Mar

5

The Art of Pausing

Filed Under Living your best life, Time management, Work life balance issues, Working smarter not harder | Leave a Comment

“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.” Albert Einstein

The more I work with people the more I see how caught up we are in an unforgiving pace of being. The art of pausing and taking in the landscape, sort-of-speak, is lost in our to-do lists.

We’ve all had the experience of going through a day and not having a moment to breathe. Even the language we use to describe a day like this, is quite revealing. We say: “I didn’t get the chance to breathe today” or “What a day! I’m out of breath.” How can that be? How can we go through a day without breathing? Let’s see.

How does it feel to go through a day at high speed? Some of the physical symptoms can include anxiety, a sense of not being able to take a deep breath, exhaustion, headache. Emotions can range from annoyance to agitation and resentment. Our ability to focus and be truly effective, is compromised. We may find it difficult to be patient, tolerant or understanding towards other people.

I don’t think our appreciation of life runs high when we’re spinning our wheels, waiting for landing. How can we appreciate the present moment, when we go through our day waiting for when we’ll be somewhere else, doing something completely different?

That’s when the practice of “pausing” can make all the difference.

Pausing, even for five minutes, can drastically change our perspective of the present moment and situation. It’s easier to pause before we react or speak than wishing we could go back in time (rather impossible) and do something differently.

Taking the time to pause and take in the landscape of a situation, a relationship, an exchange can strengthen our mental clarity and empower our decision making in ways we can’t even imagine. Giving ourselves the gift of a few deep breaths in the midst of chaos, can ground us, infuse us with energy, and remind us of everything we have to be grateful for.

Give yourself the gift of pausing throughout your day. Life is not meant to be lived on automatic. Time stretches for people who live every moment to its full capacity. Be one of them!

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