6 Ways To Slow Down: Find Your Pause Button

What do you have to say no to, to say yes to yourself?

We all experience stress, feel overwhelmed and take on more responsibilities than we can truly handle and still feel balanced. When our children “meltdown”, we take a step back and pause – We ask ourselves are they tired, over-stimulated, too many people, are they hungry, do they need a nap?

The question I ask is, “Where is our “pause” button”?

Do we recognize our signs of stress and overwhelm? Why do we think our stress is normal and something we “should” just accept?

Here are 6 ways to slow down and simplify. Just thinking about it makes me feel better already!

1. Relationships and friends: Growing up I didn’t have a lot of friends and my mom would always say, focus on the quality and not the quantity. Today, those words remain even truer for multiple reasons. I have discovered that I am an introvert and am far more comfortable around small groups with close friends. I can take the time to love, nurture, and have the few relationships that I do have to flourish. It’s easy to balance my social life as I know who my priorities are and the ones that I choose to spend time. When I say, “No”, they get it!

2. Get some sleep! If you have children, you know how important sleep is to them and how it affects everything, As adults, we are no different.

3. Turn down the noise and the news: Especially today, we are ALL on information overload. If you are a news junky, get in and get out, get what you need and move on. Take time to process what you have discovered, and then give yourself some space away from all the noise.

4. Practice mindful eating: Eating mindfully will help you to learn to respond versus react and has a positive effect on the journey of reducing emotional eating.

5. Check-in with your emotions: It is okay to take time to feel. You may ask, what does that mean? We are conditioned to feel the stress, anxiety anger etc, and we want the quick fix, which often leads to emotional eating. Taking the time to discover what it is and the emotion you are feeling makes a difference. Taking a mindful pause and discovering how best to handle that emotion will make a difference.

6. Create a healthy environment: We all need a space that soothes our soul. Whether it’s changing a paint color to something that is more relaxing or filling your space with plants and flowers, take a minute to discover how to make your environment feel warm, cozy, and welcoming. A place to just breathe for a minute.