SETTLING INTO THE PAUSE – NON-JUDGEMENT – NOTICING JOY – REFLECTION
SETTLING INTO THE PAUSE
This time of year can feel like a roaming whirling dervish. Other times it can feel relaxed and spacious. Pausing to notice can cultivate self-awareness, personal worth, and a sensibility of grounding.
Nothing is needed except to notice when you want/need to take a pause. Mindfulness is about Awareness so, notice where you are, check in, and build in moments to pause and take a breath. Practices become habits and you’ll find yourself performing better and feeling better throughout the day.
It can be useful to have ‘anchors’ to help you remember to take a pause:
- When you arrive home, sit in your car for two minutes to just BE STILL and quiet before you go inside.
- Before you pick up the phone.
- Before you put your hand (elbow) to a door/handle
- Before you put your keys in the ignition
- Before you cross a door’s threshold
Whether it is just a few seconds or being still for a few minutes, give yourself permission to pause.
The 3 P’s – Pause, get Present, Proceed
- Pause: Stop, take a breath, notice this moment
- get Present: Drop in, being aware of what is happening in the moment, experiencing body sensations, noticing thoughts, feeling emotions. Staying present with and accepting whatever arises just as it is moment by moment without reactivity.
- Proceed: Using mindful speech and action to respond skillfully, compassionately, and with positive intention to whatever needs attention in this moment.
IN MORE DEPTH:
This article also has a 15 minute discussion and short practice on the topic of Pausing that is excellent.
Take good care, Everyone. ~Lisa
Lisa Wellington is a Certified Mindfulness Teacher who writes about integrative practices that downshift stress, increase insight, and jumpstart joy.
She is best known for her work with law enforcement professionals as well as those challenged by housing instability and addiction. Trained in the Fine Arts at Washington State University, she specializes in group training that engages participants’ inherent creativity.
If she is not under a stack of books about psychology and spirituality, she can be found at a Puget Sound beach or nearby trail, always searching for the absurd, which is her superpower.
