Pausing

Sometimes the best action is to do nothing.

When you are feeling anxious, overwhelmed, depressed, or empty, try taking a moment to pause. Simply stop doing anything and notice what you are feeling. Frustrated: you want to go back to what you were doing. I feel frustrated. Angry. I feel angry. Sad. I feel sad.

The feelings come. Notice them, let them be there. Release the urge to do anything.

Pausing is extremely difficult. The mere attempt can be hard - you simply don’t want to pause. Once you have paused, it can be hard to stay with it. Thoughts and judgements come back at a blistering pace, demanding and demanding and demanding action, any action. Once you have paused and remained paused, noticing your feelings, the shift from one feeling to another can throw you off balance. Feelings you didn’t know were there make themselves visible. Maybe they are completely new ones. I am feeling this. And that. And this too.

The mind is like a waterfall: there is a constant, never-ending gushing flow. It is very difficult to resist its force. Trying to resist will wear you out quickly, and the flow of water never ceases. Unlike a real waterfall, however, the waterfall of the mind will not harm you. There may be pain there, but noticing pain, acknowledging it, and allowing it, is not the same as being harmed. The pain was just there, and by noticing and accepting it, you give it the chance to be released, to flow on its way.