What's the scariest thing you’ve ever done? For me, it wasn't changing careers. It wasn't starting over in my mid-40s. It wasn't letting go of a life I thought would unfold differently. It was choosing to pivot. Because pivoting asks us to do something that feels completely counterintuitive. It asks us to pause when everything inside us wants to panic. Perhaps you've been there. Maybe you're teetering on the decision of retirement. Maybe you're navigating a divorce, an empty nest, caregiving, burnout, a health challenge or a growing sense that the life you've built no longer fits the person you're becoming. Life rarely unfolds exactly as planned. And at some point, nearly all of us find ourselves asking the same question: What now? Our human instinct is often to move faster. We search for answers, make plans, seek advice and try to figure out the quickest route forward. The brain craves certainty. It wants to close the loop, reduce discomfort and convince us we're making the "right" decision. But after years as a wellness educator, mindfulness specialist, well-being coach and former athlete, I've learned something important: Meaningful change rarely begins with action. It begins with awareness. As a basketball player, I learned the importance of a two-foot jump stop. Before changing direction, you don't keep running at full speed. You land. Both feet grounded. Stable. Aware. Only then can you pivot. Forward. Backward. In a completely new direction. But always from a place of control rather than chaos. Life works much the same way. When we rush through transitions, we often make decisions from fear, urgency or uncertainty. When we pause, we create space to listen. That realization inspired a framework I now teach called P.I.V.O.T. Pause. Before reacting, spiraling or making the next move, pause. This is where the nervous system begins to regulate. A pause creates space between what is happening and how we choose to respond. Insight. Turn inward to your body wisdom. Long before the mind catches up, the body often knows. A tight chest. Shallow breathing. Restless sleep. A persistent feeling that something is off. These are not inconveniences. They are messengers. Versus. Notice the tension between what you genuinely feel and what you think you should do. Many of us spend years living by expectations—our own or someone else's. Yet transitions invite a deeper question: What feels true for me now? Not five years ago. Not according to someone else's timeline. Now. Overthinking. This is where many of us get stuck and in our own way. Overthinking pulls us out of the present moment and into imagined futures filled with worry, doubt and endless possibilities. We analyze. Replay. Second-guess. In doing so, we disconnect from the very wisdom we're searching for. Thinking. Grounded thinking is different. It doesn't come from fear. It comes from clarity and emerges when we've slowed down long enough to reconnect with ourselves. From that place, decisions feel steadier, more intentional and more aligned with who we are becoming. www.DesertHealthNews.com July/August 2026 MYOFASCIAL RELEASE The Missing Link To Authentic Healing For the Treatment of: • Headaches/Migraines • TMJ • Neck and Back Pain • Fibromyalgia • Carpal Tunnel • Plantar Fasciitis • Neurological Conditions Benefits Include: • Decreased Pain • Decreased Inflammation • Increased Range of Motion • Increased Mobility • Increased Circulation • Improved Posture • Improved Mood & Cognition 760.895.5145 online scheduling at: https://gina-malloy.clientsecure.me Gina M. Malloy, PT, MS Licensed Physical Therapist Offering Specialized Treatment for Women’s Health Issues Including, but not limited to: Endometriosis • Bladder Incontinence Mastectomy Pain and Scars www.groundedjoywellness.org Ground through life’s transitions. Reset your nervous system. Reclaim your joy. Redesign your life. Christy Curtis 949.303.8256 christycurtiswellness@gmail.com groundedjoywellness.org MINDFUL WELLBEING COACH Mindful Wellbeing Coaching Speaking Engagements Curated Retreats + Workshops www.cellrejuvenationspa.com Organic Facials and Purification Wraps for Full Body Rejuvenation Stephanie Gray, LMT, LE Aesthetician • Massage Therapist • Spinal Flow Practitioner 760.556.5781 44-419 Town Center Way, Ste. 134 • Palm Desert cellrejuvenationspa.com Plant-active ingredients that deliver transformative results Customized sessions may include: Green Envee Enzyme Peel Collagen Boosting Facial Craniosacral Therapy Reflexology Living with Jennifer Di Francesco Wellness An age-old activity is the simple act of casting a flat pebble over a body of water, watching it bounce and skip across the surface. This skimming effect is performed, often without thinking, to ease anxiety—a small ritual of release. Nowadays, “skimming the surface” describes something far more common; the way we move through everyday life. We stay on the surface of our experiences, gliding from one moment to the next. Sadly, this tendency does not ease anxiety the way the childhood pastime does. We have the opportunity to inhabit a life with our fullest presence, yet too often, we don’t take it. Skimming should be left for stone skipping. When we go deeper than the surface of life, we move from gliding on top of things to an existence of mattering and meaning. Most things in our current society lure us toward a smooth, easy, fast ride. Today’s life motto seems to be: fit as much as possible into the schedule. Make it all look perfect. Find a way to expedite and extract information with as little effort as possible. Somehow, these practices leave us empty. The opposite creates a satiated life. Less is more. Expose your frailties and vulnerabilities. Dig deeper and extract meaning through examination and reflection. When we slow down and cultivate attention, the pebbles of our life drop deeper, and the experiences become richer. The following strategies are helpful practices: Do hard things voluntarily. A challenging hike, an outing in rain or imperfect weather, a conversation you’ve been avoiding. These steps require us to dig deeper, yet the outcome becomes memorable and character-building. Dine in a phone-free zone. Studies show that merely having a cell phone on the dinner table lessens the depth of conversation.³ The phone doesn’t even need to be picked up. Our brains register its presence and keep the conversation lighter. Try dining without your phone even visible. Savor the flavors and texture of your food, and the deeper conversation that follows. Get real with each other. Spend real, unstructured time with people you love, not just enjoying parallel activities. Most of these steps revolve around connection and igniting a human spark. We crave personal interaction. Current cultures and norms convince us we can find this through technology and self-reliance, but authentic relationships invite us to rise to a deeper level of engagement. Live with deep, intentional presence, and know that all the pebbles of our lives must drop and rest in a little murky water to marinate in richness and bounty. Jennifer Di Francesco is a wellness explorer and desert adventurist and can be reached at www.coachellabellaboho.com. Reference: 1) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103117301737#! Skimming the Surface of Life Studies show that even a phone turned-off on the dinner table is distracting. The Pause Before the Pivot The strength of stillness By Christy Curtis Continued on page 17 Natural Options The Valley's Leading Resource for Health and Wellness 11
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