Pausing On Purpose: The Benefits of a Mindful Pause

“Life goes on, and you want it to. But you also want to hit pause for a moment, so you can feel one thing at a time”  Leslie Budewitz, American Author

September stirs some excitement and anxious anticipation as I think about transitioning from summer to fall. The shifts in outdoor activities include shorter bike rides as it gets dark earlier and earlier. It also means that the garden and flower beds need cleaned up in preparation for winter weather. In some respects, there is a slowing, change and downshift of certain activities and in other areas, life picks up. For many, this comes in the form of shifting routines and patterns, new programs and classes to attend and consider, regular meetings reconvening and anticipating upcoming holidays. Practicing present moment awareness, I am reminded to be attentive and ensure that I observe shifting rhythms, patterns and activities in my life and respond in ways that help prevent overwhelm, burnout or empathic distress. This month, we’ll revisit and explore the practice of intentional pausing on purpose throughout one’s day as a self-care and prevention skill.

What is intentional, purposeful pausing? Those of you who have practiced with me historically will remember a program that I used to offer called Pause On Purpose (POP). The acronym reminds us that we can pause at any point throughout our day to come into the present moment and note our states of being. We can POP using our breath, noting visual surroundings, attending to sensations of our feet on the ground or other sensations in the body. We can POP while we’re in motion by intentionally focusing on walking, the movement of our feet and legs or through engaging in a few mindful stretches. We can POP and attend to sounds within us and around us. These are several ways you might incorporate a POP into your daily routine without being overwhelmed by adding another task to your “to do” list. Of course, there are numerous ways to POP and rest and regulate your nervous system. I hope you will experiment and find what supports you. This is an act of kindness, compassion and resilience building.

Life frequently comes at us quickly. We can easily become bombarded with information, tasks and responsibilities. This can lead to overwhelm in a world that is quickly and constantly changing. Intentional pausing throughout our day has numerous benefits. When we practice purposeful pausing and become more aware of present moment states, we are creating that space to decide what would serve us and others best in the next moment. Pausing intentionally contributes to our ability to recover, regroup, and respond in ways that support our values and intentions in life. This approach can assist in preventing burnout and mitigating empathic distress. The self-awareness that arises from pausing and checking in with ourselves regularly helps us recognize more readily when we need to POP. Taking time to pause and reset before reengaging is an important aspect of well-being, promoting both physical and mental health. Intentional pausing helps decrease the long term physical and mental impact of stress unaddressed. Self-awareness positively impacts our interactions and connections with others by allowing us to step out of automatic habitual patterns of speaking and listening and being more present to what’s actually occurring in our interpersonal interactions.

Practicing pausing with others, in community, can also be a powerful tool in learning and reinforcing strong patterns of taking care of oneself. Perhaps one of these programs would assist you on our journey of ongoing health and wellbeing. Perhaps you introduce the POP idea to begin or end a meeting or as you and family transition from one activity to another. Contact me if you have any questions or would like to discuss ways you can incorporate pausing on purpose in your life. Please check out my website for upcoming fall programs:

• Mindfulness at Emmanuel:  Sept 21^st; Oct 5^th & 19^th.  In person and via Zoom.

• Artful Journey to Wellbeing, with Karen and various artists at the Adams County Arts Council, Tuesdays, Sept 30-Nov 18, 5:30-7:00pm, ET

• Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Course with Karen, online through Mindful Leader:, Oct 6-Dec 8, 6:00-8:30pm, ET  .

• Mindfulness, Grief & Loss: In Support of Healing with Karen, online through East Coast Mindfulness, Wednesday, Oct 29^th , Nov 5^th and 12^th , 7-8:30pm, ET.

I hope that you are able take moments to practice Pausing on Purpose this month. I know you will reap the benefits of regularly regrouping, resetting the nervous systems and increasing your awareness and connection to self and others.

May you find moments of peace and ease along the way,

Karen