The PAUSE Effect

So what is the PAUSE effect?

“There is a presence, a silence, a stillness which is here by itself. There is no doer of it, no creator of this stillness. It is simply here in you, with you.” Mooji

In a recent blog, I wrote about five simple actions I have been practicing to live more consciously.

Previously, I was unconsciously living in a state of a busy mind, hyper-vigilance, and agitation. Now, I actively make time throughout my day to pause and rest in the beautiful feelings and well-being that naturally come with a quiet mind.

The PAUSE

Presence: Take a slow, deep breath and come into awareness of your surroundings. Notice the sounds, sights, and sensations around you.

Allow: Let the sensations in your body settle as your mind begins to quiet. Feel the tension melt away and embrace the calm.

Untangle: Gently untangle your attention from any worrisome thoughts or stories you may be caught up in. Release them and let them drift away.

Surrender: Surrender to the stillness, sinking deeper and deeper into the peaceful state of innate silence and stillness. Relish the tranquility that envelops you.

Embrace: Embrace all of who you are—your strengths, fears, and vulnerabilities—as you immerse yourself in the warmth of self-compassion and self-love. Honour your journey and cherish your uniqueness.

The PAUSE serves as a gateway to pure consciousness, a state that is always available to us, whenever we are willing to go beyond our noisy minds.

A Transformational Journey

The impact of pausing throughout my day has been transformational. I now experience a level of freedom and ease that I never believed possible.

In the past, I tried many different ways to change the uncomfortable feelings I was experiencing, unaware that they were a result of the attention I was giving to my worrisome thoughts.

Over the years, I had developed a habit of anxious thinking due to the adversities I had experienced, without realising that it was keeping me locked in survival mode.

Understanding and Overcoming Stress Responses

For example, I came to see how my default stress response of flight/freeze had carried through into adulthood, as I interpreted these troublesome thoughts as signals about my safety.

Previously, I would berate myself if I made a mistake, overly concerned about the potential consequences.

I was over-critical of myself for thinking of a much better response to a challenging situation after the fact.

Fortunately, I am much more compassionate to myself now that I understand that when our nervous system is in threat mode, it is much harder to think clearly.

Achieving Peace and Balance Through Pausing

Practicing the “PAUSE” has led me to be in a much more peaceful and relaxed state throughout my day. I trust myself to recognise when I am “triggered” into old conditioned patterns of thinking.

Pausing helps to reset my nervous system, moving me from a survival instinctual mindset to a more natural state of ease.

This means I am a lot less reactive, responding more consciously to challenging situations rather than relying on my old habitual patterns of behaviour.

From Reactivity to Conscious Response

It’s important to clarify that this practice is not about numbing or suppressing our thoughts and emotions; rather, it’s about reflecting on and questioning the meaning we are attributing to a situation, and whether our current thinking is being coloured by past experiences.

Additionally, this practice involves taking the time to allow insight, new ideas, creativity, and inspired actions to arise.

By giving ourselves the space to pause and reflect, we open up the possibility for more thoughtful and conscious responses, rather than impulsive reactions based on outdated patterns.

From Reactivity to Conscious Response

The PAUSE has helped me awaken to my critical self-talk, which often held me back and kept me locked in an agitated state. By taking moments to pause, I have become more aware of the negative inner dialogue that previously went unnoticed.

As a result, I have been able to get to the root of many of my unhelpful, subconscious patterns of thought and behaviours. This process has not only allowed me to address and transform these patterns but has also brought a greater sense of peace and clarity to my daily life.

Awakening to Inner Dialogue through the Pause

Research has shown that we spend 95% of our time in our subconscious mind. Psychology describes it as the part of the mind that is not currently in focal awareness. Our subconscious mind has what is called a homeostatic impulse, meaning it keeps our body temperature at 37 degrees Celsius, regulates our breathing, and maintains our heart rate.

Habits of thinking and behaving are stored in our subconscious mind, which has memorised our comfort zones and functions to keep us there. Our life experiences, learning, adversities, and cultural and societal conditioning have contributed to the development of these habits.

Remembering who you are

Spending time in the peaceful state that the PAUSE evokes, we reawaken to our true nature as we allow our innate wisdom to be heard.

Aligning with pure consciousness offers us an opportunity to evolve and heal as we embody our divinity.

Know that there is no greater time to acknowledge and fully express who you truly are.

If you would like to experience the benefits of the PAUSE, I invite you to download my free “Take a Moment for You” meditation. You can easily sign up for it on my home page and allow yourself to be guided through the practice.

With love,

Angela

Namaste- I honour the place in you, in which the entire universe resides. I honour the place in you, of love, of light, of truth, and peace. When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.