the power of the pause

“we have to learn the art of stopping”

Thich Nhat Hanh

The Power of the Pause: A Gentle Step Toward Healing

When you’re healing—truly healing—it’s not always about doing more. In fact, some of the most profound breakthroughs come not from action, but from the quiet moments in between.

We live in a culture that tells us to push through, to keep going, to stay strong. But what if part of your strength lies in your ability to pause?

To breathe

To feel

To simply be

Pausing isn't a weakness. It’s wisdom.

1. Pause to Feel What You’ve Been Avoiding

Healing doesn’t happen when we ignore our pain. But it also doesn’t happen when we force ourselves to relive it without care or support. Pausing gives you the space to gently acknowledge what’s been buried beneath busyness or distraction. It’s an invitation to sit with your feelings—without judgment, without fixing.

You don’t need to have all the answers. Just give yourself space and time to ask the questions. 

2. Pause to Let Your Nervous System Breathe

If you’ve been through trauma, stress, or prolonged emotional pain, your body may still be holding onto it. You might be living with the residual effects of past events without even realizing it. A pause—especially one that includes deep breathing, grounding, or silence—can signal to your nervous system: you’re safe now.

Over time, these small moments of calm can create safety in your body again.

3. Pause to Remember Who You Are Beyond the Pain

When you’re in a season of healing, it’s easy to feel like your wounds define you. But they don’t. A pause offers a sacred moment to reconnect with who you are underneath the grief, the fear, the fatigue. It reminds you that you are not broken—you are becoming.

Healing is not a race. It’s a returning to yourself.

4. Pause to Receive, Not Just Give

Many of us were taught to care for others before ourselves. In healing, that pattern can persist—we try to be “okay” for everyone else, even when we’re struggling inside. A pause says: I matter too. It gives you space to receive—whether it’s a deep breath, a kind word, a moment of quiet, or your own compassion.

You don’t have to earn rest. You don’t have to justify your need for stillness. You are allowed to pause.

5. Pause to Let the Light In

When you’re constantly moving, there’s no space for new insight, grace, or unexpected healing to reach you. But when you pause, even for a moment, you open a window. The light can enter. Answers can arrive. Peace can find its way to you, gently and unforced.

A Simple Practice to Try

the next time you feel tension in your body from anger, anxiety, pain, or just exhaustion try this:

• Sit somewhere quiet.

• Close your eyes (if that feels safe).

• Inhale slowly for 4 counts.

• Hold for 4.

• Exhale for 6.

• Repeat as many times as needed.

Let your shoulders drop. Let your jaw unclench. Let yourself soften—even if only a little. That softness is the beginning of healing.

Final Thought

You don’t need to rush your healing. You don’t need to prove your progress. You are allowed to pause—not as a way to escape, but as a way to come home to yourself.

Even in stillness, you are healing.
Even in silence, you are growing.
Even in the pause, you are powerful.

Give yourself permission to stop, just for a moment. That’s where the real healing begins.