Mind Ninja launches Mission Mindful for dental organisations and practices on 4th December
Featured Products NewsPosted by: Dental Design 6th November 2023
Dr Mahrukh Khwaja, dentist, Positive Psychologist (MAPP) and founder of Mind Ninja, has launched a new campaign called ‘Mission Mindful’ which aims to encourage dental professionals to make mental well-being and flourishing a priority at work. Mission Mindful, which launches on 4th December, combines a package of resources including a mindfulness webinar, a 31-day mindfulness calendar and a new edition of the evidenced based Mind Flossing toolkit.
Mission Mindful aims to help those working in the dental sector to take an active approach to mental well-being, through integrating mindfulness when working and at home. Intervention research for healthcare professionals has demonstrated that mindfulness based programmes have led to a decrease in negative well-being markers like burnout, and increase in positive markers like positive emotions, resilience and quality of life.1
Putting well-being into action
The Mission Mindful campaign addresses the problems of high stress, burnout, disengagement and low levels of happiness at work. The resources are designed to have the greatest impact by building habits that stick, and comprise:
- 1-hour live mindfulness/resilience webinar
- 31-day digital mindfulness calendar featuring daily prompts to encourage ways to infuse mindfulness at work
- Mind Flossing toolkits second edition: designed to help integrate mindfulness and well-being activities long after the webinar
- Well-being blogs/social media posts
Mind Flossing toolkit second edition
Dr Khwaja’s second edition Mind Flossing Toolkit is a more interactive version of the first edition was launched in 2021 to much acclaim. It is designed to increase positive emotions, positive thoughts and actions of the whole team. The second edition includes:
- A practical deck of 60 cards covering 11 well-being categories, eg emotions and thoughts, self-compassion, journaling, gratitude, self-care.
- 13 guided meditation audios which pair up with the cards, which include topics such as body scan, gratitude meditation and burnout recognition. Scan QR code on the card to listen.
- Durable presentation box and redesign of edition 1 cards
The story behind Mind Ninja
Mind Ninja was founded by Dr Khwaja after her own bout of burnout and depression. ‘With nothing of its kind available in the dental industry, I envisioned a system of support that, just like daily flossing and brushing, takes a preventive maintenance approach to mental health. And with prevention in mind’.
Sharing evidence based strategies to improve mental health and resilience
Dr Khwaja, who is an expert in psychological well-being for dental professionals, listed by FMC as one of Dentistry’s Top 50 Dental professionals 2021-2023, created the first live well-being programmes, innovative workshops and written the first mental well-being book specifically for the profession, ‘Resilience and Well-being for Dental Professionals’ published by Wiley-Blackwell. She has worked in with dental professionals facilitating webinars, workshops, podcasts and panels for NHS Health Education England, Colgate, Unilever, Dental Protection, Acteon, BDA, Wesleyan, and Association of Dental Implantology, to name a few.
In setting up Mind Ninja, Dr Khwaja’s vision was to increase the mental well-being of all dental professionals across the globe, by harnessing evidence-based mind tools which draw from Positive Psychology, neuroscience and mindfulness, and are delivered creatively in the form of workshops, programmes and products.
Her Mind Flossing toolkit was successfully received – with over 800 dental professionals benefiting from the toolkit, and organisations like NHS Health England (Midlands) adopting the toolkit as part of a resilience programme for their Foundation Dentists. Early industry partners included: Acteon, Practice Plan, NSK and mental health charity for dentists, Confidental.
Encouraging as many dental industry, organisations and teams to be involved
To spread the important message of the campaign: putting well-being into action, the 31-day mindfulness calendar will be available complimentary to all interested in sharing on socials and with their clients/employees. This calendar can also be repurposed and shared on the many well-being days.
To register your interest and discuss the ‘Mission Mindful’ campaign further over a call, email Dr Khwaja directly via her email, mahrukh@mind-ninja.co.uk. Please also see attached media kit sharing more details about the Mind Flossing toolkit.
References:
- Kaisti, I., Kulmala, P., Hintsanen, M. et al. The effects of mindfulness-based interventions in medical students: a systematic review. Adv in Health Sci Educ (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-023-10231-0
- Yogeswaran, V., El Morr, C. Effectiveness of online mindfulness interventions on medical students’ mental health: a systematic review. BMC Public Health 21, 2293 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-12341-z
More about Dr. Mahrukh Khwaja
Dr. Mahrukh Khwaja is a dentist, positive psychologist, accredited mindfulness teacher, and the founder of Mind Ninja, an award-winning wellness enterprise dedicated to improving mental health and resilience among the general public and healthcare professionals. With nothing of its kind currently available in the dental industry, she envisioned a system of support that, just like daily brushing and flossing, took a preventive maintenance approach to mental health. Drawing on the neuroscience of well-being, and positive psychology, she developed Mind Ninja as a solution that would help fellow dental professionals build mental resilience, foster connection and meaning, and thrive.
Mind Ninja’s comprehensive range of training, coaching, and wellness products, including the signature Mind Flossing Toolkit, have been implemented by a diverse range of organisations, including NHS Health England, Unilever, Colgate, King’s College London, Acteon, British Dental Association, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Dr. Khwaja has been named Top 50 in Dentistry three years in a row (2023, 2022, 2021) by FMC for her work on Mental Health in Dentistry. She is also the author of the book Resilience and Well-being for Dental Professionals, published by Wiley-Blackwell.
