ATLANTIC CITY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, NEW JERSEY -- Ms. Jen Baldwin, 177th FW director of psychological health, became a certified Workplace Mindfulness Facilitator December 16, 2021. Baldwin received this certification as part of only the fifth cohort to be trained by Mindful Leader, an international organization promoting secular mindfulness programming to workplaces around the world.
“I started offering informal (mindfulness) practices with members of the 177th Maintenance Group every Wednesday since August 2021,” said Baldwin.
These informal practices of mindfulness have allowed our unit members to gain a brief introduction to the practices associated with being mindful. Now that Baldwin is certified in this area, facilitations of mindfulness can become official functions here at the 177th FW.
“With this, I hope to be able to offer a four-week challenge to the unit and to create a 50-minute weekly offering of a ‘drop-in’ practice to anyone on base, no matter their status,” said Baldwin.
“It was a great opportunity to break away, even for just ten minutes,” said Master Sgt. Denise Ferreri, an inspector from the 177th FW Inspector General Office. “ A single practice of mindfulness doesn’t need to take a long period of time, so it’s not going to consume much of your work day. In exchange for just ten minutes of our time, we relax and refocus on our daily activities.”
These practices can help members of the 177th FW explore how mindfulness can complement their lives and promote the improvement of their overall wellbeing. To learn more about mindfulness, visit https://www.mindfulleader.org/ and https://www.mindful.org/.