The Power of the Pause

The first step to eliminating any behavior is the awareness. So many times, Judith and I have talked on our podcast, The Coaches’ Cup, about having awareness of a specific behavior, and awareness is awesome and necessary. But it’s not the only thing. In fact, awareness alone isn’t going to move the dial for anyone.

What happens after awareness?

This is a question I was pondering recently while I was journaling.

I am very aware that I am an emotional eater. I feed my anxiety long after my body has had enough food. I am aware I am doing it even as I put the food in my mouth.

Awareness does not make me stop; it just makes me aware.

In fact, sometimes it makes me more anxious because being aware that I am overeating makes me more anxious about my weight, my health, etc, etc.

When I was dealing with imposter syndrome, I was always keenly aware of my feelings of not being good enough. Awareness was definitely never a problem.

The more I work with women and read and research, the more convinced I am that the next step after awareness has to be The Pause.

The Pause is a moment where we stop whatever behavior we are in and drop into our bodies.

Our bodies hold the feelings that are driving our behaviors.

Our bodies also hold the answers to what we truly need.

I don’t need food in moments of anxiousness; I need assurance and a sense of control.

I need to feel that the situation is going to be okay. That whatever is making me anxious is a bump in my road that I can figure out.

I don’t even have to know how to solve it; I just need to feel secure that it is figureoutable.

And when I pause, I have that deep knowing.

Deep down, I trust myself to handle whatever issue is presented to me even if I don’t want to. I have handled lots of different kinds of issues in my life, and this one will be no different.

So when I am feeling anxious or angry or scared, being aware of it is the first step, but awareness should always trigger a pause--

Because the answer to my feelings will always rest inside of me. I just need to slow down long enough to access it.

And so do you. ❤️