Category Archives: Pausing

Taking naps sounds so childish. I prefer to call them horizontal life pauses

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“Taking naps sounds so childish. I prefer to call them horizontal life pauses.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Unsplash by Vitaly Gariev

What do Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy, Margaret Thatcher, and Eleanor Roosevelt have in common?

Beyond being highly regarded public figures, they all claimed openly to value a good nap to renew and restore their energy, refresh their minds, and boost their creativity.

In the world of sports, Christiano Ronaldo, Novak Djokovic, and Lebron James also proclaim the benefits of these blocks of shut-eye to bolster their performances.

EXERCISE:

At what points in your day would taking a horizontal life pause make the biggest difference?

Feel free to reply to this post with what works best for you.

Ring the bells of your days and sit in their reverberations

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Ring the bells of your days and sit in their reverberations.
—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Manga Vitriolic

The days go by in a blur for most of us. Whether we’re rushing around like chickens without their heads or the world around us is speeding by, it’s all a bit dizzying.

Living with greater mindfulness and intention slows things down so that we actually notice our surroundings and reflect on what is going on, moment-to-moment.

With our best focused efforts, we take in and appreciate the bells we ring and the whistles we blow to signal the marks we make in our communities.

EXERCISE:

Take some extra time throughout your day — or just at day’s end —to feel the reverberations of your efforts and the impact you’ve had on the world around you.

Consider giving yourself a quiet celebratory high five to acknowledge the good you’ve done before you head to bed.

Pause when provoked.

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Pause when provoked.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Brett Jordan

What would be possible if you resisted the urge to judge and criticize others?

Where could an intentional pause allow you to pivot in a better direction when you are hooked by what others say and do?

Unfortunately, the time between stimulus and response seems to keep getting shorter and shorter.

Our urgent need to get things done, multitask, and speed though the unsavory parts of our lives often has us shoot before we aim.

EXERCISE:

Who are the people in your life that push your buttons and provoke you?

What are some frequent topics or events that trigger heated emotions and upsets?

What approaches can you take to mindfully pause before your amygdala is hijacked?

Make a plan to create and savor more downtime. Discover and experience where less is often more.

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Make a plan to create and savor more downtime. Discover and experience where less is often more.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Kelly Sikkema

What will you contemplate or savor during your next downtime?

Learn to press the pause buttons of life, to cherish and savor these quiet moments — reflect and contemplate your life.

Examine the richness and abundance all around you, and develop an attitude of profound gratitude for the wondrous miracles that surround us.

When we unplug and pause, new things begin.

EXERCISE:

What will you do to carve out more downtime in the days ahead?

How can you more fully experience pauses in your days to savor the richness and beauty of these special moments?

 

“There is a gap between stimulus and response, and the key to both our growth and happiness is how we use that space.”

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“There is a gap between stimulus and response, and the key to both our growth and happiness is how we use that space.”

—Stephen Covey, 20th century American author & educator

Image from Unsplash by Brett Jordan

This past year has been disturbing and remarkable at the same time. My initial experience of the pandemic and other challenges confronting us was to become angry, frustrated, and down. My world seemed smaller and I felt increasingly confined and limited.

Eventually I stopped looking exclusively outside myself and began a far more intentional and rigorous journey within.

Through numerous practices such as meditation, daily walks, and extensive reading, I found the gaps. I took longer pauses in my thinking and feelings, which provided significant freedom and greater opportunities and possibilities to choose my responses.

Discovering this capacity to be increasingly mindful and aware of my own inner power has enhanced my growth and life satisfaction in many surprising ways.

EXERCISE:

How can and will you use the spaces between stimulus and response to more mindfully navigate life?

I’d very much like to learn about your efforts and progress, and hope you will consider replying to this and future posts.

“I need to take a sacred pause, as if I were a sun warmed rock in the center of a rushing river.”

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“I need to take a sacred pause, as if I were a sun warmed rock in the center of a rushing river.”

—Dawna Markova, consultant member of the Society for Organizational Learning

Image from Unsplash

To what degree is your life like a rushing river of endless “to do” items? How often do you feel swept away, pulled under, perhaps even drowning in the commitments and urgencies of life?

How often do you experience peace of mind or a sense of calm centeredness throughout a typical workday or weekend?

If you are like many of us, your answer may be, “Not nearly enough.”

EXERCISE:

Consider the importance of adding a few more “sacred pauses” to your day to regain your footing and catch your breath so that you may fully experience a more satisfying life.

Consider meditation, prayer, walks in nature, exercise, power naps, and digital fasting as some potential strategies. Please reply to this post with some added suggestions you have found helpful.

“Cease to inquire what the future has in store, and take as a gift whatever the day brings forth.”

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“Cease to inquire what the future has in store, and take as a gift whatever the day brings forth.”

– Horace, Roman poet

Someone once said that contentment is being satisfied with what you have and who you are. This does not mean that pursing your goals with passion and bettering yourself is a bad idea.

Far too many people spend a considerable amount of time longing for a better future – and often missing life’s gifts that happen to be right in front of their noses.

Exercise:

Imagine, as you go through your day, that a wide variety of gifts are being sent to you by some higher power – and even by the people in your personal and professional life.

Make sure that you are wearing your special “gift-seeing glasses” so that you don’t miss a single one.