"You are my muezzin..."

True, I am a woman and true, I am not Muslim. And yet...

No matter where you are stuck or overwhelmed, how does putting intentional markers in your day to pause and reflect support your optimal health?

One of my very favorite clients has been doing strenuous work in a Muslim country for the past several weeks. She has been hearing the muezzin call the faithful to prayer five times each day. It is a beautiful, meaningful sound. And even though she is not Muslim, the sound of the muezzin's voice reminds her to stop and breathe, stop and reflect.

Several times during her time away, I invited her to do this simple exercise...

"Tell me three words."

And back, from across the ocean, would come the text...

"Busy, busy, busy."

"Focused, purpose, confused."

"Gratitude, learning, sorrow."

And with her final text before coming home, she said "You are my muezzin, you make me stop in the middle of things and reflect on words."

I was surprised and also deeply grateful to her for the reminder that our own muezzin's can appear in all different forms. How it looks will depend on who you are and if you are listening. It could be a church bell that rings at a certain time each afternoon, or a chime that is set on a cell phone. Or it could look like a morning ritual of drinking the first cup of tea in silence, before checking email or reading the paper.

It reminds me that I can put intentional markers in my day, on a regular basis, to pause and reflect, to feel grateful, to breathe. And that feels super healthy.

Make remembering to intentionally create space for pauses in your day to reflect and breathe, on a regular basis, a healthy habit.