72. Bonus - Pause, Breathe, Reflect: A Heart-Centered Holiday Practice for Nurses

As the holidays approach, stress and emotional overload can quietly build—especially for nurses and caregivers who are used to putting everyone else first.

In this bonus episode of The Nurses’ Breakroom with Jenny Lytle, RN, Jenny offers a gentle, guided pause designed to help you slow down, reconnect with your inner wisdom, and settle your nervous system.

You’ll be guided through a HeartMath-inspired Quick Coherence® breathing practice, followed by reflective questions centered on gratitude, appreciation, and calm. There’s nothing to fix, plan, or achieve—just space to breathe, feel, and listen.

This short practice is perfect if you’re feeling overwhelmed, emotionally full, or simply craving a quiet moment that belongs just to you.

✨ What You’ll Experience

• A simple heart-focused breathing technique to promote calm
• Gentle guidance to shift into feelings of appreciation or care
• Space for reflection without pressure or expectation
• A grounding reset you can return to anytime during the holidays

🧘‍♀️ Try This

• Listen somewhere quiet if possible—but perfection isn’t required
• Let your breath be slow and natural
• If your mind wanders, gently return to the heart area
• Come back to this episode whenever you need a reset

This episode is a reminder: you don’t need to earn rest. You’re allowed to pause.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or like there’s never enough time, I’ve got something just for you! Head to https://selfcareisntselfish.com to grab your FREE copy of my book, Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: The Compassionate Nurse’s Step-by-Step Guide to Personalized Stress Relief. It’s packed with simple, effective strategies to help you prioritize your needs—without guilt—so you can feel energized, focused, and ready to take on the day. Go to https://selfcareisntselfish.com 

Feeling stressed? Grab my quick and easy Busy Nurses' Guide to Less Stress for practical stress relief that truly fits into your life! https://www.jennylytle.com/guide

Looking for connection with people who get the stress and self-care struggles of nurses and caregivers? Check out https://thenursesbreakroom.com

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennylytlern/

More ways to connect here: https://linktr.ee/jennylytle

Transcript

Quick Coherence Setup

Heart-Focused Breathing

Cultivating Appreciation

Guided Gratitude Prompt

Jenny Lytle, RN 0:29

Hello and welcome back to another episode of The Nurses Break Room with Jenny Lytle RN. Today, as we move into the holidays, we're going to do something a little different. And we're going to just take a little bit of time to listen to our own internal wisdom and think about some questions. And I'm going to guide you through this. And first of all, we're going to just pause and use the quick coherence technique to settle in just a bit. So I'd just like you to notice your breathing and start to breathe a little more slowly and a little more deeply than you normally would. And as you're breathing, I'd like you to focus the attention in the area around your heart. And just breathe in and out of that area. And as you breathe in and out of that area, I encourage you to make a sincere attempt to experience a regenerative feeling, such as appreciation or care for someone or something in your life. You can try to re-experience the feeling that you have for someone you love, a pet, a special place, an accomplishment, etc., or you can just focus on a feeling of calm or ease. And now we're going to move into the guided questions and just reflect on these for yourself. I am so grateful for.