Erin Mac
LLC

I know I spoke about this last week, but it's worth mentioning again, "The Power of the Pause."  What do I mean by this?  I mean intentionally pausing daily routine activities and being still.  Now, for some of you that likely sounds frightening (I was that person), or even a waste of time (I was that person), or maybe even woo woo (I was definitely that person)!  Well, if I hadn't tried it and had some success, in terms of feeling better, then I wouldn't even bring it up.  However, it has had a profound effect on me.  I'm not even sure I know how to describe it, but I'm going to try, in hopes that you will adopt the pause and feel better.  And, I'm going to share a strategy you can use to pause so you aren't just sitting there twiddling your thumbs wondering why you listened to this crazy lady!

The only way I know how to explain what stillness feels like is by comparing it to other experiences that feel really good.  Stillness is like: the warmth of the sun on your face after a long, cold, wet winter, the quiet and calm you feel when you are snorkeling and watching fish, the perfect temperature of your favorite  cup of coffee or tea, the sound of a small child belly laughing, the beautiful color of the leaves turning color in fall, and it includes peace and joy.  Sounds pretty great, right?  So, I think you can imagine that practicing the pause a few times a day would certainly be a plus.

So, how do we practice the pause?  One of the strategies that I use to practice the pause is the 5 senses exercise.  It goes like this:  Name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can feel, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste.  Here is an example:

right now I can
1) see a picture on the wall,
2) a plant in the corner,
3) the lamp on the table,
4) the book shelf, and
5) my water bottle on the desk

I hear
1) the dishwasher
2) the TV in the other room
3) the dog snoring and 
4) classical music
And so on.  

When I'm short on time I only do 5 things I can see and 4 things I can hear and that is usually enough of a pause to reset and focus back into what I would like to get done.  The most important thing about the pause is that when you are pausing you are in the present moment.  We spend so much of our life thinking about the past or projecting into the future.  With the pause you get to be here, now, and that is where freedom is!

This is just one strategy that I teach so that busy, sometimes overwhelmed, anxious, or stressed, professionals like yourself, can lighten the load. I teach this so that you can learn to enjoy your life now instead of waiting for whatever it is you think you need to be happy.  I teach this because when you discover how to live your life in a way that feels good predominantly, then your life has purpose and meaning.  Let's connect and discover how to feel good (almost always).  What time/day works for you?
Peace, Erin "here, now" Mac