Creating Space… To Harness the Power of the Pause When It Matters Most

Leading With VOICCE® Series.

Even as I write this, my words come from a place of true and lived experience. Not last week, and not last year - RIGHT NOW. Even with all of my mindset work, my resources, and my intentional practices, I still feel stress, and I still feel overwhelm. I never pretend to have it all figured out. I value authenticity over artifice. Today started kinda rough for me mentally. I feel a sense of dread, and certain thoughts have decided to run on an incessant loop, on autopilot. 

Only after a few really intentional pauses have I found the space I need to proceed through my day with more clarity and more ease. 

There was a time when I would power through. The story I would tell myself was - "I don't have time to pause," or "I'll have to face that later." So I would press on. But the truth was - the pressure was just beneath the surface, hijacking my mood, influencing my words, impacting my actions. What's more, that energy is contagious. It impacts teams, peers, and loved ones.

Pausing doesn't just serve you, it serves all those impacted by your presence.

Here's a quick practice I recommend when pressure is mounting, and it is subtly impacting how you show up for your teams, your priorities, and the people who matter most.

1. Check in - Ask: What's the story I'm telling myself? Pressure often comes from subtle beliefs. These beliefs turn into stories, often just below our conscious awareness. Pausing for even 10-20 seconds to surface the narrative is enough to give you the power to challenge it. Is this fact, or is this feeling?

2. Create a shift - Change your environment for just a few minutes. Step outside, gaze out of the window, or shift into a different room. This shift allows you to interrupt the subconscious pattern long enough to choose a new path forward. 

3. Practice gratitude - Under pressure, our challenges often feel magnified, insurmountable even. Practicing gratitude has a way of shifting circumstances back into perspective. You may even discover: "I've overcome more difficult things," or "This situation isn't as dire as I initially perceived it to be," or "I have a path I hadn't previously considered."

We will never cease to experience challenges. It won't matter how old we are, how much we have learned, or how prepared we are. Rather than allow our challenges to dictate our response, why not build a habit of response that dictates how we respond to our challenges?

If this message resonates, or you are currently experiencing a season of challenge, I'd love to discuss the range of services that LSF Wellness offers that could support you in this season.

Explore the website, or book a complimentary alignment call. In either case, you'll have the opportunity to gain clarity, and potentially a path forward - with no obligation.

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Thank you for your presence. I am so excited to continue this journey of Leading with VOICCE® with you!

With gratitude, Tian.

Tian Philson Leadership, Wellness & Mindset Coach | Creator of the VOICCE® Decision Making & Empowerment Framework | Helping leaders go inward so they can go upward.