Pause to Thrive

Pause to welcome the day.

Pause during your day to gain clarity.

Pause to reflect on what really matters to you.

Pause to view the situation as an observer and gain insight.

Are you working on autopilot, trying to get ahead and feeling stressed? Are you surviving and not thriving?  Will the upcoming holidays cause more tension and anxiety? Throughout your day, schedule several breaks for mental and emotional upkeep during your workday and daily routine. Pausing now and then will help you get back in touch with what matters to you. This hiatus will assist you in maintaining a steady path towards mental clarity and productivity. 

The act of pausing gives you the capability to proceed with your plans, even though others have suddenly thrown problems and concerns at you that you didn’t expect or want. This action will help stabilize, ground and balance your nervous system to maintain a calm and steady stride.

Giving yourself space and time to chill out can stop the overstimulated sympathetic nervous system, the fight or flight state, from overwhelming you and shift you to the parasympathetic nervous system, bringing insight and mindfulness. 

Pausing can consist of a few minutes or a few hours. It is a time to check in with yourself to meet your needs and desires. It slips you out of autopilot and into the present moment of stillness and awareness.

Taking short breaks, gives you freedom to re-prioritize and re-focus at work or at home. DeskTime, a productivity app, studied the behavior of the most productive workers and found that the highest performers worked fifty-two consecutive minutes followed by a seventeen-minute break. Participants managed their time and energy to solve tasks in efficient and creative ways by pausing throughout their workday and re-evaluating their work.

Individually, you can find what time frame gives you the greatest productivity. As a person with dyslexia, I am most productive when I work on a project for forty minutes, followed by a fifteen-minute break. After forty minutes, my mind starts to wander and I’ve lost my focus. Take the time to figure out what is your productive time frame.  

Ideas on what to do while pausing.

• Unplug yourself from technology.
  
  
• Replenish your body with fluids, preferably water and not caffeine.
  
  
• Step outdoors for fresh air.
  
  
• Sit back and nurture yourself by witnessing the beauty surrounding you such as the sunlight streaming in or the colors you chose to have in your room or photos in your workspace or home.
  
  
• Stand up and stretch your arms, back and legs. Move your body. 
  
  
• Play music and dance. Loosen up and let go of tension you are carrying.
  
  

Pausing throughout your day creates space and time for reflection. This practice can increase your resilience to bounce back when sidetracked.  Support your mental and physical health by taking the time to pay attention to how you are performing every day. The outcome will bring you satisfaction and a sense of control in your life. 

Pause to revise your outlook and perception.

Pause to hear your inner voice. 

Pause to bring forth equanimity.

Pause and thrive in the moment.

Roe Chiacchio RN, CPT, CDP is a personal trainer, specializing in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation and a certified dementia practitioner. She shares her perspective and knowledge about health and wellness in her articles published at PenBay Pilot, Well Being Journal and NCCDP. Her business, ONWARD, Cardiovascular Health, Wellness and Dementia Management is located in Camden, Maine. Her education is based in behavioral science, psychology, neuroscience and gerontology studies. Hobbies include photography and international travel. Volunteer work: Hopi Nation. For more information, contact Roe at 207 249-8166, or roechiacchio@gmail.com