The Power of Pause

In today’s overstimulated world where we are working harder and faster and looking for silence amid the hustle, we may have to take an intentional pause. ?A pause is powerful for many reasons.

Finding peace and stillness – quieting the noise around us.? Have you ever wanted to throw up your hands and say STOP to the noise around you? ?There are two kinds of noise:

• Outer noise is what we hear in our environment; people talking, traffic, machines buzzing, background music. ?Taking a call in an airport with unending announcements or continual music is almost impossible.
• Inner noise includes the voice in our head.? The recounting of deadlines and appointments. ?The second-guessing what we just did. ?The chatter that moves from critiques to criticism.? The frustration of not being heard.

To be still requires us to step back and quiet the outer and inner noise so we can reflect, regroup, refresh.

Getting clarity – looking deeper to understand ourselves or others.? It might mean slowing down so that I can understand my reaction.? Why am I so agitated?? What is upsetting me in this moment? ?With others, it may be to pause when we are unclear so that we don’t make assumptions and move into a misunderstanding. ?With a pause, I can ask a deeper question to ensure understanding.

Creating a transition or a break – making space to stop one thing before jumping into another. ?Take a more substantial break to meditate or engage in deep breathing to refresh and re-center.? It is amazing how a short break can fuel us for the rest of the day.

Interrupting an undesired reaction – stopping yourself from expressing frustration or anger in the moment.? You know you are headed toward a reaction that won’t help anyone and likely will make matters worse.? It can even have a long-term impact.? By interrupting yourself and changing course there is a meaningful encounter rather than a damaging one. ?Everyone wins in this case!

So, how do you remind yourself to build in a pause?? Some set a timer or schedule it on a calendar. ?A Post-It? to remind you to be present could be helpful. ?When I am heading in a wrong direction and need to interrupt myself, I have learned to pay attention to my breathing and blood pressure, the nonverbal reaction I am seeing with the other person. ?When my level of irritation rises, it is probably time to step back.?

Research shows us that pausing promotes relaxation.? It gives our nervous system a chance to regain balance. ?We operate at a more optimal level when we alternate between periods of intense focus and periods of renewal.

So, think about the power of pause.? How will you build it into your routine?

At?Optimum Impact Coaching?we have created assessments, workshops and one-to-one coaching experiences that can help leaders increase their skills in these areas.??For more information contact us at?optimumimpactcoaching.com?or connect with our coaches:?Bonnie Maitlen, Ed.D.??BCC, PCC?|?Roberta Fiore-Kittell, MCC??|?Kevin Logeman, MBA, PCC

Author:?Bonnie Maitlen, Ed.D.??BCC, PCC