My day starts out at 5:40 a.m. I haul myself out of bed, stumble to the bathroom and throw on some workout clothes before my early morning meeting. I work until my kids get up for school, then make lunches, straighten the house, and get my boys ready for the day. I speed-walk the dog behind my son who has hopped on his bicycle to get to school, throwing out the occasional hello to the neighbors as we quickly pass by. Once he’s safely at school, I fire up a podcast to listen to on my way home, then once in the door, grab a quick breakfast before heading back to my desk.
My morning quickly turns into the afternoon, sometimes broken up by a workout at the gym or a walk, though I have to admit, even those outings are timed down to the minute. Before I know it, my kids are home, help with homework begins, and then rides to sporting activities are needed. Somehow I manage to cook dinner for my family, listen in on a PTA meeting, and fold a load of laundry before I collapse on the couch with heavy eyelids. There’s pretty much no chance that I’ll stay awake through a 30-minute sitcom.
I’m sure my day isn’t unlike yours. We tend to overschedule and overcommit, and if we find ourselves with a little white space, that unscheduled time, we feel guilty. We look at the puffs of dog hair on the floor that need vacuuming, the toilet that needs scrubbing, or the weeds that need to be pulled. And we fill that precious space.
But lately, I have started to take a pause. It’s not at the same time each day, nor do I have it planned out, but I make time for it when I start to feel anxious, or sleepy, or overwhelmed. Sometimes that pause is a walk outdoors with no earbuds or phone attached—just the fresh air and sounds of chirping birds to accompany me. Or I might pull out my book club’s monthly pick and get lost in a story. Lately, I listen to guided meditations.
And in these meditations, I’m reminded to pause to take a breath (core value #67). To focus on the life-giving inhale and exhale that we so often take for granted. That breath which can center us and refresh us, and help us release the tension of the day, worry for the future, fear of the unknown and stress of it all.
Within this time of quiet and reflection, my focus turns to observing my breath. The rise and fall of my chest. The lightness of an inhale and the heaviness of an exhale. How I’m connected with the earth. And I actually feel my body relax. Yes, taking time to breathe is powerful.
I come out of my pause feeling calm and ready to tackle the rest of the day. I am more present with my family, and I have even come away with more creativity and inspiration to finish a task, like writing this post.
There’s no one right way to create that white space. There’s no set amount of time. Maybe it’s one minute, or five or fifty-five. But this May, we encourage you to take a moment to allow yourself a pause. Find what method works for you. And give yourself some grace as you stumble through trial and error of determining what that actually means for you.
This May, give yourself the opportunity to breathe.
Contributed by Erin Stolle, 99 Walks Content Manager
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