Dry January, dopamine detoxes, and how short breaks can be powerful and productive.

What if the most effective way to change a habit isn’t to push harder — but to pause, briefly and on purpose?

In this thoughtful and science-backed episode of 1,000 Waking Minutes, Dr. Wendy Bazilian explores the power of intentional pauses as a tool for restoring energy, focus, and clarity. Using a pause from alcohol — such as Dry January — as a familiar example, she reframes short-term resets not as deprivation, but as opportunities to notice patterns, interrupt autopilot behaviors, and decide what actually feels worth carrying forward.

Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, hydration science, and real-world experience — including her years at the Golden Door spa — Dr. Bazilian explains how small, purposeful breaks can recalibrate the brain, strengthen decision-making, improve hydration and sleep, and restore a sense of vigor. This episode also gently busts myths around “dopamine detoxes,” highlighting why behavior change is more about awareness than willpower.

You’ll experience a guided mindful minute to practice pausing in real time, along with practical strategies to refine rituals, hydrate more effectively, navigate social situations with confidence, and stack pauses for greater benefit — all within the framework of your 1,000 waking minutes.

This episode is an invitation to press pause not to stop life, but to return to it more present, intentional, and energized.

FROM THE EPISODE

“Sometimes it’s not about what we pour into the glass… it’s about what we pour into our moments.”

(0:00) Welcome — why this episode is about pausing with intention, not pushing harder

(1:27) Why January naturally invites pauses, resets, and reflection

(3:49) A real-world example from Golden Door: what happens when alcohol is removed — and what replaces it

(8:15) Why pushing harder isn’t always the answer — and how pausing can restore energy and focus

(12:37) The neuroscience of habit loops and how pauses interrupt autopilot behavior

(16:49) Hydration, functional hydration, and why replacing alcohol with fluids affects brain performance

(20:17) Digital pauses, screen time research, and improved sleep and well-being

(24:36) A Mindful Minute and practical strategies for taking a pause without losing ritual or joy

(26:45) Reframing pauses as experiments — and choosing how we spend our waking minutes more intentionally

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