| Learning to Pause By Ginny Williams |
Does it seem like the speed of life keeps accelerating? Do you feel that no matter how hard you work you are falling
further behind, while your to-do list continues to grow? Does the idea of daily downtime, let alone an actual vacation from your day-to-day
obligations, sound like a remote fantasy?
Multiple obligations, conflicting priorities and an overflowing schedule can leave you feeling irritable, resentful and overburdened. There
aren’t many women who wouldn’t welcome the opportunity to step away from life’s pressures for a while, but finding time for rest and renewal
is often relegated to the last thing on the list. For most women, the only time they are not in perpetual motion is when they are sleeping.
Learning to pause and decompress is a skill you can develop with practice. Don’t wait until you have vast blocks of open space in your
schedule because that opportunity may never arrive. You don’t need to devote hours a day to meditate. You can find moments every day to
create serenity in increments.
Here is a technique that uses everyday situations as a trigger to pause and center your body, mind and spirit:
1. Retrain your brain. Observe when your mind tends to go on autopilot; for example: when sitting in traffic, standing in line at the
supermarket, or doing housework. These are often the moments when the tape in your brain begins its incessant chatter of worry and
anxiety. Instead, use this time to retrain your brain to begin thinking differently with the following exercise.
2. Observe your body. How and where is your body holding stress? Is your jaw clenched? Are your shoulders hunched up? Is your
chest constricted or your stomach tight? Your body is a mirror to your state of mind. When your muscles are tense and your breathing is
shallow, the flow of oxygen to your cells and brain is diminished, which can add to your fatigue and stress.
3. How would you like to feel? Select a word that describes how you would like to feel, such as peaceful, balanced, calm, relaxed, or
carefree.
4. What would you like to release? Select a word that describes a feeling or state of being that you would like to diminish. For example,
stress, anger, fear, anxiety, (feeling) overwhelmed.
5. Create your centering phrase. Whenever you are doing anything routine, begin by noticing where your body is tense. Inhale and
exhale deeply several times to clear your head. Then while breathing, repeat a centering phrase, “I am inhaling calm, I am exhaling stress.”
or “I am inhaling peace, I am exhaling anger.” As you are breathing in and out, consciously relax the part of your body where you feel the
most tension.
This short, simple exercise has several benefits. It reminds you to release any tension you are storing in your body; it refocuses your mind
away from negative, unproductive thinking; and it empowers you to consciously create a sense of calm serenity. The mere action of
conscious breathing can bring you to the present moment, where you always have control. It may take awhile before this technique becomes
a habit, but shouldn’t reclaiming your sense of well-being be the most important task on your to-do list?
Ginny Williams is a professional life coach based out of Plum Island, MA. She has helped her clients start and manage their own successful
businesses, transition into rewarding careers, and make positive changes towards more fulfilling lives. Ginny can be reached at (978) 462-
2334, email Ginny@CoachGinny.com or at www.coachginny.com
further behind, while your to-do list continues to grow? Does the idea of daily downtime, let alone an actual vacation from your day-to-day
obligations, sound like a remote fantasy?
Multiple obligations, conflicting priorities and an overflowing schedule can leave you feeling irritable, resentful and overburdened. There
aren’t many women who wouldn’t welcome the opportunity to step away from life’s pressures for a while, but finding time for rest and renewal
is often relegated to the last thing on the list. For most women, the only time they are not in perpetual motion is when they are sleeping.
Learning to pause and decompress is a skill you can develop with practice. Don’t wait until you have vast blocks of open space in your
schedule because that opportunity may never arrive. You don’t need to devote hours a day to meditate. You can find moments every day to
create serenity in increments.
Here is a technique that uses everyday situations as a trigger to pause and center your body, mind and spirit:
1. Retrain your brain. Observe when your mind tends to go on autopilot; for example: when sitting in traffic, standing in line at the
supermarket, or doing housework. These are often the moments when the tape in your brain begins its incessant chatter of worry and
anxiety. Instead, use this time to retrain your brain to begin thinking differently with the following exercise.
2. Observe your body. How and where is your body holding stress? Is your jaw clenched? Are your shoulders hunched up? Is your
chest constricted or your stomach tight? Your body is a mirror to your state of mind. When your muscles are tense and your breathing is
shallow, the flow of oxygen to your cells and brain is diminished, which can add to your fatigue and stress.
3. How would you like to feel? Select a word that describes how you would like to feel, such as peaceful, balanced, calm, relaxed, or
carefree.
4. What would you like to release? Select a word that describes a feeling or state of being that you would like to diminish. For example,
stress, anger, fear, anxiety, (feeling) overwhelmed.
5. Create your centering phrase. Whenever you are doing anything routine, begin by noticing where your body is tense. Inhale and
exhale deeply several times to clear your head. Then while breathing, repeat a centering phrase, “I am inhaling calm, I am exhaling stress.”
or “I am inhaling peace, I am exhaling anger.” As you are breathing in and out, consciously relax the part of your body where you feel the
most tension.
This short, simple exercise has several benefits. It reminds you to release any tension you are storing in your body; it refocuses your mind
away from negative, unproductive thinking; and it empowers you to consciously create a sense of calm serenity. The mere action of
conscious breathing can bring you to the present moment, where you always have control. It may take awhile before this technique becomes
a habit, but shouldn’t reclaiming your sense of well-being be the most important task on your to-do list?
Ginny Williams is a professional life coach based out of Plum Island, MA. She has helped her clients start and manage their own successful
businesses, transition into rewarding careers, and make positive changes towards more fulfilling lives. Ginny can be reached at (978) 462-
2334, email Ginny@CoachGinny.com or at www.coachginny.com
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to both local and national websites of interest to women in NH & n. MA.
applaud local women. The core of the magazine is our inspirational women's articles, most of which feature local women but occasionally we are
able to interview national women who we feel provide a unique inspiration for our readers. Our other articles cover topics of interest such as food
recipes, home, garden, beauty, health, fashion, dating, parenting, seniors, finance, business, hair care, skin care, advice, real estate, insurance,
weddings etc. Each issue has a feature section as well. Many of our articles are written by local business people who provide information
relevant to their business expertise. The Applaud Women website is also a resource center for local women including the most comprehensive
listings of Restaurants, Weddings, Female doctors and Hotels. It also includes a number of informational pages with links, articles and RSS feeds
to both local and national websites of interest to women in NH & n. MA.
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