Have you ever had a situation occur that completely set you off and rather than give yourself a moment to step away and wait to respond, you immediately reacted?
I know I have!
And the outcome was not pretty…
As a result of my reply or rather my “reaction”, I felt terrible about the entire situation, not to mention the other person who was involved in the interaction.
I wish I could have taken back every word that flew out of my mouth at that moment, but it was too late.
When I learned about the Power of the Pause… it was a game-changer in my life.
Taking a pause simply means that you allow yourself the time and space to be in the moment and to process what is going. Once you are able to take time to process, you are better able to respond in a way that may be much more productive.
The benefits of taking a pause include giving your mind the time to be in the moment and to think through what the best way is to approach the situation. Also, this time allows you to calm your nerves and reflect on what has taken place.
I learned that when you are in the midst of a heated discussion or a situation that completely catches you off guard…you have two choices…. You can either react in the moment or you can practice taking a pause. And this simple pause can completely change the outcome of any situation and can save you from doing or saying something that you may regret later.
One simple strategy that helps a great deal in taking a pause is to stop whatever it is that you are doing and take a deep breath in for the count of 4, hold for the count of 4, exhale for the count of 4 and hold again for the count of 4. This is called a box breath. Imagine the outline of a box and each time you inhale think of drawing up the side of the box for the count of 4, then holding for 4 as you draw across the top of the box, then exhale for 4 as you draw down the other side of the box and then hold for 4 as you draw across the bottom of the box.
This visual tends to help. (I attached a free download below in the notes about box breathing to give you the step by step process, easily spelled out for you with a visual.)
This allows you time to clear your mind, gather your thoughts, and respond from a calm place within yourself. Like anything, the more you practice this simple pause, the easier it will become.
You may notice, as a result of you taking a pause, that your outcomes may end up being much more favorable than they would have been had you not practiced the pause.
I encourage you to try this out and notice how pausing impacted your response. I would also love to hear your thoughts about the Power of the Pause and how it has helped you!
If you struggle with overreacting and need help, CLICK HERE and schedule your FREE Breakthrough Coaching Call with Lori today!
>>>Download the Box Breathing PDF HERE.