It's that Time Of Year. Let's Practice the Pause

We are hitting the home stretch of the 2020 holiday season and 2020 itself! Wow, what a ride. This week and the coming week are certainly filled with joyous, exciting and loving moments. However, for some it’s a hard stretch. There is loss. loneliness, isolation and some anxiety! Many of us have a mix of all of the above to varying degrees. Guess what, that’s quite normal and very ok. The weird thing is that emotions can come in waves or like a roller coaster. You feel one way then you can either drift into another feeling, it can just hit you out of left field or you feel a sudden drop or rise. Again, that's quite normal and very ok. I am popping up to offer a tool that I keep handy for whenever the need arises. If I feel a little frenetic or a feel a little too low, I Practice the Pause. Yes, that’s right. I Breathe. Practice the Pause. Take those few moments for yourself and then go back to regularly scheduled life!! I have one technique that works great for kids or even adults who want to feel like a kid. It is called The Flower and The Candle Exercise If some of our little people appear to be having trouble regulating their emotions, take a break and sit with them. Have them get comfy and ask them to imagine smelling a flower. Breathe in the smell of the flower. Then ask them to imagine blowing out a candle on the exhale. Have them close their eyes, visualize and slowly smell the flowers. Then slowly blow out the candle. Repeat this cycle a few times til they seem to be a bit more balanced and less wonky. You know your little ones and can substitute things that may more sense to them to smell and blow out. The one I often use for a quick pause and reset it is the 4-4-8 Breathing Exercise. It can help to calm the nervous system, clear the head of distractions and reduce stress. • Find a comfy seat, breathe in through your nose for a count of 4, try taking the breath all the way down to your tummy. • Hold your breath for a count of 4. • Then slowly let that breath go through your mouth with a whooshing sound for a count of 8. The sound is relaxing! • Without stopping, breathe in again for a count of 4, repeating the cycle 3-4 times in a row until you feel a sense of calm. If you focus on counting when breathing in, holding the breath, and breathing out, it will keep you from having distracting thoughts about whatever is ramping you up. I wanted to offer you and yours a pause. It is ok to take yourself to the bathroom or the back yard or sneak off wherever and treat yo’self to a pause!! You deserve it !! Also watch out for the little ones. This is a frenetic and emotional time for them especially with things being “different” this year!! Teach them to Practice the Pause!! I will be back next week to share a New Year Special Offering to help you start off 2021 feeling balanced and peaceful! Stay tuned...

Until then Merry Happy Everything. Let’s try to find those moments of gratitude and remember- treat yo’self to The Pause. You deserve it!