The power of pausing

That tired feeling in your eyes and in your body. That sense of noise in your mind. The thought that things have just been non-stop. The idea that you will give yourself a break at a certain point. That everything has to be just so and it needs to be the ‘right’ time for you to stop but first there are things to do. Does this resonate with you?

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The longer we ignore the need to pause and to rest, the more difficult it is to take the action of doing so. The more tired we feel, the less resilient we become, and making even the simplest decisions seems to fall outside of our reach. In turn, the noise in our mind gets louder, whatever it is saying, what lies beneath it all, is that something isn’t right, something isn’t aligned, something isn’t as you know you’d like it to be. That noise is your sign to pause and to observe your thoughts and to listen without judgement.

If we do not take the time to pause, to rest, to observe and to listen, we continue on the treadmill that we know we want to stop and we continue making tracks down what feels like the wrong path. Our minds get louder, and our bodies and our eyes become more tired. The cycle continues and the point will come when it begins to spiral. Have you been there before?

Taking a break when life is so busy, when we have so much on and it feels like there is so much riding on us, can sound and feel counter intuitive. It can feel and sound impossible. If that feels true to you right now and the mere suggestion of taking time for a pause is frustrating to you, I invite you to stay with me for five more minutes:

  • Inhale as deeply as you can, hold that breath in your chest for a moment, and then release it slowly and purposefully.
  • Release your jaw if you can and drop your shoulders.
  • Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Take three slow deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth.
  • Take a pen and paper and write down how you are feeling right now, let it all flow out. What’s going on for you right now? Do you like how you’re feeling? If not, how would you like to feel instead? What can you do to change how you’re feeling?

If that last question feels too big or too difficult, I invite you to sit with it some more. To pause, to observe and to listen. There is no doubt that you know the answer.

If you’re at a point of knowing that you need to take more time for pause and reflection but that in itself feels overwhelming, a non-judgemental coaching conversation can really support you to tease out the tangles. It can provide you with the headspace to understand how you would like to be feeling and the conversation can guide you to understand the best way to get there for yourself, with you in the driving seat, taking control of the path you know you want to be on.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author. All articles published on Life Coach Directory are reviewed by our editorial team.

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Peterborough, Cambs, PE6
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Written by Emma Humphrey, Wellbeing & Mindset Coach and Dynamic Hypnotherapist
Peterborough, Cambs, PE6

Emma holds a distinction level diploma in personal performance coaching (via the Coaching Academy). Her mission is to support people through coaching to be well, feel well and live well through making changes in life, career, mind, and body.

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