There is Power in Pausing: 4 Tips for Intentionally Creating Space to Enhance Your Wellness
By Andrea Burrell with Senetria Blocker
"Practice the Pause" is a famous life quote used by Lori Deschene, “the founder of an online community that enables participants to share their experiences and insights to help themselves and others”. Practice the Pause means that you learn to take a break. You invest in learning to stop moving, slow brain processes, and cease physical activity. One's first reaction might be to think that pausing is easy to do. However, for some of us, it can be challenging. The constant need to do can leave you feeling tired, restless, and overwhelmed. With this in mind, it is so vital that we take time for ourselves. These intentional pauses can help to rejuvenate us and lead to greater productivity on the other side of rest.
For the past year, Andrea Burrell has shared tips with educators to help them create space in their daily lives to enhance their wellness. Andrea is a passionate and driven educator of 20 years. She is currently a Special Education Instructional Specialist with Prince George’s County Public Schools. In addition to being a Nationally Board Certified Teacher, Andrea holds certifications in special education and school administration. She is also a certified Social-Emotional Learning Facilitator and certified Yoga Instructor who is passionate about the well-being of others.
I had the opportunity to sit down with her to discuss the tips she shared most regularly with others. These tips are designed to create a space for you to pause, and they may support you in Intentionally Creating Space to Enhance Your Wellness. Andrea believes educators must take care of ourselves so that we show up in a way that best serves us, our families, our students, and our communities.
As you engage with these five practical tips for incorporating wellness and self-care, we invite you to keep track of your thinking by jotting your reflections and experiences in a journal. Journaling can be a powerful self-reflection tool.
Tip #1 - Practice Deep Breathing
Why should we pause to breathe deeply?
There are many ways to practice deep breathing. One quick Google search on this topic will reveal breathing techniques. Below is one way to practice deep breathing:
Begin by sitting or standing with your elbows slightly back. This posture allows your chest to expand more fully.
Inhale deeply through your nose. (notice as your chest rises)
Hold your breath as you count to 5 (if a count of 5 is too long, begin with counting to 3).
Release the air via a nice slow, deep exhale, through your nose, until you feel your inhaled air has been released.
Do this three more times. If it feels safe, try closing your eyes or lowering your eyes (by lowering your gaze)
Journal
After your last rotation, grab your journal and jot down any thoughts, sensations, or emotions that you experienced during this exercise. Keep in mind that all thoughts, sensations, and emotions are welcomed.
#2 - Practice Gratitude
This tip is one of my favorites, and I practice it often. I'm working on becoming more consistent with this one because it is so powerful. For some of us, life has been challenging, especially as of late. It can be so easy to focus on what isn't going well and forget to acknowledge those things going well. This is where practicing gratitude comes in. Google's English Dictionary defines gratitude as the quality of being thankful, readiness to show appreciation for, and to return kindness. For me, gratitude is pausing to appreciate and acknowledge the good. Gratitude has been scientifically proven to improve physical and emotional health.
Below are a few suggestions on how you might intentionally practice gratitude:
Designate a special journal, notepad, or app to record those things for which you are grateful;
Set times throughout the day to acknowledge something for which you're grateful. Maybe you do this first thing in the morning, midday, or before going to bed;
Create a Grateful Container - grab a jar or bowl, jot down things you're grateful for on sticky notes, and add them to the jar. At the end of the week, month or year, take them out and reflect on all the good things that happened over time;
Give out compliments;
Acknowledge and thank the people who do things for you. No matter how big or small, acknowledging others for those things they do for you is another way to practice gratitude intentionally.
Journal
Let's practice!
Grab your journal and a timer. Set the timer for 3 minutes. During these 3 minutes, use this time to acknowledge something or someone for which you're grateful. Then, try to keep writing for the entire 3 minutes.
#3 - Use Positive Affirmations
Words Have Meaning. Words Are Powerful. What We Say Matters. A few years ago, I heard Pastor T. D. Jakes preach during a New Year's service. I recall this sermon so vividly because it was the same day my mother told me she had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Words Have Meaning. Words Are Powerful. What We Say Matters. During this service, Pastor TD Jakes invited everyone to identify a song we would hold dear to for the remainder of that year. In other words, he was challenging us to identify words that would carry us through that year. For me, my song, Great, is Thy Faithfulness. I knew that I would have to hold tight to God's faithfulness to stay strong for my mother.
So, Tip Number 3 is all about the power of words. Maybe it's a song; perhaps it's a book title; maybe it's scripture. So, what words will you select to encourage you, inspire you, motivate and comfort you this year?
Positive affirmations can be defined as phrases or mantras that you repeat to yourself, which describe a specific outcome or who you want to be. The article, List of 25 Affirmations and Positive Statements to Be Inspired shares great tips for creating affirmations. I also enjoyed reading the article, 3 Ways Positive Affirmations Boost Your Work Life. This article shares ways to Affirm Yourself, Affirm Your Job, and Affirm the people around you. Check out these articles and then jot down your affirmations. Remember, affirmations are phrases or mantras that you often repeat and describe a specific outcome or who you want to be. Some of my favorite affirmations include:
I enjoy learning new things.
All things are working out for me.
Great is Thy Faithfulness.
No good thing is being withheld from me.
I welcome golden opportunities and sparkling surprises into my life.
Journal
Take a few moments to jot down 1 or 2 affirmations that really matter to you. Then, remember to repeat them often.
#4 - Create A Booster Book
Challenging days will come - they are a part of life. When they come, it is crucial that you not only allow yourself to feel exactly how you feel or permit yourself to feel how you feel but to do so in a way that is free of self-judgment and beating yourself up. It is also important that you have a few tried and true tactics, resources, and mood busters, handy that will help you weather the storm.
Maybe it's a song, a poem, a photo, a dance, an exercise, a photograph, a friend or family member you call, a show or movie you watch, or maybe you reread your journal, light a candle, or incense - there are endless possibilities. But what is essential is that you begin to create your Booster Box now! So that you will be prepared when the challenging times arrive.
Journal
Make a list of things that inspire you, give you hope, lift your mood, and help to redirect your energy. Then do these things as much as possible.
Remember, the most important relationship you have is the one you have with yourself. So take care of yourself and do so intentionally and unapologetically.
We hope you have enjoyed the tips and Andrea welcomes you to join her for one of her yoga sessions, a coaching session, or a wellness workshop. To find out more, connect with her in the ways below.
Facebook: YogawithDrea
Instagram: YogawithDrea
Phone: 240.308.8253
Website: Coming Soon
In the meantime, join her for a Gentle Upper Body Chair Yoga Flow. Click HERE to access the video.
Be Well,
Andrea Burrell & Senetria Blocker
