A Gentle Interruption
Your desk called.
Put the tab down. Put the task down. Put down whatever "quick thing" you were about to do. Take five minutes and push some sand around instead.
Not exactly productive.
Worth it anyway.
Your Five Minutes Starts Here
- 1Fill your tray with sand.
- 2Turn the timer.The emails can wait.
- 3Pick up your rake.No experience required.
- 4Create whatever feels right.Rings, waves, spirals: there's no right or wrong.
- 5Take a slow breath.Seriously. Do it.
- 6Return to your day, five minutes lighter.
A Few House Rules
- Keep it dry.
- Treat it kindly.
- Let the sand move freely.
- Use it often, it works better the more you show up.
Signs It's Time To Pause
- Your coffee's gone cold. Again.
- That "quick task" quietly ate the whole hour.
- Before a hard conversation, and definitely after one too.
- If you've nodded off twice, take that as your sign.
Four Ways To Breathe Your Way Back
The physiological sigh
Two quick inhales through the nose, then one long, slow exhale.
Repeat 2-3 times. Best right after the stressful moment.
4-6 breathing
Inhale gently for four counts through the nose, exhale for six through the mouth.
Repeat 4 times. Perfect just before a meeting.
Box breathing
In for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four.
Repeat 2-3 minutes. Sharpens focus.
Five deep breaths
Slow inhale through the nose, a brief hold, then a gentle exhale as the shoulders drop.
Repeat 5 times. For when it's all a bit much.
Be Kind To Your Mind
That's the whole list.
Sometimes it really is enough.
A Little Reminder
Not everything needs your attention this very second. The inbox will keep. The notifications will keep. Your to-do list, somehow, always finds a way to keep too.
Take the five minutes. Head back when you're ready.
The best ideas rarely arrive
while we're rushing.
Wellbeing Standard Co.
Wellbeing Standard Co. creates simple, tangible tools that help people take practical moments to pause during the working day.
"Where wellbeing becomes the standard"