Power of Pause

Every morning, my phone screen wakes up with me. I stretch out, stretching Instagram newsfeed and as I roll to get up, the screen scrolls too, coming to life with a bulk of screaming content instantly catching all of my attention. News, Videos, Images.. swallowing it all as quickly as possible I carry out morning rituals on autopilot. By the time I reach my work screen, I am happily updated with meaningless information, tips and tricks for a healthy life, trending topics and updates I would never be putting to use.  Ironically, the information that gets most of my attention, especially since the pandemic, is... “the key elements to live a happy life”. All these posts emphasize on valuing time, practicing patience, and being mindful to avoid depletion beyond repair.

Today’s complexities have amplified diversions, fueling inner conflicts.  The change in life’s pace has been gradual but massive. It has taken more than a decade of conditioning for the major chunk of our society, that is, millennials to reach this point of chaos where they are too old to be unaware of the calm life before social media took over and too young to not be affected by technological chaos.  At this point, overwhelming frustration can be felt more than ever before. Don’t worry, if you too have experienced something similar, we are in this together! This is a shared experience and you know what, it is completely human. It is okay to feel agitated, anxious, frozen without a clue, in such unpredictable times because we were raised for a different race.

Everyday anxiety gets us looking for ways to find some moments of peace. The never-ending quest to eat healthy, detox regularly, train the brain, focus on focusing better, oh… the list is endless... Let’s be honest, we enjoy reading about it yet continue to live in survival mode. In the pursuit of who we want to be, how we want to see ourselves ahead, the disconnect from the present makes us oblivious to basic details of our day-to-day life experiences, the self that we are so eager to see blooming in the future. So, how do we actually value time? Build patience or be mindful? We got it covered for you...

Importance of mindfulness cannot be emphasized enough. Making mindful choices, aligned with the future self, in the present has the power to create the future we wish to have. So, an obvious question arises now, “how to live mindfully?” To be mindful we need to practice ‘pause’. Yes, you read that right. That little pause before responding to someone, making a choice, planning the next move, switching between day-to-day activities is what holds the key.  

To pause is to bring our awareness to the present and be completely aware of how we feel before reacting to any external stimuli. Every external change stimulates an emotional response in us. Just like a pebble in the pond. How we act upon those emotions reflects our level of awareness and how aligned our behavior is with the actual need. It is important to know what it is that we need to experience peace. Emotions have a way to impact us. They show up as feelings in our body and thoughts. When we pause, is when we check within ourselves. Checking what is “within” is an impactful technique to connect with your body, mind, and energy. Now an obvious question would be to ask how do we connect? Nothing to worry, we are here with a guide for you to do it in the right way for a purposeful living:

First step is to tune into your body. This is similar to a body scan, starting from head to toes, asking yourself:  How is my body reacting to the environment (breathing, heart rate, muscle tension, or other sensations) OR  when was the last time I ate, hydrated or rested? You are just being kind to yourself, when you ask this question, listening to how the body communicates with your emotions, hence the needs.  

Second step is to tune into your energy. Ask yourself: how my energy responded when someone specific was around? How the noises or movements impact my energy: do I feel drained or revitalized?  Remember the famous quote that says, ‘Vibe don’t lie’.

Third is to tune into an emotional thermostat. This is where you ask: do I feel threatened, Irritable, flustered, calm or happy? Were my boundaries crossed?

Fourth is Regulation. Regulation can look like asking yourself “what do I need, to take care of myself”: to feel protected, relaxed etcetera? Do I perceive a threat?

By doing this little mental exercise we are no more enslaved to our anxious habits, instead we are in-charge of our thoughts, allowing ourselves to live consciously. A mindful pause interrupts the impulsive reaction, slowly shifts from reacting to responding. We don’t reach for the phone in the morning, instead, we take a pause and think, do I really want to? Is it really needed? What if I attentively carry out the needs of my body, do one thing at a time, then check my phone?

-          Be  Kind To Yourself!