Mindful Pause: Creating Space For Clarity

This is a recording of our final session in the "Daily Mindfulness with Diana Mirs" live event series, which includes practical tips for intentionally slowing down in a fast-paced life. Together with your Mind-Body Connection Coach, Diana Mirs, we will delve into the Neuroscience of the Pause, explaining how this simple tool can interrupt the stress response, stimulate the vagus nerve, and activate your body's relaxation system to build lasting resilience. You will learn the practical STOP technique (Stop, Take a Breath, Observe, Purpose) to prevent burnout, avoid impulsive reactions, and make better daily decisions. The session emphasizes listening to your body's wisdom for subtle cues and includes a Guided Meditation: The Embodied Pause for integrating this sense of stillness.

I invite you to check the "Daily Mindfulness with Diana Mirs" playlist for the recording of other events and guided meditations from this series.

Transcript

Hello,

My friends.

Thanks a lot for joining.

I'm very happy to see you guys.

I want to remind to all of you guys that it is a safe space to express yourself,

Your opinions,

Your thoughts,

Emotions,

And a space to be yourself.

It's very,

Very welcome here.

A few words about me.

My name is Diana.

I'm a Mind-Body Connection coach,

A psychosomatic specialist,

And a meditation teacher.

And this is the series of life events that I'm hosting this year on Inside Timer called Daily Mindfulness with Diana Meyers.

And during these sessions,

We are exploring different aspects of mindfulness and relations of mindfulness to various aspects of our lives.

So we have already talked about mindfulness and sleep,

Daily routines such as morning and evening routines,

How to create them,

Establish them so they will support you throughout the whole day,

From day to day,

In any circumstances.

We have also been speaking about mindfulness and communication.

We were discovering mindfulness in relation to creativity,

And that was a very beautiful topic to discuss with you guys.

The relationship between mindfulness and gratitude.

Last week,

We were talking about mindfulness and intuition,

And it was awesome as I could judge and see that was a really important for you guys topic.

And of course,

Today we will be focusing on mindful pausing,

Which is extremely important for all of us in the modern life.

So if you guys want to listen again to the previous life events,

To our discussions,

And to the guided meditations that we had at the end of each session,

Please guys subscribe to my profile here on Inside Timer.

And these meditations and life events are uploaded as respectively guided meditations and talks here on the platform.

So you guys can access them and again,

To release into the parts that you've missed or would like to deepen your knowledge about.

As I mentioned already,

We will focus today on the exploration of simple,

But profoundly powerful tool,

Mindful pausing.

And I believe it is very important for everyone because most of us,

Let's say 98% are living in a fast paced world and environment,

And we need to create this sacred special place in our life intentionally,

Which will be an act of self-love and self-care and a key to unlock some great clarity and calm.

So if it is of your interest,

Please stay till the end of this life.

And at the end,

We will have a guided meditation focusing on pausing,

Incorporating it into a specific situation perhaps that you would like to work with.

So we will see how it works and practice.

So that will be a really good illustration of how we can use actually this mindful pause in our daily life.

Let me start by saying that in our daily life,

Especially as I feel it myself,

We are living in a very fast pace and perhaps this pace is becoming quicker and quicker from one year to another,

Not only due to our personal experience,

But also the development of the technology and so on and so forth.

So it activates our sympathetic nervous system.

I'm sure that all of us have already heard about the two nervous systems that we have in our body,

Sympathetic one and parasympathetic.

So the sympathetic one is sort of responsible for the fight or flight mode,

And it is when we become very activated and in need of immediate response to a situation,

To a stressor.

And of course it leads to not only the changes in our body,

Such as we may experience increased heart rate or increased higher blood pressure,

Fastened breath,

And generally heightened alertness.

It can also provoke anxiety and a lot of disturbing,

Overwhelming thoughts in our mind,

So when we can intentionally pause during these stressful times,

It is like a breaker to this stress response that activates immediately within ourselves.

And when we are able to take this even very short pause,

We give a chance to our parasympathetic nervous system,

Which is responsible for rest and digest period,

Let's say for providing comfort,

Wideness to our life and to our body.

We can actually support ourselves and shift our state.

So the key role in this process plays the vagus nerve.

Again,

Vagus nerve,

It is the largest nerve system in our body that goes through the brain,

From the brain through all of our neck and torso up to the digestive system.

So if and when we activate this vagus nerve,

We can switch the work of our nervous systems and turn on the parasympathetic one.

