Wellness Inspired Podcast
Wellness is an everyday choice. Join Sheri Davidson, licensed acupuncturist, integrative health coach and co-host of the Health + Dwellness Podcast, in conversations and interviews to help you achieve a higher level of well-being and performance. Each episode will inspire, empower, motivate, and encourage you in the pursuit of wellness. You deserve it! If you are struggling with change, needing extra support, interested in a like-minded community, or have a wellness passion, come along for the adventure. We'll laugh, learn, love, and grow together. It's time to thrive!
Wellness Inspired Podcast
The Pause: A Wellness Reset Between What Was and What’s Next
We often talk about growth as forward motion, but what if the real breakthrough comes when we slow down? In this episode, I reflect on my recent wellness river cruise and how choosing stillness helped me reset mentally, emotionally, and physically.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
- Why momentum can become its own kind of stress
- How intentional space can support nervous system healing
- What a “long pause” really looks like—and why it matters
- Simple ways to create pauses in your everyday life
🎧 Press play if you’re craving clarity, calm, or just a moment to breathe.
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Hello, wellness adventurist, welcome back to another episode of the wellness inspired podcast, a place where you can find inspiration, motivation and empowerment in the pursuit of a wellness lifestyle. I'm your host, sherry Davidson. I'm a wellness coach, acupuncturist, trail runner and former interior designer in Houston, texas, and I am deeply passionate about health and wellbeing. And, as always, I'm here with my co-host, finn, and if you're new to the podcast, finn is my Terrier, mix Rescue Dog, trail runner and loyal companion. He is also a therapy dog and greeter at Element 5, acupuncture and Wellness. And we have something special for you.
Speaker 1:In our last episode, episode 79, wellness Travel Reset how Intentional Trips Support Long-Term Wellbeing. We talked about the powerful ways intentional travel can create space for reflection and long-lasting wellness shifts. Well, today we are going one layer deeper, because sometimes it's not just about resetting and recharging, because sometimes it's not just about resetting and recharging, it's about stopping the momentum that is carrying us in the wrong direction. And that's what I'll be sharing with you today the power of the pause, what it means, why it matters and how my recent wellness river cruise became more than a getaway. It became a long pause that helped me release what wasn't serving me and reclaim a clearer, steadier mindset, and it makes me a little sad because at this point in the episode I would be promoting the Wellness River Cruise but I just got back from it. I have a lot to share from it and it makes me sad that I won't be promoting it, but I am onto the next. I'm creating another one. So whenever I get that together, I'll be back here promoting the next wellness trip.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's jump in. We talk a lot about moving forward, about momentum, progress, growth, but what happens when the momentum itself becomes the problem, when the path you're on starts leading you somewhere you no longer want to go, but it feels impossible to stop? That's where the pause comes, in, the space between what was and what's next. It's a space we rarely choose for ourselves. Usually, life forces it on us through burnout, illness or moments where everything feels like too much. But what if we choose it? Or moments where everything feels like too much, but what if we choose it?
Speaker 1:That was the intention I set for my recent wellness river cruise to embrace the pause, to stop the momentum, not just the busyness, but the mental and emotional patterns that were pulling me in a direction. I didn't wanna continue and, let me be honest, this wasn't something a good night's sleep could fix. I tried many times. This wasn't something a good night's sleep could fix. I tried many times. Rest wasn't enough. I needed something stronger. I needed a long pause, and it took time. The first few days the old patterns kept showing up the fear, worry, that sense of rushing towards a future. I didn't want of rushing towards a future I didn't want, but slowly, with quiet mornings, meditation and space to breathe, the momentum began to slow until it stopped and in that stillness, clarity emerged. So today we are talking about that pause, why it matters, how it can change not just a trip or a season, but your entire relationship with growth, resilience and change.
Speaker 1:Before the trip, I asked everyone on the Wellness River Cruise to set an intention. Like I said, mine was simple but powerful to embrace the pause, to stop the momentum that was no longer serving me, so I could create peace and clarity and return with a new mindset. What many people don't realize is that momentum isn't always positive. It can be stress, worry, fear, and when it builds it can feel like being swept down a river you no longer want to ride but can't seem to get out, and that's where I found myself before the cruise. Like many of you, I tried rest. I tried little things good sleep, meditation breaks in my day. But the momentum was too strong. I needed more than a quick reset. I needed what I now call a long pause, and that's what this trip became for me.
