Do you define your worth by the whirlwind of busy-ness you can stir up? I’ve been reflecting on whether or not I’ve been guilty of that myself or whether I actually had more demands on my time in my 20s and 30s.
Like many women, I married and had my children when I was young. By the time I was in my mid-thirties, I was running Mach II with my hair on fire, working feverishly at marriage (miserably unsatisfying), parenting and extended family life (challenging and mostly satisfying), career (growing and mostly satisfying) and health and wellness (last and least attended). I still have all of those obligations, so you’d think I’d still be a whirling dervish, and I’m not.
Believe me, my time is limited now, and my list of things I’ve left undone is always rather substantial by the end of the day, but I think I’ve learned how to create more progress and finish brilliantly without making myself exhausted and sick. My value system has evolved, and my life feels richer without the crazy busy-ness from before.
Here’s where The Sacred Pause comes in. The other day I read that phrase, “The Sacred Pause,” that describes the moments that balanced, happy people spend each day in meditation or prayer, and I instantly fell in love. That phrase expresses the self-love that coaxes people into carving out quiet rituals in their frantic days. It neutralizes the loaded connection to a specific religion that might prevent some people from participating in the purity of the gesture. It acknowledges the power of stillness in regular, peaceful rituals of reflection. I’m just knocked out by the phrase “The Sacred Pause.”
What does science reveal about the power of The Sacred Pause? Measurable improvement in human well-being has been demonstrated when people work with a life coach or therapist to look objectively at their behavior, thoughts and feelings and to change things that negatively affect their happiness. People who incorporate daily rituals like prayers, acknowledgments or meditations express a greater degree of physical and mental well-being than people who do not, and there is growing evidence that spiritual people are generally happier, have better physical and psychological health, happier relationships and live longer than people who are not (Grenville-Cleave, 2008).
I believe that finding the power of The Sacred Pause has changed my life in a really good way, and when I make a discovery, I’m too much of a natural-born teacher not to want to share it with others. When I was younger and caught up in busy-ness, I rushed through everything, including my healthy rituals. Sometimes, I’d run so hard and so fast all day that I’d fall asleep at night in the midst of an evening prayer. Now, I honor The Sacred Pause because I’ve grown wiser about its power to help me keep going with passion and purpose and to nourish my soul with tranquility and peace. Science also tells us that the best benefit is in having spiritual rituals that routinely give us pause, not necessarily in the length of time we spend in them. (That makes me feel better about nodding off.)
Whether you’re 30 or 90, your body, mind and spirit can benefit from a sacred pause. I can’t encourage you enough to add this ritual to your daily recipe for well-being if you haven’t already.
All the Best Always,
Doctor Mell
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Grenville-Cleave, B et al (2008). The happiness equation: 100 factors that can add to or subtract from your happiness. Adams Media: Avon, MA.