So we can actually,

I wanted also to take a longer breath out,

So we can actually slow down a little bit and,

And arrive into the present moment instead of probably mindless and instinctive reaction that in most cases is not needed.

So basically this whole process of downregulation also lowers the stress hormones in our body,

Such as,

For example,

Cortisol,

And it promotes the state of relaxation and physical equilibrium,

Which I think all of us would agree is what most of us want and perhaps need even probably in this present moment,

So let's take a little pause here,

Take a deep breath in,

Sending the air to the belly,

Chest and neck and head and breathe out slowly through the mouth and probably with a sigh out and allowing yourself to sink deeper into the chair or however you are seated or even lying down or even standing to just arrive into your body,

Into the space around you,

Look around yourself and perhaps take a sip of water.

So let's allow ourselves this few moments of mindful pausing right now.

And I'm also very curious how you respond to stressful reactions.

What is your first reaction if something is wrong,

Whether you are in a fight mode or a freeze,

Which also is a reaction and activation of the sympathetic nervous system,

Whether you want to run away.

And if you don't feel like sharing in the comment section,

Which is totally fine,

Just remember how it manifests in your life.

What is your general first response to a stressful situation?

To me,

In most cases,

It is freezing.

In some other situations,

I just want to run away.

And attacking is probably the least probable response to a stressful situation from my experience.

So just evaluate these responses of your nervous system,

Of your subconsciousness,

Distress,

So you've just become aware of them.

And again,

There is nothing wrong with these responses.

There is no right answer.

Nothing is more preferable than the other.

And with the mindful pause,

We can not only shift our state,

But we can also retrain our nervous system.

And it is the best part because thinking globally about the future,

If you're not satisfied with your reactions to a stressful situation,

To any kind of stressor,

Or if you would like to react to less,

If you want to spend less energy on that type of situations,

That's perfect.

You can retrain your nervous system,

Taking care of yourself,

Pausing mindfully,

Of course,

Applying many variety of other practices,

If you wish so.

And your natural response to the stressors will change as well.

That was a big motivation to me when I started working with my reactions and generally speaking with shifting my automatic responses back a few years back.

And I definitely now can say that it,

It has changed me a lot.

I'm very grateful for taking time and it took,

Of course,

A lot of effort and dedication and it's,

I still keep walking this path,

But I see the changes and I'm very happy how I react to stressors and to some difficult or challenging situations in my life and generally feel during these periods of life.

So I hope it also will motivate you guys to start with a few small steps with the mindful pause that we are discussing today,

And I'm sure you'll be able to see the positive changes quite soon.

I'm a big fan of scientific researches and neuroscience.

So now in the next part of our life,

I would like to speak about the benefits,

The proven benefits of mindful pausing.

So if you are curious about that,

Please also join the conversation and I'm sure that you have vivid examples from your life of how pausing for a little while,

Even for a short while has benefited you.

If you have some examples also,

Please feel free to share in the comments section.

So let's speak about even the short breaks,

Mindful breaks throughout the day and their benefits.

So these benefits are actually remarkable and they can,

They include some cognitive functions that can be improved thanks to short breaks.

It can improve the sustained attention and focus,

Which is essential for our work productivity or studies.

Instead of pushing through fatigue,

Especially in the afternoon,

Let's say it is much more beneficial to take a break,

Not necessarily even a nap,

Which will be better if you have a chance,

But slowing down a little bit will give you the opportunity to reset and replenish your resources and to continue your day with a fresher mind,

With more efficiency and accuracy in your work.

These short breaks are also crucial for reducing mental fatigue and preventing cognitive overload because this cognitive overload may result in increased anxiousness or frustration.

And as a result,

In a long-term may lead to developing the symptoms of depression or depression itself.

So that's again,

A very important and gentle reminder for you guys to stop for a while,

Taking care of yourself mindfully throughout the days.

And continuing your day in a shifted state to just prevent any unwanted consequences,

And let's take even a 20 second break right now.

You may close your eyes or keep them open and just either tune inside of you to check with your breath,

With your bodily sensations,

Or look around your space,

Noticing some details,

Acknowledging your presence in this space,

Feeling your body in this space.

And taking one deep breath in and a very delicious breath out,

Letting go of something unnecessary.

As a MindBodyConnection coach,

I would like to speak a little more about our bodies and relationship between our physical and mental parts of ourselves.

I would say most of our life,

We are living on autopilot and it is not something to be ashamed of.

