Pausing takes practice. It’s not something that comes naturally or easily for me, especially when I allow my emotions to take over.
The pause is a good resource for providing space before acting (or reacting). It gives me a chance to center myself, to respond rather than react, and to be still before doing anything. The pause calls for being present in the moment and an awareness of the senses. It gives me a moment to observe and a chance to reflect. It is an opportunity to increase awareness and improve self-control (e.g. being aware of my thoughts and emotions and where they can lead).
Practicing the pause is helpful:
- before I start a new task
- when I’m tired or easily irritated
- before I respond to a troublesome text message or email
- when I’m hangry (though eating something usually works better in this case)
- before I’m triggered and emotions start to run high
Given its benefits, I could practice the pause more often than I do. There are times when I probably could have avoided a heated argument by pausing. Maybe I would have dealt with conflict and disagreements differently had I paused first.
I usually have to remind myself to pause, and when I do pause, I’m happy I did.
