5 Reasons Why It's Important To Pause By Danielle Marchant

When you get lost in being busy, you miss the real you, instead hiding yourself behind endless to-do lists and never ending tasks. You are so much more than your to-do list. Slowing down helps you to reconnect to the true essence, strength and beauty within you. Knowing who you are helps you to have a more solid place in the world, reduces anxiety and helps you feel calmer.

The busier your life becomes, the easier it becomes to turn to other people for answers, instead of slowing down and listening to your own inner guidance. Following external advice instead of your own inner wisdom can leave you feeling even more lost and confused. You know enough, and when you make time to slow down and breathe the answers will reveal themselves one by one.

Life is always communicating with us, but it’s hard to tune in when you are living life in the fast lane! The faster you move, the harder it becomes to read the signs life is giving you. Slowing down allows you to tune back into your intuition and follow the path that is best for you.

The more you try to be for others the less you are able to have a strong compass for yourself.  It’s easy to think you are being caring by constantly giving your time and energy to others. Following the expectations and demands of others quickly leads to a build up of resentment and fatigue, and eventually you loose sight of who you are and what you need. If you slow down and look after yourself first, then you will be able to take care of others even more.

The more stressed you feel, the faster you forget what you need to thrive. When you are continually stressed, it becomes harder to spot the signs of burnout creeping in. Feeling tired all the time becomes normal. Regularly fighting back tears for no apparent reason makes you think you’re going crazy. You gain weight, but lose your appetite. You struggle to go to sleep at night and find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning.  If this sounds familiar, then no matter much resistance you feel, it’s time to take a Pause...

Turn off the tech – if your brain is wired when you go to bed, then its time for an Electronic Sundown.  Turn off your TV, laptop, and smart phone an hour before bed. If you can, buy an alarm clock. Set your smart phone to airplane mode and charge it in another room (not your bedroom) overnight.

Do one thing at a time – we are constantly multitasking, eating, reading emails, listening to the radio, writing a report, thinking about the family and more, but our brains are not designed to be active in this way all day every day.  Give yourself one task to focus on, and when that’s complete start the next.

Be in nature – most of us are disconnected from nature, which leaves us feeling disconnected from ourselves. Find a park at lunchtime; go to a lake, woodland or the ocean at the weekend. Plan your holidays to give you more time to be in nature.  Get even more grounded by taking off your shoes and putting your bare feet in the grass or let the river run over them – feels better already doesn’t it?

Breathe – when you feel stressed and anxious your chest tightens and your breath becomes shallow, the lack of oxygen makes you feel even more anxious. In these moments it helps to breathe, and then breathe again more deeply. Let the breath travel down into your body and exhale gently through your mouth. Repeat ten times to rebalance.

If you find you spend your days rushing from one thing to the next with no space to pause, it's time to rethink how you manage your diary.  Block out 'white space' - time in your diary with nothing scheduled. This could be at weekends where you have no social commitments, or at work where you leave yourself white space to plan, prepare and get creative so you can flow not fight with life.