Happy Halloween!! 🎃👻

Halloween is one of my most favorite holidays and Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. I’m not entirely sure why, but I think it’s because it helps remind me of the magic that we have in life. And I don’t necessarily mean magic as in waving a wand saying “Alohamora" and having a feather levitate over my desk.

What I mean is the natural magic of everything around us and in us. And it is in the pauses that we start to notice that magic.

Autumn makes me pause. It reminds me to look around myself and acknowledge the change of colors in the trees, the crunch of dry leaves under foot, and the whisper of the wind that brushes the skin on my face somehow differently than it did in Summer. And in these pauses I’m reminded of the beauty that I have around me and they give me a chance to take a step back and admire that beauty.

That is the importance of a pause—the ability it gives us to take a step back, to be objective and appreciative of the present moment. We are here, right now. Not in the chaotic mess that can often be our thoughts. Not in memories of the past. Not in fervent wonderings of what might happen in the future. The pause is the doorway to the present moment. And that present moment is magic.

Pausing allows us to:

• Check-in and notice where and how we are right now
• It allows us to be aware without holding judgement, just acknowledging
• It helps us notice how we are breathing and perhaps reminds us to shift the way we are breathing so it can support us better in that moment (for example balancing the inhale with the exhale)
• It reminds us to use our senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste) to ground us to the present moment even more
• And through all of the above it brings us ease, physically and mentally

I was talking about this with a client of mine who asked if there was anything visual I had that I could give them to help them to remember to do this. And I thought, no I don’t but I’m going to make something!

So I made it, sent it to them and they loved it. And now I’m passing it on to you, too, because I thought this is a great tool that pretty much everyone can benefit from.

And over the month of November I’m going to jump into more detail about the Pause framework I’ve put together, but I’ll end this week’s letter to you now.

If you’re interested in the Pause framework to help you relieve stress and live in the present moment, click the link below!

>>PAUSE to Relieve Stress<<

And please, let me know what you think.

Have a magical Halloween! 🪄🍂