Pause Practice for Your Mental Health

Increasingly, it seems our days flow from one thing to the next without much opportunity for a break - a transition moment, a space to orient to where you are. You may often find yourself listening to podcasts, or news, or watching content on a social media platform at the same time you’re doing something else: brushing your teeth, driving, walking, eating, working, and so on. This is the world we’re in. There is endless information to take in, to know about. So much seems like it’s urgent, “breaking news.”

And yet, some part of you may know or sense that it’s too much; too much to track, too much to process, just too much.

If you find yourself feeling this way, I invite you to check out the practice of taking a “pause”:
P – Pause: Gently stop whatever you’re engaged with.
A – Attend: Pay attention to what’s going on around you in space.
U – Unite: Connect the mind with the body by naming, silently or out loud, three things you see.
S – Sense: Notice your feet on the ground (or whatever surface they’re connected to); if sitting, feel your butt on the seat and your back touching the back of whatever you’re sitting on.
E – Exhale: Take three slow and full breaths in and out, focusing on the exhale. There is no need to force or strain the breath.

A few ideas for when to practice this:

• Before looking at a text message or an email
• When you arrive at a destination and before you go in
• After an activating conversation (verbal or text)
• Before you fall asleep or just after you wake up
• Before a meal
• Before or after a meeting

It can feel beneficial to practice this regularly: once a day, once an hour, or when you remember. Pausing helps our nervous systems reset a bit.
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Sometimes, pausing allows us to recognize that we could benefit from some consistent support. If you feel like this is you, please contact me: [email protected], and we can discuss whether working together could be worthwhile.