Living My Life Like It’s Golden: 5 Practices to Support Pausing
“I’m taking my freedom Pulling it off the shelf Putting it on my chain Wear it around my neck I’m taking my freedom Putting it in my car Wherever I choose to go It will take me far” “Golden” x Jill Scott
Why do so many people wait until they have time away from work to Pause?
I think it’s often because when we imagine Pausing, it’s on a long and luxurious vacation, with no interruptions from everyday life. These vacation Pauses allow us to just let go and be free to enjoy ourselves without care.
However, when the vacation Pause comes to an end, many of us are faced with a feeling of dread as we reimagine stepping back into the grind with all of the stuff we need to do. Just thinking about it makes me tired. So, I want to offer a new invitation to Pausing, one that is more expansive and allows us to have more than a few Pauses each year.
Taking My Freedom by Inserting Everyday Pauses
I’m a believer that people need to Pause every day, multiple times a day, and not just on vacations. Pausing allows us to step away from the “Doing” of constant action and production, and into a state of “Being”, where we can be present in the current moment without fading or fixing or forcing anything.
In its simplicity, it sounds like an easy task, yet it requires that we step away from the “Doing” which reigns supreme in our current society. It means that we have to flex our freedom to give ourselves permission to Pause. I know at this point I can feel some head nods and can energetically hear a few “Amens”. And I also want to acknowledge that for some, the questions becomes how?
How Can I Pause Everyday?
I have found that there are five types of Pause that you can begin to pay attention to and incorporate every day in support of your freedom and liberation. These Pauses can be used at any time and in any place. They just require that you give yourself permission to engage them as you consciously practice the Pause, allowing you to shift from “Doing” to “Being”.
Restorative Pause
When I think of Restorative Pauses, I imagine the old Calgon Bath commercials, where a person gets in the bath and all their problems are taken away. These Pauses allow us to step away from the “Doing” and into “Being for the sake of our own healing -- allowing us to restore ourselves from the harms caused in everyday life.
They invite us to pay attention to our own needs and tap into resources that support us to rejuvenate and restore ourselves spiritually, physically, and mentally. This Pause encourages vacations, naps, deep breathing, exercise, prayer, dance breaks, and spa days.
Creative Pause
Creative Pauses feel like energetic sparks of inspiration, like flashes of light that lead to “Aha Moments”. These Pauses allow us to move away from the “Doing” in order to gain inspiration and passion that will serve as tools to support our growth and healing. They invite us to begin to imagine new possibilities and opportunities, encouraging us to move beyond the known and into the unknown with power. Ideas for a Creative Pause include art, theater, nature, music, learning, reading, etc.
Reflective Pause
Reflective Pauses allow us to connect deeply within ourselves as we hit the Pause button. These Pauses invite us to move away from the “Doing” in order to sort through all that has happened and all that is happening. They encourage us to connect past, present, and future in an active way that allows us to slow things down and take account.
Reflective Pauses can include rewinding your day, visioning, creating a gratitude list, or meditation.
Connective Pause
Imagine a Sunday Brunch table filled with your favorite friends, food, sunshine, and laughter. Imagine a walk in nature on the perfect path, sunshine peeking through the trees, and the sweet breeze kissing your skin.— this is the imagery that comes to mind when I think of Connective Pauses. They invite us to move beyond ourselves and into a deeper connection to things around us.
These Pauses support our growth and healing from a higher vibration and serves as a reminder that we are indeed connected through relationships, DNA, energy, and more. A Connective Pause can be fulfilled with intentional conversations, walks in nature, reflecting on God/Universe, music, sitting by water, attending sporting events, etc.
Unintentional Pause
I like to talk about this Pause because it’s the one we want to avoid, yet it exists. The Unintentional Pause happens when our body, mind, and spirit hit an unattainable point of “Doing” and moves us into autopilot to shut down all systems. These Pauses serve as a reminder of our humanity and the need to ensure there’s a balance of “Doing and Being” in our lives.
When we don’t pay attention to how we’re moving through life, these Pauses can pop in and surprise us. So I encourage you to pay attention to how often these occur in your life and invite you to begin to practice the four other Pause practices listed above to avoid this one. This is the category where I would list, zoning out, burnout, sickness etc.
So today and every day, I invite you to live your life like it’s Golden, by taking your freedom off the shelf by Pausing in support of your liberation.
“I'm livin' my life like it's golden
Livin' my life like it's golden
Livin' my life like it's golden
Livin' my life like it's golden
Livin' my life like it's golden, golden”
“Golden” x Jill Scott
