In this episode of Pause Here, we explore temperature - hot, cold, and why your body cares so much. We look at how temperature shapes your stress levels, energy, recovery, and sleep, not just as background comfort, but as one of the body’s core signals for safety, readiness, and rest.

You’ll learn why cold exposure can feel sharp, intense, and strangely clarifying, why warmth can help the body soften into recovery, and why the natural drop in body temperature before sleep is one of the quiet ways your system prepares to rest. From cold showers to saunas to the science of cooling down at night, we unpack how temperature shifts can influence the nervous system in real, practical ways.

Press play, warm up, cool down, and listen to what your body’s been trying to tell you.

• Van Someren, E. J. W. (2000). More than a marker: Interaction between the circadian regulation of temperature and sleep, age-related changes, and treatment possibilities. Chronobiology International, 17(3), 313–354.
• Tai, Y., Obayashi, K., Yamagami, Y., & Saeki, K. (2023). Association between circadian skin temperature rhythms and actigraphic sleep measures in real-life settings. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 19(7), 1281–1292.
• Lee, E., Kolunsarka, I. A., Kostensalo, J., Ahtiainen, J. P., Haapala, E. A., Willeit, P., Kunutsor, S. K., & Laukkanen, J. A. (2022). The effects of regular sauna bathing in conjunction with exercise on cardiovascular function: A multi-arm randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 323(3), R289–R299.
• Laukkanen, J. A., Laukkanen, T., & Kunutsor, S. K. (2018). Cardiovascular and other health benefits of sauna bathing: A review of the evidence. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 93(8), 1111–1121.
• Haghayegh, S., Khoshnevis, S., Smolensky, M. H., Diller, K. R., & Castriotta, R. J. (2019). Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 46, 124–135.
• Cain, T., Menzies, V., Fay, N., Gray, P., Norton, C., & Stevens, C. J. (2025). Effects of cold-water immersion on health and wellbeing: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 20(1), e0317615.
• Buijze, G. A., Sierevelt, I. N., van der Heijden, B. C. J. M., Dijkgraaf, M. G., & Frings-Dresen, M. H. W. (2016). The effect of cold showering on health and work: A randomized controlled trial. PLOS ONE, 11(9), e0161749.

In this episode of Pause Here, we explore how different genres of music can shift your emotions and your nervous system in a real, embodied way, not just “music affects mood” level, but breath, activation, stress recovery, and the inner climate you live in.

You’ll learn why a slower track can create spaciousness, why repetition can feel like a container, and why “calming music” isn’t universal, because your history with sound matters just as much as the sound itself. We explore a few genre contrasts (classical vs metal, pop vs rock, and alternative vs emo) to show how regulation can look like softness… or containment… or catharsis, depending on what your system needs. Lean how to choose the song that meets you where you are, then guides you somewhere better.

Press play, check in, and let your body choose the next track.

• Thoma, M. V., La Marca, R., Brönnimann, R., Finkel, L., Ehlert, U., & Nater, U. M. (2013). The effect of music on the human stress response. PLOS ONE, 8(8), e70156.
• Stewart, J., Garrido, S., Hense, C., & McFerran, K. (2019). Music use for mood regulation: Self-awareness and conscious listening choices in young people with tendencies to depression. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 1199.
• Sharman, L., & Dingle, G. A. (2015). Extreme metal music and anger processing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, Article 272.
• Schäfer, T., Sedlmeier, P., Städtler, C., & Huron, D. (2013). The psychological functions of music listening. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, Article 511.
• Pelletier, C. L. (2004). The effect of music on decreasing arousal due to stress: A meta-analysis. Journal of Music Therapy, 41(3), 192–214.
• Koelsch, S. (2014). Brain correlates of music-evoked emotions. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 15(3), 170–180.
• Juslin, P. N., & Västfjäll, D. (2008). Emotional responses to music: The need to consider underlying mechanisms. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 31(5), 559–575.
• Huron, D. (2006). Sweet anticipation: Music and the psychology of expectation. MIT Press.
• Cook, T., Roy, A. R. K., & Welker, K. M. (2019). Music as an emotion regulation strategy: An examination of genres of music and their roles in emotion regulation. Psychology of Music, 47(1), 144–154.
• Chanda, M. L., & Levitin, D. J. (2013). The neurochemistry of music. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 17(4), 179–193.
• Bernardi, L., Porta, C., & Sleight, P. (2006). Cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory changes induced by different types of music in musicians and non-musicians: The importance of silence. Heart, 92(4), 445–452.

It’s the first Pause Here episode of 2026, aka the season of new planners, new goals, and the sudden urge to reinvent your entire personality. Instead, we explore a gentler option: start with a pause.

This episode explores the awkward space between “I want to…” and “I actually did” and why that gap isn’t a character flaw, it’s brain design. We unpack why change can feel hard even when you want it, how tiny micro-habits help you sneak past resistance, and how to hold to your habits when life gets chaotic, so one missed day doesn’t turn into a full exit.

New year energy, but with a nervous system included.

• Pyatak, E. A., Carandang, K., & Rice Collins, C. (2022). Optimizing occupations, habits, and routines for health and well-being with Lifestyle Redesign®: A synthesis and scoping review. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76(5), 7605205050.
• Mann, T., De Ridder, D., & Fujita, K. (2013). Self-regulation of health behavior: Social psychological approaches to goal setting and goal striving. In M. Gellman & J. R. Turner (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (pp. 1–15). Springer.
• Khusainova, S. (2025). Transform your life through effective habit formation. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence, 7(1), 45–58.
• Harvey, A. G., Callaway, C. A., Zieve, G. G., & Pruitt, L. D. (2022). Applying the science of habit formation to evidence-based psychological treatments for mental illness. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(3), 695–716.
• Francis, G. L., Duke, J. M., & Fujita, M. (2021). Goal setting to support mental wellness among adolescents with disabilities and co-occurring mental health needs. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 54(3), 189–198.
• Crossman, J. M. (2016). Planning, practising and prioritising wellness through an integrative behaviour change plan. Health Education Journal, 75(2), 156–168.
• Cook-Cottone, C. P. (2015). Mindfulness and yoga for self-regulation: A primer for mental health professionals. Springer Publishing Company.