The Power Of The Pause

Yes, You Can Find Stillness in Overwhelming Times

Sunrise over Canandaigua Lake, Video by L. Riedman

I often rise early to watch the sunrise, taking in the natural pace of life. Slow and miraculous. If you haven’t, watch the video — it’s 13 seconds.

Ok.

Did you watch it?

Take a breath with me.

Come on.

If you have taken a moment to watch the video and started to read my words, why not pause and take a few deep breaths?

Did you do it?

If you did, congratulations! You have just reversed your “fight or flight” responses by reducing your heart rate, blood pressure, and lessening the stress hormones coursing in your body.

It sounds so simple but it can have a profound impact on your physical and emotional well-being.

With so much happening politically, environmentally, and socially in our country so quickly, I’ve reminded myself to SPB—Stop, Pause, and Breathe. I’ve decided this is an essential part of my plan to stay engaged in what is happening while being mindful of how I’m letting it affect me.

In an increasingly fast-paced, uncertain, and overwhelming world, it is understandable that many of us feel anxious, stressed, and powerless. News cycles move at lightning speed, responsibilities pile up, and emotions swirl inside us, often unchecked. But amidst all of this, one simple yet profound tool is available to us: the pause.

Reacting Vs Responding

Pausing stops us from impulsively reacting and helps us respond instead, which is a more thoughtful and deliberate action.

One benefit of pausing is that it allows us to make better decisions from a place of clarity. We can be more thoughtful and have greater awareness of the potential impact of our actions on ourselves and others.

Take a step back for a moment with me.

Breathe in and out for a few breaths.

That’s it.

It may feel awkward to pause. We are so used to moving at lightning speed. Before the Industrial Revolution, we moved in time with nature's pace. We followed the passing of seasons. All living things - plants, animals, and humans - waxed and waned with the movements of the sun, moon, and other celestial bodies. In spring, we flourished. In winter, we waited. We paused. Whether through hibernation or dormancy, we slowed down, became still, and rejuvenated ourselves. We RESTED. In doing so, we and other species emerged stronger than before.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "in each pause, I hear the call."

The Pause as a Path to Presence

Pausing may seem small, even insignificant, but it holds immense power. When we pause, we create a moment of space—a sacred second between stimulus and response.

“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Viktor Frankl

This space allows us to step out of automatic reactivity and into mindful awareness.

We can ground ourselves in the present moment rather than being swept away by fear, frustration, or worry. We can also take time to remember what truly is: that we are not powerless—we have a choice in how we respond. We can band together in community and take action toward a more positive future.

The Pause as an Act of Power

When the world feels chaotic, pausing becomes a radical act of reclaiming our inner stability.

Perhaps you, like me, are already feeling beaten by the barrage of political moves and shenanigans in the past two weeks. I loved what a New York Times columnist and political commentator Ezra Klein recently posted: “ He (Trump) is trying to overwhelm you. He is trying to keep you off-balance. He is trying to persuade you of something that isn’t true. Don’t believe him.”

If you feel overwhelmed by all the news, take a break. Reconnect with your inner wisdom. Tara Brach, a renowned mindfulness teacher, calls this “the sacred pause”:

“Pause practice is a radical act of love. When we pause, we bring loving awareness to our experience, and that awareness is transformative.” Tara Brach

(For more on love: read Awaken Love and Rinse Our Way to Love)

In these moments of pause, we acknowledge our emotions without becoming overwhelmed. We make space for clarity, choice, and compassion—toward ourselves and others.

How to Incorporate the Pause into Daily Life

Pausing doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as:

• A Conscious Breath – Take a deep breath before answering an email, responding to a text, or reacting to a situation. Bonus if you close your eyes and take a second breath.

• Mindful Transitions – Notice the spaces between activities, between conversations, between thoughts. Use them as moments to reset. Better yet, plan more space between activities. Give yourself the gift of more time. You will be amazed at how much better you will feel.

• Sensory Check-Ins – Ground yourself in the present by feeling your feet on the floor, noticing the temperature of the air, or listening to the sounds around you. This reactivates the parasympathetic nervous system which helps calm you down. (As opposed to the Sympathetic nervous system which creates overwhelm when it is flooded with fear, anxiety etc.)

• Ask Yourself: “What is needed here?” – Instead of reacting on autopilot, take a moment to consider what the situation truly calls for.

The Gift of Stillness

Lao Tzu asks us in the Tao Te Ching:

“Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?”

This is the essence of the pause. It allows the inner turbulence to settle, offering us a clearer perspective. We begin to see that not everything requires an immediate reaction, and not every thought needs to be believed.

This is especially essential in this age of mis-information. The news may not be true. Pause and check multiple news sources. Find independent news sources – not just those that “your tribe” religiously listen to. NOTE: As a former PR professional that worked for decades with journalists – be very careful here. Major newspapers that we always thought were independent are no longer as independent as they appear; they are owned by those who skew the paper’s coverage toward their own political views.

Ok. Let’s take our last breath together.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Nice : )

Yes, during life’s challenges, I plan to pause. It’s free, always available, and doesn’t require any special skills.

Join me in using the power of the pause. Let it be your refuge, a reset, and a reminder that we are more than our stress, our emotions, and the chaos of the moment.

With each pause, let’s step into presence, into our power, and peace.

Take a breath. Take a pause. And notice what shifts.