Whenever we are feeling off, the best thing we can do is take care of ourselves.

Usually we feel off because we’re  pushing too hard, resisting what is, or trying to force something to happen. Our task is to relax, allow life to be as it is, and align with our inner being to feel better.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to pause and refresh.

1- Take a walk, get the blood flowing and remind yourself to relax your conscious mind. Ask your mind to take a vacation. Say we are going on a walk, and our focus is to be on the walk. It’s always good to get the body moving and blood flowing. At the very least you will gain some exercise and fresh air.  You might receive the answer to the question or problem that has been bothering you or you might realize it’s not important to address.

2- Take a nap. Not quite as powerful for me, but sometimes all we can do is rest. Maybe our mind, body and emotions need a rest. Maybe we are wearing ourselves out trying to push our way through life. We get busy, and if we don’t listen, then our body/ soul may need to create a sickness to help us slow down and refresh. It’s best to incorporate some times to relax during our fast paced lives. Observing Sabbath serves this purpose.

3- Sit on the porch doing nothing. I never understood people sitting on porches until I moved to Arkansas and tried it. Now it’s one of my favorite things to do! Sitting still is another way to slow our overactive minds and bodies in order to create some inner stillness. It serves the same function as meditation.

4- Go play with a child, dog, friend or your self. Go to a park, smell the flowers, roll in the grass, swing on the swing, do something playful and silly that you wouldn’t normally allow yourself. Our inner child still wants to play, no matter how old we are. And we align with our source without even trying, by simply playing!

5- Help someone else with no regard for your own benefit. Giving is one of the highest forms of living. Yes, we still need to take care of ourselves so that we can give from a space of love and fullness. Many teachers have modeled the power of service to others. Some of us can do this easily and gracefully, some need to be encouraged, and some need a push!

6- Meditate. This is the classic pause that refreshes per most spiritual traditions. Sometimes we worry too much about how to do meditation. I believe that anyway we can slow our minds to create inner stillness is good. Some people sit, some lay down, some focus on breathing, some on mantras, some on their surroundings. Meditation can also be more active like walking or doing a repetitive chore. Anything that you can do to relax your mind into being present with the now will help you refresh.

7- Pray for others. Spend time in contemplation of good for others. Even just mentally sending good thoughts and vibrations to friends, family, or people in need. Most of us have heard that what we give is what we receive, but have you actually experienced the joy of this simple process? See what happens if you spend a few minutes during your day to send blessings to others.  You might be surprised at how good you feel.

8- Gratitude. This has become one of my core spiritual practices. The key is to feel grateful. You want to activate the feeling of gratitude in yourself, which is very close to the feeling of love. Love and appreciation are two of the highest vibrations that we can achieve. And be gentle with yourself if you don’t get in the feeling of gratitude. Simply looking for things to be grateful for in your life will help you transform your life. Gradually I’ve become someone who more often looks for what is right instead of what is wrong in my life.

Anything that we can do to relax, allow, and align with beingness is going to refresh us and raise our vibration. And the more time that we spend in these higher vibrations, the better our lives will become.

Much like a reset button, you can press pause, refresh your energy, and reset your life today!