Take a Pause
An Often Forgotten Yet Essential Life Skill
In our fast-paced world, the art of pausing seems to have become a forgotten skill. Yet, this simple act holds immense power to improve our lives, relationships, and decision-making processes. Embracing the act of taking a pause can benefit us in numerous ways.
When Push Comes to Pause
The physiological shift that occurs when taking a pause allows us to move from a reactive momentum state to a more thoughtful, responsive one. By taking time to pause, we create space between stimulus and response, giving ourselves the opportunity to choose our actions more deliberately from a place of heart and mind intelligence.
Incorporating pause with Heart-Focused Breathing™ enables us to slow down our breathing rate, which stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the part of our nervous system that calms the body and mind. In fact, the skill of taking a pause is so important that it is applied in the medical field. It’s called a medical pause and is used to help prevent medical errors and evaluate the current course of action.
Here are a few good reasons to cultivate this vital life skill in your day-to-day life.
Benefits of Pausing
Enhanced Decision-Making
Pausing before making a decision, big or small, can significantly improve what we choose and do. It allows our minds to process information more thoughtfully, leading to more balanced and well-considered choices. We avoid impulsive decisions we might later regret — whether that’s firing off a curt email or text or saying something we wish we could take back.
Improved Communication
During conversations, pausing serves dual purposes. It gives the listener time to process what’s been said, making your communication clearer, more effective, and memorable. Additionally, it helps prevent miscommunication by allowing you to choose your words more carefully, reducing the chance of saying something that could be misinterpreted or cause unintended hurt.
Stress Reduction
Practicing pause throughout the day can significantly reduce stress levels. The HeartMath Institute’s research has shown that brief periods of Heart-Focused Breathing help to synchronize the heart, mind, and nervous system, bringing these systems into a state called heart coherence. Heart coherence leads to better emotional self-regulation and overall well-being.
Increased Productivity
Contrary to what we might think, taking regular breaks can actually boost productivity. Tony Schwartz, CEO of The Energy Project, notes that humans perform best when alternating between periods of intense focus and intermittent renewal. Taking time out to pause allows us to recharge and return to tasks with renewed energy and clarity.
Practical Ways to Incorporate Pause
Take a heart pause
When faced with challenging emails or messages, remind yourself to take a heart pause for 60–90 seconds. Use this time to focus on your heart, breathe through the heart area, and connect with your heart feelings. Reflect on your response. Does this interaction need more care or compassion? In conversations, consider reflecting back to the person the concerns they expressed to show deep listening and empathy. Taking this pause allows you to align your response with your core values, fostering care in the situation. By taking a moment, you create an opportunity for a more thoughtful and compassionate exchange.
Pause in transition times
Instead of rushing from one meeting to another, schedule yourself a few minutes between meetings or phone calls to allow for a pause in the transition. Use the Quick Coherence® technique. Have the intention to reset and connect with your heart, and choose the attitude and energetic quality you want to bring into your next interaction.
Increase your presence with a pause
Set aside short timeout periods throughout your day (ideally 3–5 minutes) specifically for pausing in the heart to consider your next steps. Many of us feel guilty about taking breaks or worry that pausing will slow us down when, in fact, it can be a huge energy and time-saver.
Here are a few examples of how a pause can save us time. Given space, the mind can recall important tasks you intend on doing. For example, “I should leave early since I need to stop for gas before heading home.” Taking a pause lets you hear your intuition, such as, “Perhaps I should call and confirm that appointment for tomorrow.” By slowing down, we can recall important communications we might otherwise forget, for instance, a verbal promise to stop to get your son supplies for a science project. In each of these examples, because your mind was given a brief rest and the space to recall important information, you saved time and energy because you avoided needing to double back to correct what was overlooked.
Reframing the Value of Pause
The bottom line is that your brain craves these moments of respite — it needs time to regroup and recharge. When we cultivate the habit of pausing, the benefit extends beyond our personal lives and is helpful to others. By reframing pause as an essential life tool, we can start to see more clearly the intelligence of this practice.
Incorporating the power of pause into our lives doesn’t require drastic changes. By starting with small, intentional breaks and gradually expanding our practice of pause, we can soon reap significant benefits in our personal and professional lives. As we become more adept at pausing, we’ll find ourselves making wiser decisions, communicating more effectively, and experiencing greater overall well-being.
Bonus
Listen to the guided version of the Heart-Focused Breathing™ and Quick Coherence™ techniques in the HeartMath Experience or the HeartMath app. In the HeartMath app “Learning” section, go to “Guided Techniques.”
