Advent impulses: Breathing Deeply
We therefore decided to start the Advent season with you one week earlier and use our impulses to remind you of what the meaning and content of this time was originally intended to be: a time of silence, reflection, and preparation.
This year, we accompany you with four impulses, which we are aligning with topics that we consider particularly important in this sense: Breathing deeply, serenity, anticipation and courage. We made a conscious decision not to print an Advent calendar. On the one hand, because we received feedback last year that the printed calendar version did not reach you at all or very late in times of home office work. On the other hand, it is also important to us in these times to only burden our CO2 footprint with inevitable and effective items. We look forward to staying in touch with you in the coming year and wish you a wonderful pre-Christmas period in which you also allow yourself time for reflection.
BREATHING DEEPLY
Getting off the endless carousel of tasks, swimming free in the maelstrom of topics, stopping the mental hamster wheel is not an easy task for many of us in a busy world. Often because it would be factually inappropriate and at the same time because we don't allow ourselves the need for a break or don't even realize it. Breathless and tense, we race through the day, the weeks, the year. After all, there is always something to do and our focus is on completing our obligations, responsibilities and to-do lists.
In fact, it is not surprising that the idea of idleness does not have the best reputation. Sometimes an external occasion helps, reminding us to 'take a break' and 'take a deep breath'. It is important to allow these moments of rest. They offer us the opportunity to gather new energy and refocus our thoughts. They give us the strength to get moving again and forge ahead with renewed vigor.
Another interesting perspective is that pauses structure and connect time. Similar to pauses between words when speaking or pauses in music, pauses in everyday life serve to link a "before" and "after". Pauses help to create continuity and help us to consciously experience the transition from one activity to the next. An effect that you should consciously indulge in, especially in the run-up to Christmas - as a valuable moment of transition and reflection.
So consciously take time for breaks in the coming days and devote yourself to your own needs. Because breaks are not a waste of time, but a valuable investment - also in your well-being.
Reflection questions
- How often do you consciously take a break? How do you spend them?
- What stops you from taking a break? How often does this happen to you?
- When would you like to consciously take a break today? And how long should it be?
- How do you want to spend the break? What is good for you?
- Finally, mark the break as an appointment in your calendar and / or set an alarm!
Mini breathing exercise
Use this mini breathing exercise to bring yourself into a relaxed state in just a few conscious breaths:
- Sit or stand comfortably. Straighten your body - it helps if you imagine that your head is being directed upwards by an invisible thread. Allow your shoulders to drop loosely.
- Breathe in consciously and slowly.
- Hold your breath and count to 4 at a normal pace.
- Exhale consciously and count to 7 at a normal pace.
Repeat this up to 4 times. This exercise also calms your heartbeat, for example.
Moments of pause
As a team, we asked ourselves: How do we actually take breaks? What do breaks mean to us? And because as a 'remote company' we rarely see how individuals deal with these short breaks, the result of the survey was once again a moment to get to know us even better.
But take a look for yourself: This is what break moments at Movendo look like.