Speaker 1:But it didn't happen immediately. The first few days the momentum followed me. I woke up early with worry, the same looping thoughts, emotions, and at night I'd catch my mind rushing ahead or replaying the past. So I leaned into the practices I know morning meditation, stillness, breathing deeply, as I sat on the balcony of our room watching the world float by, letting the movement of the river remind me that momentum can shift, but only when we stop trying to force it. By midweek, something started to change. The early wake-ups became less frequent, the fears and worries started to lose their emotional grip and I felt myself returning to a grounded, steady place. The pause was working, not because I forced it, but because I allowed it.
Speaker 1:So why does the pause matter so much? Because without it, momentum tends to do what momentum does? It keeps going, even when it's carrying us somewhere we no longer want to be. Our nervous system craves patterns, and once a pattern of fear, overthinking or chronic stress sets in, it builds speed. A weekend off won't always slow it down. A single good night sleep won't always stop it. Sometimes it takes something bigger, a deliberate, spacious pause to break the cycle. And this is why wellness isn't just about doing more. It's not always about the next biohack habit or productivity tool. It's about knowing when to stop, to interrupt the patterns that no longer service, to step into the space between what was and what's next. And this is what I love about wellness.
Speaker 1:Travel done intentionally, it's not an escape. It's a conscious decision. To pause intentionally, it's not an escape. It's a conscious decision to pause, reflect and rest, to create distance from the noise and busyness of daily life so you can hear yourself again. On the river cruise, I saw this happening, not just for me, but for others too. Each person had a different reason for being there. Some wanted rest, some sought inspiration and some simply wanted quiet, but all of us were in some way entering the pause, and that space created the conditions for clarity, healing and perspective to emerge.
Speaker 1:And that's the beauty of the pause is that it doesn't look the same for everyone, and on this cruise I witnessed that firsthand. For me, it was the slow mornings on the balcony, coffee in hand, watching the world drift by. It was the stillness of the water and the soft hum of the boat reminding me not every moment has to be filled. One day I biked through the city of Vienna, weaving past grand architecture and along the vibrant artist canal where street art told stories of the city's creative pulse. On another day, I rode through the countryside near Krems. We passed blooming apple orchards and rolling vineyards, eventually arriving in the quaint Austrian town of Dernstein, with its cobblestone street and blue church tower rising above the landscape.
Speaker 1:Unlike my usual endurance ride, where speed and distance are the focus, these rides were different. The pace was slower. We stopped often to admire the scenery, take in the crisp spring air and simply be in the moment. And that small shift was a practice in embracing the pause even while moving. It wasn't about covering ground, it was about experiencing the ground beneath me.
Speaker 1:I also noticed how others on the trip found their own pauses. Some spent quiet hours reading, others chose solitude on deck or deep conversations over local mills. Others chose solitude on deck or deep conversations over local mills. One evening, a few of us gathered to share reflections, not in a formal way, but organically, as people often do when they feel safe and unhurried. And what stood out was this Every person, whether consciously or not, was slowing the momentum of their everyday lives. We were each reclaiming space for something we rarely give ourselves time to reflect without the pressure to immediately act. These moments remind me that pausing isn't just about stopping. It's about making room for the insights and emotions that can't surface when life is moving too fast, when the momentum is going.
Speaker 1:So here are some practical takeaways, because the truth is not everyone can take a river cruise or an extended trip when they need a pause. I totally get that, although I hope you all come on my next wellness trip I don't know if it'll be a cruise, but I will do a cruise again but there are some things that we can do at home to create moments of stillness and reflection in our daily lives. So if you do it with intention, you have to do it with intention. So here are a few ways to create your own pause, even in the middle of a busy season, when you can't jump on a boat for two weeks well, a week, okay. So number one morning stillness. So, instead of diving into your phone or a to-do list.
