The Surprising Benefits of Slowing Down (and the inspiration behind my practice)
The alarm blares, cutting through the quiet, and your chest tightens as the weight of the day sinks in.
You scramble to get out the door, last night’s conversation looping in your mind as you second-guess what you said. Stuck in traffic, your grip on the steering wheel tightens, frustration building with every passing minute. By the time you get to your desk, you’ve already scrolled through a flood of emails, your mind spinning from the endless ping of notifications—and it’s only 9 a.m.
Life feels like a relentless blur of doing, reacting, and juggling too much at once.
This is the reality for so many of us. We often move from one thing to the next, running on autopilot, reacting to what’s in front of us without ever catching our breath. But what if you could create a different rhythm for your day? What if you could slow down, even briefly, and give yourself permission to pause?
A pause is a moment of stillness, a break from the whirlwind of thoughts, emotions, and external pressures. It might seem small, but it can be a powerful tool for change. In that brief moment, when you stop to notice what’s happening inside you and around you, you create space…to breathe…to reflect…to respond instead of react.
As Viktor Frankl said, “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
Pausing can look like taking a deep breath before responding to an email, noticing the tension in your shoulders and rolling them back, or stepping outside for a moment of fresh air.
It’s not about stopping your life—it’s about creating moments of presence within it.
The benefits of this small practice can ripple through every part of your day. It helps you feel more grounded, improves your ability to handle stress, and allows you to respond with greater clarity and intention. Pausing can strengthen your relationships, sharpen your focus, and even help you sleep more peacefully at night.
Of course, pausing isn’t always easy. In a world that glorifies busyness, slowing down can feel unnatural—or even impossible. But like any skill, it gets easier with practice.
Sometimes slowing down can stir up discomfort, or your mind may try to pull you back into old patterns. That’s okay—pausing isn’t about getting it right. It’s about showing up for yourself in a new way, even if it feels unfamiliar at first.
Try this the next time you feel stressed or overwhelmed:
Stop for a moment and take three slow, deep breaths.Notice any thoughts, feelings, or sensations that arise, allowing them to simply exist without judgment or the need to fix them.Then, ask yourself: With this awareness, what do I need right now?