If you look around you will hardly spot anything slow, quiet and soothing. Hustle, bustle, noise and disorder wherever your eye rests. The whole world around seems to be intent on making yet more speed and noise. Those who would like to pause and stay quiet for a while have to arrange for it specially to prevent being carried away with the flow.
The benefits of pauses in our lives are quite well-known by this time. With pauses comes welcome relaxation, you can recharge your inner batteries and feel fresh to tackle any task that might come your way. Your nervous system just loves these pauses, and your immune system thrives on them.
Of course we crave for success, achievement, development and moving on, but must it necessarily imply a tireless race? Not really. So it would be beneficial to stress the good points of pausing once again.
Living on the run is unsupportable
No mechanism can run on indefinitely – it is bound to deplete its potential one day and slow down to a stop. With humans it works a bit more differently because we possess the ability for replenishment, but it needs certain conditions in order to produce its refreshing effect.
As we pause in whatever we are doing and lie back, it sends a signal to our body that the time came to revivify and reenergize itself against oncoming efforts.
Pause to re-evaluate your goals and tasks
Attaining one’s goals means a lot of effort put in, undoubtedly, and there doesn’t seem to be any time to spare for reconsideration and reinvention; yet it is just as counterproductive to keep up a hectic schedule.
Once a person finds it in himself to call for a pause and halt, he or she may see far more clearly what it is that drives them on and what hampers the progress. Life can change without our noticing it when on the go, but some time off can reveal omitted factors and maybe even redirect your efforts.
Better mental and physical health
Taking regular breaks helps prevent burnouts, depression and anxiety attacks in the long run. Having our mental stability around us we will not only be more functionable but also appear more presentable and impressive to others.
You become more productive
As emerges from scientific studies, pauses serve to relieve stress during the working day, and people who don’t have to fight stress will show far better performance. It is a sure-fire anti-stress measure – to take periodic breaks after which you will feel more energized and enthusiastic about what you are doing.
New terrains reveal themselves during a pause
While dashing about we are intent on movement, not on the world, so we stop observing what is going on around. We possess tunnel vision that shuts out most of the reality.
Making a break we shift our view and become more aware of the surrounding reality. We can decide how to observe things better – some objects and ideas require a closer look, but others are more clearly seen at a distance. We get more discerning and gain insights.
When pausing you see what you no longer need
Our lives get cluttered up with stuff that we no longer need (and maybe even didn’t need in the first place!). They accumulate around blocking way and vision, preventing agility, pushing away useful stuff. We are not always aware that we are burdened with rubbish.
During breaks and pauses we have time to see all this stuff as it is: useless and burdensome. We can get busy cleaning our lives without waiting for the rubbish to amass and cause grave problems. Looking at it from this angle, short breaks serve the purpose even better than a long time devoted to cleaning – there is less chance of accumulating.
As you pause you replenish yourself with strength
It’s nice to feel bursting with energy, but we know that it is only for a while: sooner or later the energy is bound to run out. While we deal with issues that keep coming up, energy gets spent, and if we don’t indulge in pauses, we can get left exhausted.
We need to watch our inner energy level to prevent exhaustion in good time. A quick and easy way to feel energy surging back is to make pauses. Frequent short breaks are your best bet, because if you wait for exhaustion to overtake you, restoration will take a lot more time.
So don’t put off resting until you are totally worn out – it will be more difficult to get back to norm; make a point to break up for short regular pauses to make sure you won’t exhaust yourself.
Is pausing so necessary or is it indulgence?
Making pauses has nothing to do with weakness or laziness. It is a physical necessity of our bodies. Periodical pauses work in the same way as taking meals or vitamins, and if you neglect them, you may have to wait quite a long time before you feel your own usual self again.
Your body keeps sending you signals, and it’s up to you to respond. The habit of treating yourself to frequent short pauses can guarantee you normal and quick restoration without adverse effects. Because, being neglected, your body can send you to the drugstore for medication – or even to hospital.
What to do to put pauses to good use
- Meditate
- Keeping a diary
- Writing to your gratitude journal
- Do something completely new
- Go on vacation
- Walk outside
- Do nothing
- Have a power nap
Have a cup of a decaf coffee with some cottage cheese, carrots and walnuts
Make a mental note to defy the constant onrush of ever-busy life around you and pause. In these moments you can achieve a lot: feel life’s pulse around you, register your feelings and attitudes, take in the beauty and wonders of the world. This is also a kind of meditation that you owe to yourself and your health and peace of mind.
