pioneer in the field of mindfulness at work, to discuss how simple mindfulness practices can assist us in becoming more confident, creative, and focused on the job.

WOMEN TOGETHER Say I work for a company that doesn’t have a mindfulness program —  or even believe in it. How can I practice mindfulness at work without any support?

TARA  You can practice mindfulness at work and no one needs to know! Informal practices involve bringing full attention to what you are doing — and noticing how you are relating to whatever is happening. This is especially useful during difficult conversations with a coworker or boss. For instance, take a moment to be fully aware that you have been provoked in some way and notice the experience physically (and stay aware of thoughts) — this enables a pause between impulse and action. It can enable you to respond and engage in a way that aligns with your deepest values for who you want to be on a day-to-day basis. You can grow to become less reactive and more responsive, as well as more aligned with your own values.

You can also take a brief moment before work starts, either in the car or on public transportation, to do a more formal meditation practice. This can help with mindfulness throughout the day.

WOMEN TOGETHER How might I convince my boss that teaching us how to use mindfulness at work is of benefit to the company as well as to the employees?

TARA  Share the research. Study after study shows that practicing mindfulness on the job can help employees become more confident, creative, innovative, and focused.

Have your boss check out a 2016 Journal of Management study, “Contemplating Mindfulness at Work: An Integrative Review.” After poring over 4,000 research studies, the authors concluded that time spent practicing mindfulness led to happier, less stressed, more productive workers.

WOMEN TOGETHER Could you list some of the major US companies that have mindfulness-at-work programs? Are there any that would surprise people?

LAURENCE  Sure — there are many, and a few of them would surprise you. The list includes: McKinsey & Company, World Bank, General Mills, BOSE, MIT, Harvard, Boeing, Volvo, Apple, Google, Yahoo, Nike, HBO — even the US Army has joined the mindfulness movement.

The extent of the trainings can vary a great deal, from short intro presentations to training extending over a period of six to eight weeks. More and more companies are now creating dedicated spaces for meditation practice.

WOMEN TOGETHER For a daily dose of Zen, you can turn your iPhone into a pocket mindfulness coach by downloading specialized apps. With so many apps to choose from, which ones do you recommend?

LAURENCE  People usually benefit most from starting a mindfulness practice with a dedicated teacher in a group format and using the apps to maintain and/or strengthen their practice. We recommend two apps:

10% Happier, developed by Dan Harris, author of the New York Times best seller 10% Happier, provides guided audio meditations and a coach to help you through the course.

Headspace, created by Andy Puddicombe, an ordained Tibetan Buddhist monk, starts you off with a free online meditation program that takes just 10 minutes a day. Perfect for a busy beginner.

WOMEN TOGETHER Finally, if mindfulness can help us become better employees, can it also make us better leaders?

LAURENCE  The skills one hones through mindfulness practice are skills essential to being an effective leader. Listening, self-awareness, and the ability to self-regulate all contribute to savvy and skillful leadership.

A recent study, by the business consultant and mindfulness teacher Michael Chaskalson, reported that mindfulness training produced improvement in three capacities that are key for successful leaders in the twenty-first century: resilience, the capacity for collaboration, and the ability to lead under complex conditions.

Most importantly, though, the continued development of such capacities depends on developing a regular mindfulness practice.