The speed of modern life is not natural. Our natural rhythms are much slower than the pace our life requires. Feeling ready to do something before we have to is rare these days. In this “ready or not here we go” world, there is too little time to consider ourselves and our needs. Our schedules are full, and our obligations are many. Some of us juggle multiple jobs, parenting and more. When we get barely enough sleep or downtime as it is, self-care can feel like a fantasy – something we’ll never be able to achieve. Yet everywhere there are pockets of time when we can take a few minutes for ourselves. These moments arrive while we are waiting for a co-worker to finish their part of the task, waiting for our food to be ready, for our gas to finish pumping or for the bell to ring at our children’s school. The list goes on. When you think about it, these opportunities exist every day. We are more accustomed to distracting ourselves while we wait than letting ourselves inhabit the space that the waiting creates. We are often focused on whatever we are waiting for more than where we are. We don’t often consider just pausing but doing so can reset our nervous system. We can begin to attune to a slower pace. A pace where we can remember and listen to ourselves. Pausing can also be a time of discovery, a place where new insights or ideas can emerge. Learning to inhabit the pause rather than focusing on what’s coming next is a route to more deeply knowing and caring for ourselves.
