Pausing

When was the last time you paused? The last time when, much like a video game, in the middle of whatever it was you were doing, you simply stopped and paused everything. You hit pause on your life. It could be a long, dramatic pause, like putting a project on hold, or something short, like stopping to collect your thoughts when you have a lot of things going on at once.

Either way, big or small, a simple pause helps you calm your mind and calm your body. It can help give you a new perspective or make sense of a situation.

But… are you pausing often enough?

There’s something called the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and it helps you ”assess a core characteristic of mindfulness, namely, a receptive state of mind in which attention, informed by a sensitive awareness of what is occurring in the present, simply observes what is taking place.” (You can get your own score here) Some of the questions help people realize how little they may be observing, simply by not being aware, like:

“I get so focused on the goal I want to achieve that I lose touch with what I’m doing right now to get there.”

“I find myself listening to someone with one ear, doing something else at the same time.”

“I find myself preoccupied with the future or the past.”

“I find myself doing things without paying attention.”

“I snack without being aware that I’m eating.”

I’d bet good money that 100% of the people reading this right now have answered “yes” to at least one of those questions, if not most of them. Why? Because life is busy. There’s a lot to get done every day, and that’s okay. But in order to sustain that level of energy and dedication, pausing is a necessity.

If the idea of a pause isn’t landing for you, let me show you how powerful it can be.

You’re reading this right now, maybe on your phone or on a computer. Stop. (Well, finish reading these next few lines of the exercise, then stop.) Fully stop, put your phone down, take your hands off the keyboard and mouse. Stop, and take a deep inhale for 4 seconds and sigh/exhale for 8 seconds. Look around you and notice your setting. Don’t start making a mental list of what needs to be done in the setting, or think about what you’ll do after you leave, just notice your setting. Pause, and let your thoughts quiet. If a thought floats into your brain, allow it to, but don’t mentally engage. Just let it float away like a cloud. Is there tension in your body, like in your jaw or your stomach? If so, visualize each inhale of fresh oxygen going to that area, allowing it to loosen up. Pause until you feel a calmness and presence come over you.

Now, how do you feel? A little mentally clearer? A little more at peace? A little looser?

Allowing ourselves to pause gives us the power to come back to ourselves and realize what’s going on inside. It also teaches us to self-soothe so that over time, our brains trust us to take care of our bodies, vs. us losing touch with how we feel in our bodies and pressing through despite the many physical alarm bells our brain is firing off.

As you’ve probably guessed, I chose this topic for Thanksgiving because it can be a pretty stressful holiday for many people, and it officially kicks the holiday season into full gear, which means… more busyness.

It’s only natural that sometimes we have more going on than at other times, but there is nothing more natural than taking care of your physical and mental health. And that can very easily be done simply by choosing to stop, take a deep breath, let the world around and inside of you settle, and then carry on.

Today, and as the year draws to a close, can you intentionally choose to mix some pauses into your day? Even a 1% increase in these quiet moments can have a huge impact on your health and your overall outlook.

As always, I’m so grateful for you.