In my life this seemingly insignificant action has shown itself to be mighty powerful.
Take for example, juggling worklife demands:
➡ A constant flow of interruptions competing for our attention
➡ When thrown ball after ball, we feel overwhelmed and exhausted.
➡Combined with existing priorities, our attention feels scattered with stress and lack of productivity creeping in.
?Together all make it incredibly hard to distinguish which ball to catch, let alone what to do with it.
?Deliberately pausing and slowing down empowers us to:
?Alleviate the pressure from the immediacy of the situation.
?Create much needed space in a sea of noise and distraction.
?Get out of autopilot, into awareness, preventing us from missing important information.
?More consciously lead ourselves with confidence and clarity.
?Better choose our next steps, supporting productivity.
⏸Pausing activates our parasympathetic nervous system, helping us become calmer. This gives us capacity to avoid reacting, instead choosing a response that is more effective and attuned to the situation at hand.
☺There are lots of different ways we can pause physically, mentally and emotionally. I’d love to hear if and how you are using the power of pause in your day?