Hitting the pause button

In the performance‑driven world we live in, hitting the pause button every now and then can feel surprisingly hard. Taking time to reflect — or even to do nothing — often slips to the bottom of the list. At least, that’s how it feels for me.

I regularly find myself asking: What actually helps me slow down? And how can I make space for it without turning rest into another task to achieve?

Over time, I’ve collected a small list of ways to pause. Some work better than others, some work only sometimes — and that’s okay. What helps most is simply having the list. I can choose what fits the moment.

The most important part, though, is this: not feeling bad if none of it happens. Pausing should never become another thing we fail at.

When I have plenty of time

• Visiting a new coffee place and enjoying a coffee, a book, or simply absorbing the atmosphere

• Booking a massage (every three months I have a pedicure appointment that I schedule in advance)

• Going to the gym and sauna — a fixed point in my weekly routine

• Spending time at the Badi, swimming a few laps and soaking up the sun

• Creating something with my hands: sewing, drawing, painting, planting, cooking

When I don’t have much time

• Going for a 15‑minute walk

• Sitting in the sun for a few minutes with a hot or iced tea

• Taking a power nap or a short Yoga Nidra

• Setting a timer for 10–15 minutes and tidying up — stopping when the timer ends

When I feel like I have no time at all

• Closing my eyes and listening to my surroundings for one minute

• Opening a window and taking 3–10 slow, deep breaths

• Softening my shoulders and jaw, even if just for a moment

I hope this can be a gentle reminder that it’s important to hit the pause button every now and then — maybe even more now than then.

And perhaps you’ll find one small thing here that offers you a moment of distance, softness, or ease — a brief detachment from the noise of the world.

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