These “Active Pauses” give us an opportunity to clear the mental clutter, even if just for a moment. Use these frequent activities to serve as cues to reset and begin again. 1. Start by simply walking. Feel your feet as they hit the ground/floor. Do you swing your arms? When you ‘catch’ yourself thinking…. Can you let it go and focus back on your legs walking? Pay attention. You will discover how often you are bombarded with thoughts ‘what to do next, what did I leave undone’. This keeps us from being in the moment. 2. Short walk: Take note of how you are breathing. Can you take a nice slow breath? Maybe even sigh as you exhale. Try to be aware of yourself breathing. HOW are you breathing? Is it tight? Shallow? Can you intentionally take a deep breath? Focus of feeling the air go in your nose, and then out as you exhale. Take another one! Keep taking intentional breaths until you reach your destination. How do you feel now? Are you less stressed? Simply focusing on our breathing will relax both our bodies and our minds. 3. Longer walk: Focus on your senses. Feel: what do I feel as I walk? Is there a breeze, it is warm, cool. Did you notice the sun as you passed by the window? Were you able to feel it? Hear: Listen to what is going on around you as you walk. Take in all the sounds. Smell: Did you notice the coffee aroma? Perfume/cologne as you pass another? Taking time to be ‘active’ in noticing our senses will give our mind and thoughts a ‘break’. 4. Clouds in the sky: As you walk, envision your thoughts as clouds in the sky. They come, they go. The more you have the less you can see the clear blue sky. As you walk, notice your thoughts. Don’t judge them as good or bad, rather just ‘clouds’. Let them go by and continue to walk. The more we allow our thoughts to simply be, and ‘float by’ the clearer we will feel.