the art of taking pauses
concrete ideas to carve out time for yourself
why take pauses?
from a neurological perspective, always doing keeps your brain waves going high. this stage is called beta brain waves. whilst they are important when working, having a conversation with someone or driving your car, your body and mind will get tired of always being there.
you need to get into lower brain waves (alpha, theta) regularly throughout the day in order to keep things balanced.
and this guide is here to help you do that.
the art of taking pauses meditation
a 3-minute meditation for you to lower your brain waves
1
meditate and/or breathe
it’s probably one of the most efficient technique to lower your brain waves. and meditating/breathing doesn’t have to take long.
in between work tasks, close your eyes and meditate.
while some of you may say “I can’t”, “meditation is not for me”, let me tell you this:
many thoughts will come and go while you meditate and it’s normal. the trick here is to come back to your breath, as soon as you realize that your mind was wandering again.
2
the pomodoro-technique
this technique is my go-to when doing office work.
“pomorodoro” means tomato in Italian and comes from a tomato-shaped timer.
the idea is for you to focus on one task during 25 minutes (set a timer) and then take a pause of 5-10 minutes afterwards. keep on going until lunch break then the end of the day.
it works in most work settings and reminds you to take pauses and yes, lower your brain waves. remember to actually take a pause and not scroll on SoMe during those 5 minutes. otherwise you’ll keep your brain waves in beta mode.
3
make the best out of your to-do list
the to-do list won’t disappear, just because you’re starting to get a hold of this taking a pause thing :)
maybe there’s something useful into surrendering to the fact that to-dos have to be done and that some of them can be a pause from something else.
personally I choose to do some household chores in a more conscious way. not that I'm a fan of folding laundry, don’t get me wrong. but if you have kids, you know how being the adult can be tough at times.
therefore, when a household chores has been waiting for a while (for instance that pile of laundry), I simply get things done while listening to an inspiring podcast. for the 10 minutes that I will take for it, I'm not to co-regulate or play with magnatiles.
this one was shared by one of my favorite body therapists here in copenhagen ♥️
4
commute in silence
while I’m a sucker for a good podcast or commuting while listening to music, I have acknowledged that becoming a mother has filled my head with extra noise. living in the country’s capital doesn’t help.
so I have started to enjoy commuting in silence. no music, no radio, no podcasts. obviously there will be noises surrounding you whether you’re walking in the forrest or riding the metro.
and yet, it may help, not to add an extra layer of noise.
your mind gets to wander and sometimes creative ideas come out of it.
give it a try!
5
consider spending more time off screens
the title says it all.
scrolling on your smart phone will keep your brain waves in beta mode, even if you find it relaxing to be on instagram.
yes, it might be a break from something else. but your brain won’t know the difference.
when taking a pause, remember to leave your phone in the drawer.
6
ask for it / make it a routine
one you can use if you have children and probably the most direct one here.
ask your partner, your sibling, your friend, your parent to take care of your kids while you go for a walk, a yoga class or binge your favorite tv show while laying on the couch and eating cookie dough ice cream.
be precise and direct on what you need when asking, to be sure you get what you want.
maybe that yoga class can become something you go to on a weekly basis.
ask for it / make it a routine and see what happens.