Speaker 1:Take five, 10, 15 quiet minutes each morning. Sit, breathe, let the day come to you before you rush towards it. I do this every morning. I actually do it before I get out of the bed. I used to grab my phone because I would turn off my alarm and I would grab my phone and get on, look at my email, like before I even opened both eyes. I would do this and I have stopped. So now I take about five to 10 minutes. I breathe, I welcome the day in, I think about you, know what a beautiful day it's going to be, and it's just a nice way to start, to start my day.
Speaker 1:Another thing that you can do is a midday nature break. This is why I love trail running. Obviously, I don't go trail running in the middle of the day because I'm at work, but I do live and work in a walkable area, so sometimes Ben and I will step outside, even if it's for a few minutes. Just notice the trees, the clouds, the sounds around you. We've been in this area for so long. We know a lot of the people who work in the area, and so we love just walking and waving to people. That's one of my favorite things, but shifting your environment, even briefly, can interrupt mental momentum and emotional momentum.
Speaker 1:Okay, number three is evening reflection. So ask yourself what momentum am I carrying into tomorrow and is it serving me? Journaling or even a simple mental check-in can help you release what's not needed. And number five mindful movement. So, whether it's a walk, yoga or even stretching I love yin yoga Let it be about the experience, not performance or progress. Just feel it.
Speaker 1:And Finn speaks. I'll give him some airtime, he deserves it. Okay, back to back on topic. Uh, let's see. Where were we? Um, we were talking about mindful movement. Um, yes, we were talking about when, uh, fear or worry loop show up. That's where we were. So, yes, because they inevitably will show up. So meet them with curiosity rather than urgency. At least that pause can be enough to prevent old patterns from regaining that speed or momentum. You just slow that momentum down a little bit. Or momentum, you just slow that momentum down a little bit. Okay, so I think the next part here.
Speaker 1:We're about to wrap it up, but I just want to invite you. If you've been feeling the weight of your own momentum, whether it's stress, worry or just the relentless pace of life. I invite you to consider what a pause might look like for you. Not a vacation, not an escape a conscious pause. So what does that look like for you? It could be a quiet morning ritual, an intentional break from over committing, or even joining a wellness travel experience like mine, where the space to reset and reflect is built right into the design. If this idea of pausing and reclaiming your clarity resonates with you, I'd love to connect. You can learn more about my coaching or future wellness travel experiences at my website wellness inspired podcast, or just reach out directly, just DM me.
Speaker 1:Sometimes, the first step to creating new momentum is simply recognizing that you are ready to stop the old one. So, as we wrap up today's conversation, I want to leave you with this thought the pause isn't where progress ends, it's where clarity begins. When we stop the momentum that no longer serves us, even briefly, we create the space for new perspectives, new choices and new energy to emerge, whether it's through wellness travel, a morning of stillness or simply choosing to say no to what drains. You remember, the pause is not passive. It's an active, courageous decision to stop moving in the wrong direction so you can discover what's next. Thank you for sharing the space with me today and if this episode resonated with you, feel free to reach out, share your reflections or leave a review. It helps me continue these meaningful conversations with you. So until next time, keep exploring, keep discovering and remember the most important momentum is the one you choose.
Speaker 1:If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the podcast and share with your family and friends. You can also give me a rating and review. Wherever you listen to your podcast, it helps others find me as well. To get updates on new episodes and wellness inspiration in your inbox, please join the wellness inspired community. Go to the wellness inspired podcastcom to sign up. I'll put the link to the website in the show notes so you can click and join. Also, there's a Facebook community at the wellness inspired and you can follow me on Instagram at wellness underscore inspired.
Speaker 1:If you're in the Houston area or just visiting and interested in our services acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, zinchiatsu or dry needling therapy contact us. You can find out more on our website at element5omcom. That's element5, the number five omcom, and again I'll put the link in the show notes. If you're interested in health and wellness coaching, we can connect in the clinic or on zoom. Reach out to us and we'll get you on the schedule and, as always, I would love to hear your feedback. I am dedicated to bringing you great content that is inspiring and informative, with an artsy, fun, edgy spin. Thank you so much for listening. We'll meet here again next time and remember never stop exploring, learning, loving and being you. Bye.