It is a completely perfect evolutionary developed mechanism that is a part of us in our life,

And there are a lot of benefits of autopilot responses,

Let's say in the daily life,

However,

When the autopilot mode,

Let's say,

Or responses do not serve us,

This is when we can start working with that.

So many of us,

Unfortunately,

Are just pushing through some signals of our bodies or not even noticing what our bodies are telling us,

If it is some discomfort or some overwhelm until,

Or even some physical pain,

Until this pain or discomfort becomes unbearable,

Until our bodies scream to us that something is wrong,

Mindful pausing allows us to notice these signals of our bodies,

Which our bodies are constantly giving us.

It's sort of a feedback of our bodies to the environment around us.

If we learn how to notice the signals,

How to interpret them and how to understand basically ourselves better,

We can,

We can mindfully change everything in our life,

Change ourselves to the way we want to be.

So first step,

I would say,

Learning how to distinguish and interpret your internal landscape,

Sort of interoception,

And our physical bodies do not only signal about how well or not well we are feeling physically,

Not only about our health,

But also our bodies give us a response to some certain emotional or cognitive experiences,

And it may manifest in the body as clenching our jaws,

For example,

If,

If we are experiencing stress or suppress our anger,

For example,

Maybe we have some discomfort in our stomach when we're experiencing mental stress or maybe some intuitive nudges,

For example,

I'm sure that especially from the older generation,

We can hear some deep sighs,

And it's not only about the need to get more oxygen,

But also it is a body's natural way of releasing tension and stress.

So with the mindfulness and mindful pausing,

We can truly learn how to listen to our bodies,

To all of this constant communication that is happening inside of us,

And here,

A very simple practice that all of us can incorporate throughout the day,

Just pause for a few moments,

Even it can be less than a minute,

And ask yourself,

How am I truly feeling right now?

And please be honest with yourself.

So let's concentrate on that question at this moment.

How am I truly feeling right now?

Check in with yourself and try to use some adjectives to describe this state.

The language can really help us here.

And if you don't mind,

Please guys share your answers in the comment section.

How are you truly feeling now?

Again,

There is nothing to be ashamed of.

Any state is completely normal.

All of the emotions are welcome.

No wrong answers.

Simply acknowledging what is here right now,

No judgment,

About acceptance.

At this very moment,

I'm feeling a little bit anxious about the changes in my life.

At the same time,

I'm feeling excited and a little bit tired because it's quite late already.

How about you?

How about you guys?

Just take a mental note of what is present for you.

And this will encourage to improve your mind-body wisdom.

To support your overall wellbeing,

To prevent burnout,

And generally to navigate life with a greater sense of awareness and resilience.

This short,

Easy practice can help much.

That is true.

I also would like to mention a few more techniques that we can incorporate in daily life to pause mindfully and achieve all of the benefits to shift our states.

Let's move to the next part of the life.

Here,

I would like to give you guys the practical tool that I call STOP.

It is an abbreviation where each letter stands for something that we should do.

The first letter S is the STOP itself.

Taking this little pause whenever you feel overwhelmed or reactive,

Or just you want to rush somewhere,

Constantly reacting to the environment,

Just bring your attention to your physical body and create this little gap between the stressor and your reaction.

Stop.

The letter T stands for take a breath.

When you do stop,

Take at least one conscious cycle of breath,

Drawing the air deep into your body,

Into your belly,

Expanding your ribs and breathing everything out.

You may repeat it for a few cycles of breath,

Sending the signal to your nervous system that everything is all right,

Redirecting your attention and enhancing your mind-body connection.

The letter O stands for observe.

And notice in this moment,

Whatever is happening with you,

Your physical sensations,

Your emotions,

And your thoughts.

Again,

Your task here is just to observe,

Not to analyze,

Not to judge,

Not to fix,

Not to change.

Simply observe.

And you may try to do it even now.

The letter P stands for purpose.

So instead of immediately jumping back to what you are doing,

Either responding to an email,

To someone,

Or rushing somewhere,

Consciously ask yourself,

What is your purpose in continuing?

How do you want to engage with your next moment?

Maybe responding to the email with more patience in some other way,

Or approaching the next task with more focus and clarity,

Or to continue your conversation with someone in a more present way.

What is your purpose?

This allows you to redirect your energy and actions,

And not just to be driven by the external pressures.

This way you can align your actions with your values,

With your intentions,

Which will in turn lead to more meaningful and effective engagement with basically the rest of your day.

Again,

This was the STOP abbreviation.

Please remember it next time when you decide to take a mindful pause.

