Recently, I arrived back in Pennsylvania after having been out west for eight weeks. We have a cabin tucked in Idaho close to the Canadian border, and we spend a chunk of our summers out west. When we first purchased it, I wondered how much time we would manage to have at the cabin as the rest of life takes place on the East Coast, and whatever the amount of time, the reset is always restoratively worth it.
Initially, my brain wouldn't allow me to accept that such a pause could be practical, and I struggled with the outdated programming of thinking a bicoastal arrangement was gluttonous. Fortunately, for the kind of work that most of my family does, we can be flexible. You may wonder why Idaho? I am a homegrown Baltimore girl whose life took her out west early in life, and it stuck! My love for both locations makes it an excellent arrangement. This time spent away made me think more about the power of pause. Albeit this type of pause is only sometimes practical or desirable for some, but let's peek at any doable pause as an essential aspect of self-care.
It's important first to examine through our perspective why non-doing is seen as or may feel culturally lazy. If we are not productive, something is wrong, or is it? Is our programming dictating our doing? This isn't to say that we don't remain responsible for our doing, but we tend to be a society of overdoers. Overdoing has a way of taking us further away from the Human "Being." A productive and practical pause can put us better in touch with the essential part of the self. Cultivating the pause as a form of critical self-care is like putting your devices to sleep at night. There's a reason our bodies require sleep time. Imagine if we didn't sleep; there may not be a pause at all; our designer knew better! Hitting the pause button becomes necessary on so many levels. A mindset around anything is believing in what we've learned, experienced, and have been told, and perspectives can shift. Let's expand on the way we see the pause.
Now, take an intentional pause with me, yep, right here in the middle of this blog. With a deep breath in, pause to consider what it is you need more of at this moment, exhale, and ask yourself how you can honor more of what it is you need. Give yourself permission to pause for as long as you need.
Now, let's take a look further at how the power of pause can support the essential self.
Only when we are listening will we be able to hear? The power of pause allows us to be still enough for expansion. Our intuitive nature is enhanced tremendously by reducing the noise. Our conscious minds can only process 7 bits of information a second, whereas the unconscious mind processes 11 million bits of information a second! How do we access more profound levels of consciousness if we can't hear from it? There's excellent healing, joy, clarity, and direction in pausing to check in for guidance on a deeper level.
It's from those deeper wells we also find inspiration and creativity. Further resources are there; you have to enable them. They speak to you when you sleep, and the mind can give a glimpse through a dream. Imagine the increased productivity of working smarter, not harder, by activating inspiration and creativity. It's here you find the motivation and become excited about being productive.
Our well-being is enhanced by the power of pause, which regulates our entire physiology. When in a constant state of doing, our body responds by being in a chronic state of "flight or fight," generating more anxiety, signaling the entire system to stay highly charged. A chronically charged daytime impacts our sleep as well as our digestion, respiration, cognition, and primary cellular replication.
Greater appreciation for life becomes apparent when we allow it to be felt. Pause gives you a time-out to recall and absorb all the bits of goodness that serve you best. You can easily recognize all the things you can be grateful for when not on autopilot. Feeling gratitude ushers us into a state of grace and allows us to be more accepting, kind, and patient, and who wouldn't like more of that?
In the power of pause, you get to know yourself better. There is the essential soul self wearing a human suit. How do we understand our needs and wants if we are not checking in? Lots of times, we default to others, another program flaw. Of course, being compassionately considerate of others is important, but when we pause to examine what we really want and need, we become more capable of giving authentically from a full glass. That's a win-win for all concerned!
Better self-regulation and relationships happen when we learn to hit the pause button as an emotional regulator. When we are angry, we react from a highly charged place. Taking a moment to pause before reacting offers an opportunity for the body to shift for a more productive way of navigating our emotions. Our physiology generates a ninety-second physical response; after, it becomes a choice to react.
Here are some helpful tips for finding the power of pause.
Find a sit spot that refreshes you and go to it daily for whatever time suits you, making it a habit of priority.
If there's a request made of you and you need clarification on your answer, hit the pause button before you respond.
Schedule on your calendar true time outs for yourself.
Put away the devices, lock 'em up!
Give yourself permission to say no, and thank you.
If you need to be more clear about the direction or find inspiration, sit quietly, undisturbed, and ask while getting to know yourself.
Give yourself a proper minute to adjust between work and home or any transition.
Set the intention to use the power of pause and do it, finding its value.
Utilize overlooked opportunities to pause, like going potty, showering, or lying still in bed before sleep or upon awakening.
When highly charged, STOP-PAUSE-RESPOND
Be patient; creating new habits takes some time, but is worth it!
Take good care and stay well
XO Donna
