The Whole Cure Wellness Wednesdays: The Power of Pause

The Power of The Pause: Manage Stress and Overcome Overwhelm

With fall just around the corner, many of us will begin return to a busier pace—schedules packed with soccer games, meetings, rushed dinners in the car, after-school clubs, and more. The less-structured, freedom and playtime of summer slowly transitions to a packed schedule and endless to-do list as fall sneaks up on us.

Build greater mindfulness into your life and slow down by joining us for the next The Whole Cure Lifestyle Transformation Mindset Module! This very special virtual group coaching program offers lasting transformation and meaningful stress management tools that can shift your entire life! Get exercises, workbooks, audio guided meditations, webinars and more! Learn more about this powerful online program and join us from the comfort of your home anywhere in the world! Commit to yourself now! 

“Busy” seems to be the default setting for so many of us starting at a young age. Life becomes one meeting, lunch date, practice, class, appointment and to-do after another. Often, we may see our back-to-back activities and rushed pace of life as a virtue, glorified by the culture around us, but how often do you overlook your need to slow down as you get caught up in the overwhelm of life?

While engaging in productive work and activities that you enjoy can be great for your mental and physical health, it is also important to remain aware of the warning signs that you need to slow down, pause and cut back. Slowing down gives you the space to think more clearly, make more meaningful decisions and develop greater emotional intelligence. It allows you to combine contemplation with decided action to produce solutions that integrate knowledge and emotion.

There are some practical steps you can take to begin to appreciate the moments of life and give yourself the time and space to slow down.

Simple | Pure | Whole^TM Solutions to Slow Down

1.  Eat mindfully: Instead of simply eating at the scheduled meal time and rushing through your food while on the go, try slowing down and paying attention to your body and hunger.

• Even if you have only a brief break to eat or have to stay at your desk to fit in a meal, make meal time a separate, acknowledged time for nourishment.
• Clear a space for a focused eating time. Clear the stressed energy from your day and take a few deep breaths to appreciate this nourishment.
• Put down your fork between bites and really taste your food.
• Begin to explore your cravings and what they really mean. Check out What to Eat? to go deeper.
• Pay attention to the ways in which you nourish yourself with food and other forms of nourishment using a journal or my Simple | Pure | Whole^TM Nourishment Journal.

2. Get okay with saying no: When everything is moving so fast and you take on too many responsibilities and activities it is easy to get lost. You may mechanically move from one thing to the next without ever really slowing down. Instead of getting caught up in rushing to do the next thing on your list or in your life, consciously pause and start to think about how you want to choose to use your time and energy.

• Take some time each day to center yourself, take some deep breaths and reconnect with the present moment.
• Then ask yourself: What is the most important thing I can do right now? How do I want to spend my time and life? What is most meaningful to me and how can I cultivate that?
• You can use the prescriptions in Chapters 1, 2 and 3 of The Whole Cure to go deeper into finding your authentic and passionate purpose. Get started with these free wellness prescriptions!
• Eliminate the unnecessary and ask for help when you need it.

3. Cultivate the pause and use it strategically: Think about the spaces already existing in your day or where you can find a stillness and pause. There are often times where we are not really doing anything yet are still busy. For example, when you are sitting in the waiting room, driving to work, or waiting on hold on the phone.  

• How can you use these transition times to refresh and find a pause in the busyness? Maybe you enjoy calming music in the car or listening to an inspiring podcast while in line at the store.
• Use the breath to reconnect. You always have the power to use the breath to calm your body, soothe your spirit and take a pause in your day. Even a few focused, deep breaths can shift your physiology away from stress and towards greater calm.
• Try the mindfulness exercises and wellness prescriptions in Chapter 6 of The Whole Cure to train your mind to slow down and find peace in the ease of the present moment.

The pause is important to finding freedom of being who you were meant to be. When you slow down, you can finally appreciate not only the scenery around you but also the sense of where you are truly going and why.

Reflective, restorative practices are a great way to slow down, detox the mind and body and turn inward. What are your favorite practices for slowing down and finding the pause? Let me know how I can support you!

Not only can slowing down help the physical body remain more balanced, a mindful way of living also helps to calm the mind and reduce the constant anxiety of modern life. Add in some enhanced self-care and reflection using exercises like those in my book The Whole Cure: 52 Essential Prescriptions to Overcome Overwhelm, Reclaim Balance and Reconnect with a Life You Love! and join my powerful virtual Whole Cure Lifestyle Transformation Programs which are open for enrollment now with the next Mindset Module ! Get your free wellness prescriptions to get started with a calmer more centered life today!

Every body is unique so be sure to check with your health care professional before making any dietary or lifestyle changes. These are products that I use and should not be considered medical advice.

This post was shared with: Crafty & Delicious Party, Create & Share Party, Weekend Retreat, Family Fun Friday, Friday’s Five Features, Motivation Monday, Summer Family Fun Party, Waste Not Want Not Wednesday