How often have we heard this phrase?
Dr. Amit Sood, Professor of Medicine – Mayo Clinic suggests in his video The Happy Brain that we take time in our day to consciously develop our gratitude and connect with others with compassion. The beginning of spring can be a great signal to take time; time to reflect, to consider, to well….pause. Whether we pause to reflect and/or to refuel; it is our self-care time when, with intention, we create breathing time to ‘stop and smell the roses.’ A phrase we hear but may not heed. Pressing the pause button on our lives is when we make time for gratitude reflection; with the hope that gratitude will seep deeply into our lives and become a part of our everyday.
“The pursuit of gratitude and compassion will make you happier than the pursuit of happiness.” – Dr. Amit Sood
Do you need to remove yourself from a schedule or the usual demands of life?
Relational well being refers not only to your family, friends or co-workers, but to one’s self. The Minnesota Physician Journal suggests physicians and providers would answer ‘yes’ to the question above. According to Dr. Corey Martin, “…Forty-two percent [of physicians] reported loss of control over their workload...”2 Work and personal well being are interrelated. Perhaps you are in need of serious refueling time. Have you lost sight of who you are and do you feel in need of a major ‘regrouping’ in order find your core self again?
“[Resilience is] not about avoiding stress, but about learning to thrive while co-existing within the stress.” – Dr. Corey Martin
Pause exercise
One exercise you can do is gather the HIGHLIGHTS of your life from 2016. Use your calendar, your phone, emails, texts, photo’s to help you remember your recent past. Then ask yourself these questions:
- How does this help you frame your future?
- What if you increase your awareness of what brings you joy and what drains you, and then purposefully do more of the joyful things and less of what drains you?
Scheduling time to pause
Most pathways in life are defined by us; or at least our response to them is. Time management does not mean filling every minute of every day with actions. It is also about using your time wisely and in ways which allow you to stop, to slow down and to be deliberate in how you spend your time. The power to pause is ours to choose. Whether we do it ourselves or reach out for help and support from someone else; pausing can expand our understanding and enlarge our capacity for compassion and our passions. It helps us be intentional about our choices. Our PAUSE TIMES can be reflective so that we may heal.
When we take time for self-care, we create a better foundation for all of our relationships to flourish. We give ourselves permission to simply ponder life. It can be our time for just noticing the world around us or it is time to take stock. Or perhaps you are feeling the need to pause to just be. In this season of new beginnings, it is time….to pause.
We Can Help
As part of your VITAL WorkLife Well Being Resources, you have unlimited telephone consultations with a peer, leadership or spiritual coach. Our consultants can assist you in improving any dimension of your overall well being including physical, relational, emotional, professional, spiritual and legal/financial. To speak with a consultant or coach give us a call at 877.731.3949.
Sources:
1 www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZZ0zpUQhBQ
2 Martin, Corey. “Bouncing back from burnout” Minnesota Physician. XXX No.11 2017. Print
