During the cool, winter months many plants and animals are hibernating and resting. As for us humans? We’re just as on-the-go as always. It’s common to feel exhausted, stressed, or unwell at the beginning of the year recovering from the holidays. We could take a leaf out of nature’s book by embracing the intentional pause to rest and refresh.

Giving yourself time to pause throughout the day has been shown to improve the ability to cope with stress and generate the needed energy to move forward, as well as help prevent depression. Our ability to focus and give quality attention is assisted by intentionally taking breaks. Pausing can also help regulate the parasympathetic nervous system - the network responsible for rest and integration of food and stimuli. Notice what you usually do when you have to wait. What are you thinking, feeling, or doing while you wait for your coffee, or wait for the light to turn green? Instead of trying to get through these moments as quickly as possible or distracting yourself from the down time, embrace the pause!

The next time you’re waiting for someone or something, instead of scrolling through your phone, try:

Three deep belly breaths. Follow the sensations that flow from watching yourself breathe in and out three times
Revisit an uplifting affirmation as a touchstone to activating your in-the-moment presence
Stretch it out. For a few moments, notice an area that is feeling tight, hard, or painful. Find a new way to move, breathe, or stretch into that area.