It’s always a good idea to allow pauses in our daily life. Whether you are at home or at work. Whether you are talking or busy doing something. Pauses are essential to our well-being. There are of course times we cannot pause, that’s alright. We should do what’s appropriate for that particular occasion. But pauses are a wonderful thing. They possess great magical power. A pause will bring not only calm but also clarity. I am sure we could all benefit from more pauses.
Pauses Create Space
Perhaps one of the greatest powers of pauses is in conflict resolution. As long as humans interact with one another, we are bound to encounter conflicts. Whether it’s a difference of opinion or an outright verbal conflict, we all know deep down that there are times if we don’t pause, things often get out of hand. Sometimes with irreversible consequences. A pause calms the situation and creates a space for all parties involved. It’s a rescue tool. When we cannot resolve a problem, at least we should try not to make it worse by escalating it.
Pauses Create Clarity
Much of our life is about making decisions. Should I take this job? What should I do when I see her? What to do next? Where do I invest my savings? In just about any life situation, there is a decision waiting for us to make. The list goes on. In order to make good decisions we need clarity. The more clarity we have the better decisions we can make. Pauses allow for the clarity we need to emerge. We shouldn’t bombard our brains with information and messages, they only cloud our mind. A pause usually means there should be no smart phones, no social media, no computers. Just you and yourself.
Make It A Routine
It’s a great idea to incorporate pauses into our daily routines. Whatever we are doing, just remember to pause. Don’t worry if you are too busy or if you forget, just allow for pauses when we remember. Of course, if we could try to make it a daily routine it makes things easier. Meditation is a kind of a forced pause and it works well. For those who don’t have much time, just a short pause for a few seconds is good enough. Once it becomes a habit, it will become our routine.
Pauses are a wonder tool. They not only resolve conflicts, they also help us make better decisions by giving us clarity. The best thing is that it’s free and very easy to pause. So next time, whatever situation we are in, just remind ourselves to pause.