the other day I caught myself opening my phone three separate times without even knowing why. not to answer anyone,. not to look something up. just habit. it made me realize how automatic life has become. wake up. check something. eat while watching something. sit with people half listening. we’re taking things in all day long, but little of it actually lands anywhere meaningful. and from my point of view, I don’t even think people are tired from doing too much anymore. I think they’re tired from never fully leaving consumption. there’s barely any space to digest life. no pause after a conversation. no quiet after a long day. no real moment to ask yourself how you feel and to feel it. every rest has become consumption. people don’t sit outside anymore. they watch other people sitting outside. people don’t experience sunsets. they record and post them. people don’t process emotions fully, they scroll past them. and the craziest part of all is, it all feels “normal” now. Being constantly overstimulated is the new normal. absorbing non stop podcasts, videos, opinions, reels, trends, advice, messages, notifications. that’s why the pause matters. not as some wellness trend. not as another thing to master. just as a way to come back to life. to sit without grabbing your phone. to drive without music or the radio. to drink coffee/tea without reading or consuming something. small things. because the small things is where life is happening. Consciousness is not found in consuming more. it’s found when we stop flooding ourselves long enough to notice what’s already there. that’s the real question. are you connected to yourself or are you just endlessly consuming?

I need a lot of rest! What about everyone else?

Animals help with the pause don’t they? Show me a pause with your fave furry friend💖

Have you ever noticed during a conversation the person says the exact thing you needed to hear and realize in the present moment the message came through them but not from them?

My biggest takeaway from our circle yesterday is self love. We cannot love anything or anyone until we have unconditional love for self. What was your takeaway? @Sherry Bachelder @Kathryn Nichol @Courtney Walsh @Jess Stephens