In my MindBodyConnection coaching,

When we are working closely with clients,

We learn how to identify your personal stress triggers,

And how to develop the tailored strategies into your life.

How you can use various techniques to not only pause,

But bring more mindfulness into your life and support your well-being.

So you can face all of the inevitable life challenges with more resilience and ease.

And you can incorporate this STOP tool before sending the response to an email or a text message,

Between the tasks at work or between your studies,

During conversations,

And generally when feeling overwhelmed or very emotional.

Let's continue,

Guys,

To our guided meditation for this session.

This meditation will illustrate how you can take a mindfulness pause in your daily life.

Start by finding a comfortable posture,

Allowing your body to be both relaxed and alert.

You may gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.

Take a few slow,

Deep breaths in and out,

Feeling yourself arrive fully in this moment.

In and out.

There is nothing to do,

Nothing to worry about.

Nothing to react to at this very moment.

Allow yourself a few minutes for yourself.

And bring to your mind a specific scenario or a situation from your day.

Perhaps it is something that happened recently or is something occurring,

Where you typically feel a sense of rush,

Pressure,

Or reactivity.

For the purpose of our meditation,

Choose something that causes certain reactions but is not too overwhelming.

And see this scene in your mind's eye unfolding in front of you.

The triggers,

The familiar feelings beginning to arise.

Allow yourself to feel whatever happens,

Knowing that you are safe in this moment and it is just an experiment in your mind.

And as you perhaps feel this familiar urge to react or to speed up or to become tense,

Consciously insert a pause.

It is like hitting that pause button on a remote control.

Envision the action in your mind's eye freeze.

Everything stills.

And in this imagined pause,

Bring your awareness fully into your body.

Notice the specific sensations in that frozen moment.

Where do you feel the tension?

Is your breath shallow or rapid?

What emotions are beginning to surface?

Continue to hold this paused image in your mind.

And now,

Gently direct your breath into those areas of tension that you have noticed.

Imagine your breath softening the tightness,

Maybe in your shoulders.

Or releasing the clench in your jaw.

Calming the quickening of your heart.

Observe what happens in your body by creating this internal space,

This mindful pause.

Do you notice any subtle changes or shifts?

It can be softening,

Slight easing,

A sense of space opening up where there was constriction before.

There is no need to force anything.

Simply observe with curiosity and open mind.

And simply keep breathing.

As you remain in this imagined pause,

Notice if a different perspective begins to emerge.

Can you see the situation with a little more clarity?

Are there other ways of responding to that you haven't considered in the heat of the moment?

This pause creates a space within yourself for your intuitive wisdom to surface.

A space where you are not driven by immediate reaction,

But guided by a more thoughtful awareness.

Notice if any new insights or possibilities arise in this still space.

Keep taking breaths in and out.

And take a moment to anchor this feeling of this mindful pause within you.

Notice the happened changes.

Perhaps a sense of spaciousness,

The softening of tension,

The potential for a different response.

And breathe this feeling in,

Allowing it to settle into your body.

This is the power of the holiday within the brief moment of conscious stillness.

Let go of that situation in your mind and gently bring back your attention to your physical body in the present moment.

Take a slightly deeper breath in.

Add some movement into your body.

And carry with you the memory of this imagined pause and the insights it offered.

And as you move throughout your day,

Remember that this pause button is always available to you.

You have the power to create this space even in the midst of reactivity.

And within this space lies the potential for a more mindful and intentional way of being.

When it feels right to you,

Give yourself a gentle pat on the back or a warm hug.

Put a gentle smile into your lips,

Thanking yourself for taking this time for you,

For practicing.

And open your eyes,

Fully arriving into the surroundings.

Thank you so much for practicing with me today.

It was great to lead this meditation for you guys.

Let me know how it was for you,

Whether there were any shifts or changes,

Or perhaps not,

Which is also fine.

How you found this practice.

All your feedback would be very beneficial to me and I'm always open to hearing back from you guys.

So don't hesitate either to leave a comment now or to reach out to me in the private message after our live event.

Thank you for your hearts,

Guys,

During the meditation as well.

I really appreciate that.

So that is it.

Thank you so much,

Guys,

For your presence,

For staying until the end of our live event,

For practicing the guided meditation together.

It was great to share this space with you.

Feel free to reach out to me.

I'm happy to hear back from you,

To getting to know you better,

To know how I can serve you better.

And this wraps our Daily Mindfulness with Diana Meyers live events here on Inside Timer.

Thank you for your presence.

Have a great rest of your day,

Wherever you are.

And I'll see you soon.

Bye.