Last week, I took a pause.
I packed my bags and headed to Bryce Canyon National Park, one of the most stunning natural landscapes I’ve ever experienced. Carved by time and lit by stars, Bryce offers something increasingly rare in our modern world: silence, stillness, and truly dark skies. In fact, it’s an official International Dark Sky Park, meaning it actively protects its night environment from light pollution. I happened to be there during their astronomy festival, an annual event that celebrates the awe of stargazing and the wonder of our galaxy.
Lying under that canopy of stars, with no cell service and no agenda, I remembered something I often tell others but sometimes forget myself: healing needs room to breathe.
Whether you’re actively grieving or simply carrying the everyday weight of stress, caregiving, or a busy life, taking time off isn’t indulgent, it’s essential. Nature has a way of calling us back to ourselves. It doesn’t rush. It doesn’t demand productivity. It just is. And when we allow ourselves to just be alongside it, something inside begins to exhale.
Research backs this up. Studies have shown that spending time in natural environments can lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones, boost immune function, and even enhance our capacity for empathy and connection. One 2020 study found that just two hours a week in nature, whether spread out or all at once, can significantly improve well-being.
But healing isn’t only found in the grandeur of a national park. It can be found in simple, intentional moments:
- A morning walk listening to the birds greet the sun
- Watching the sunset melt into the horizon
- Meditating for five quiet minutes
- Laughing with a friend over coffee
- Petting a beloved dog or cat
- Stargazing from your backyard or balcony
These small pauses and these everyday sabbaticals can anchor us when we feel unmoored.
Grief, in particular, often catches us when we least expect it. But when we create space for beauty, wonder, and rest, we also create space for healing.
So as we move into this holiday week, here’s my gentle invitation:
✨ Plan a break—big or small—that helps you reconnect with the present moment.
✨ Share in the comments or with someone you trust how you take a break and what it offers you.
Because healing doesn’t happen in hustle.
It happens in the pause.
