Take a moment to close your eyes and count to ten. What happens in your body when you do this? Does your breathing slow down? Do you feel an opening in your sinus cavity? Does your jaw relax? What about your neck and shoulders? Maybe your belly becomes softer.
Now, with this heightened awareness, do it again. Close your eyes and count to ten. In addition to the things you notice – deeper breathing and relaxation – your body is undergoing changes you don’t notice, like improved cardiovascular activity, strengthened immune function, and a host of neurological modulations that are governed by your body’s hormonal responses.
If all this can be accomplished in just ten seconds, imagine what benefit you could receive by consciously pausing for a minute three times a day! Committing to pause one minute three times each day is enough to break the cycle of tension and anxiety created by mental chatter.
You are largely unaware of the destructive feedback loop between your body and your mind. Unhappy thoughts, mental to-do lists, and negative narratives send messages that create tension in your body. Your mind interprets the body’s tension as further evidence of unhappiness and overwhelm, and the cycle repeats.
Many people live at the edge of a tipping point where very little external stimuli will cause them to fall into upset and overwhelm. The simple act of pausing can break this unhealthy cycle and restore a greater sense of peace and well-being.
If you feel resistance to pausing, ask yourself where the resistance is coming from. You may be tempted to dismiss this message because it seems simplistic. But if the benefits of daily pausing are well known, why are so few people doing it?
The pain-body is addicted to stress. It’s addicted to tension. It’s addicted to discomfort. Paradoxically, your pain-body requires drama to feel safe. After all, drama reminds you that you’re alive.
Bring awareness to that part of you that needs the drama. Offer it love.
True safety does not come from attempting to control external dynamics. True safety emerges as you find peace in this present moment, as you surrender to the light of your own loving consciousness.
