Hit the Pause Button

Now is the time. You deserve it and you probably need it, too. It’s time to slow down, breathe, and enjoy your life. If you can spare 5-10 minutes each day to stop what’s on your schedule, slow yourself down, and put aside your to-do list you can reap the benefits. Set down your phone, eliminate distractions, and make time for YOU! It’s not always easy to find the time, I get it, but start small and build on it. I feel like I spend all day working on this thing or that. I don’t slow down, and my list grows and grows on what needs to be done. I find myself always on the next step while doing the previous task, telling myself that if I get X, Y, Z done then I will sit down and rest for a moment…. but you know those times never come, right? Can you relate? What I HAVE figured out is that it takes time to work out the schedule that fits your life. I know people who have set their routines up and have told me to just do it “first thing in the morning”, like them. or at lunch break or right before bed, but the truth of the matter is, you need to figure out what works for you. As a mom and wife, I have felt that even certain years in my life there was no time for me, and that’s unfortunate, because those moments when I was a new wife or a mommy to my babies, I probably needed “me” time more than ever. I guess that’s just part of the journey, better late than never. I want you to know and learn to do this, spending time for yourself, earlier than I did, if you can. I want to help you make the most of your life, wherever you are at in it. There are so many benefits to slowing down and learning to breathe correctly, no matter how old you are, or what you are going through. To my surprise this week, as I began taking my mornings to be still and outside in our Arizona sun, feeling the fresh air go deep in my lungs, quieting my thoughts, and shutting down my phone, my dogs let me know we had an unusual visitor. A large mule deer, a buck, was laying out in our backyard. He, too, was enjoying our warm sun. What a gift it was to watch him, photograph him and be present and enjoy his beauty. Any other day, I would have missed him, and that got me thinking. What else have I missed? Well, no more! I plan to make a moment in my day, each day, all about disconnecting with my regularly scheduled programming, to connect with nature, breathe, silence my mind, and listen to the sounds of the world…. even if only for 5-10 minutes a day. How about you? What do you have to lose? I challenge you to give it a try and see what benefits you see in your day to day thinking, emotions, and health. This week I want you to figure out what works for you, make time for yourself, where can you afford to take a 5-10 minute break. I get it, it won’t be easy to find the time, but YOU A WORTH IT! Make it happen. Leave your phone off, stop all actions. Find a place where you won’t be tempted to do ANYTHING, a place, preferably outside. Even if it’s still wintery cold where you live, poke your head or body outside for 5 minutes and breathe slow, dep breathes. Feel the air enter your lungs and clear your head. If you struggle letting go of your thoughts then practice counting while you breathe in, hold, breathe out, hold. Count to 10, slowly, as you breathe in. Hold your breathe for 4 seconds then breathe out, slowly, as you count to ten again, then hold. Do this for at least 5-10 minutes a day for the next week. See what happens from it. How do you feel afterward? How productive are you this week because of that time you spent on yourself? You might be surprised at the results, even if you are just a bit happier, isn’t your mental well-being worth it? I think it is, and so are you! Give it a try and let me know how it’s going. Have an amazing week, And as always, Be Healthy, Be Happy, Be YOU!! Much love, Angie