Why I Added a Five-Minute Pause to My Day (and How It Helps)
Image generated by the author with chatGPT.
From Morning Meditation to Midday Crash
I’ve written before about how I returned to a regular meditation routine this past year—just 15 minutes each morning. It helps me clear the fog of sleep and enter the day with more clarity. It’s simple, consistent, and reliable.
But I started noticing something. On certain days, the calm wore off too quickly. A stretch of health concerns and work stress hit at the same time. My sleep was off. And even with my morning meditation, by midday I felt foggy and wired at once—overstimulated but under-resourced.
I realized that starting the day well wasn’t enough. I needed another touchpoint to reset—something that could support me in the middle of it all, not just the beginning.
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How I Found the Five-Minute Reset (and Why I Keep Going Back)
I’d always skipped the five-minute meditations on my wellness apps. Too short to be real, I figured. I was used to 15 minutes minimum—anything less felt like cheating. But with work stress rising and my usual tools wearing thin, I reconsidered.
Scrolling one afternoon, I found a simple five-minute breathing exercise—not even labeled a meditation. Just a brief prompt to slow down and notice my breath. I gave it a try, right in the middle of a busy workday.
It worked. The deeper breathing. The break from my screen. The shift in pace. It wasn’t dramatic, but it was enough. I returned to my next task a little steadier.
Soon, I began weaving in these five-minute pauses mid-morning or between meetings. They reminded me of early in my career, watching coworkers step outside for a smoke break. I never smoked, but I always noticed how often they stepped away. My breaks are shorter and far less frequent—but they serve the same function: a moment to reset and return.
Small Break, Big Shift: Why It Works
There’s something empowering about interrupting the momentum of your day—on purpose. Five minutes won’t solve everything, but it does interrupt the cycle. Rumination, tension, distraction—they don’t thrive when you stop and breathe.
These resets give your nervous system a cue to shift gears. They remind you that you can respond to stress, not just absorb it.
We often think recovery requires big things—vacations, full days off, ideal conditions. But sometimes, what helps is much smaller: a simple decision to stop for a moment.
What I Do With My Five Minutes
Most days, I choose a guided breathing exercise. Some are aimed at calming anxiety or resetting after tension. Others are more neutral—just a voice reminding me to come back to my breath.
If meditation isn’t your thing, there are other ways to take a five-minute pause:
Make a cup of tea.
Step away from your desk and look out a window.
Read a few pages from a book that steadies you.
The activity matters less than the shift in attention—something that pulls you out of the swirl and back to yourself.
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A Tool, Not a Fix
This isn’t a cure-all. Some days, five minutes doesn’t make a dent. But over time, it’s become a rhythm I trust. A reminder that I can slow down without falling behind. That I can rest without quitting.
Most importantly, I can stop—before my body forces me to.
You may be “on the clock” for someone else, but they don’t own every moment of your day. You’re not a split person like in the show *Severance*—one self for work, another for life. You’re still you, all day long. And you get to take five minutes.
Try It: Where Could Five Minutes Fit Into Your Day?
Don’t think of it as checking out. Think of it as checking in.
Start with what’s comfortable. Build consistency. See how the practice shapes your day.
And I’d love to know—where might five minutes make the biggest difference for you?
