Press Pause

At the beginning of October, I went into a store and was instantly accosted with all the flare of the season - Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. There were huge displays, Christmas music, decorations, and turkey paraphernalia completed with a heaping sprinkle of skeletons and ghouls. 

It is so tough to remain present for one holiday. We don't stand a chance if we are perpetually preparing for the next. How can we slow down and stay present not only through the holidays but in general? Well, according to Headspace, they suggest the following:

Take advantage of red lights. We eat, scroll, text, call, and sometimes even scream at the folks around us we deem too incompetent to drive. What if we take a red light as an invitation to literally STOP? A chance to pause and take a few deep breaths to reconnect with our surroundings - cheesy? Maybe, but it might be just the thing to stop the desire to bodyslam someone in the intersection. 

Savor your food. Oh, Jesus take the wheel - more like the fork. My food is generally gone before I even realize what I am tasting. The TV, phone, or tablet is on, or some of us even stand up in the fridge or at the counter to eat.

But what if we could take back the art and act of eating and reclaim it as its own affair that involves all of our senses? 

"Take three deep breaths before each meal or snack. This helps to calm the nervous system, which benefits our metabolic power and tunes us into the practice of mindful eating,” says Rachel Avalon, a holistic health coach in Los Angeles. 

Detach from your phone.  Many of us have acquired extremely unhealthy attachments to our phones. And like Ricky Bobby, we have no idea what to do with our hands unless we're touching our phones. 

We limit screen time for our kids. Maybe it's time we took our own advice.

This can start as soon as we wake up in the morning. Meredith Strauss of Light Street Psychotherapy suggests, “After getting out of bed, leave your phone alone,” she says. “Enjoy a moment of peace and have a cup of tea/coffee. [Or] have some quality time with your family in the morning before the outside world rings your phone and computer.” 

Check in with your body. When I am mindful, I often notice that my jaws are clenched, or that my shoulders are tightly scrunched upwards. We have headaches and body aches and sometimes we have the slightest idea why. Anxiety, stressors, and trauma all live somewhere, and often this is manifested in our bodies.

Erica Hornthal, founder and CEO of Chicago Dance Therapy, suggests “a full body scan,” she explains. “Mindfully pay attention to everything from your head down to your toes and without judgment or bias, acknowledge feelings and sensations that come up. This not only brings awareness to the body but also provides the opportunity to release tension before it builds up.”

Tap into your senses.  Sounds simple enough, but how grounding to look up at the sky or feel our feet beneath us? To experience all the sensations in the shower instead of hitting our hot spots and jumping out to make it to our destinations.

Pause before moving on to something new.  We are often on to the next task before we finish the last. Though busy schedules, family, and obligations often require this, let's try to focus on one single task at hand whether this is physical or mental.  

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