After the Pause…NOTICE.

Sometimes a pause is exactly what we need. It gives the noise a chance to settle and creates enough room for recognition.

But the pause is not where the process ends.

Once there is room, there is something to notice.

Noticing may begin with what is happening in your body. Tight shoulders. A clenched jaw. Pressure across your forehead or temples. A stomach that stays in knots. A heaviness in your chest. The exhaustion that seems to follow you even after you have rested.

Sometimes the body acknowledges the strain before we have found the words for it.

Then there are the words that surface when you stop rushing past them:

This is harder than I have been letting on.

I’m tired of doing this. I’m exhausted!

I keep acting like I am okay with something that hurts.

I cannot fix this.

This feels like it is never going to end.

Those realizations may be uncomfortable, but they can also bring clarity.

You may begin to recognize a repeating pattern, uncover an unmet need, notice an expectation that was never spoken, or see a reaction that seems to happen again and again. You may realize that you have been waiting for something to change, trying to fix something outside of your control, or carrying more than you had fully acknowledged.

But noticing is not only about what is difficult. When the fog begins to clear, you may also see what has been there all along: something that is working, a person who has been supportive, a moment that brought relief, a strength you have been using without recognizing it, or a small change that deserves more credit than you gave it. You may notice something beautiful, encouraging, helpful, or hopeful that was harder to see when everything else was demanding your attention.

You may also begin to notice what is within your control. That may come from wondering what you are feeling, what your body has been trying to tell you, what keeps happening, what you need, or what you may have been trying to fix that is outside of your control. You do not have to answer every question, and you do not have to understand everything at once.

The goal is not to force an answer. It is to see the situation with less fog around it...with more clarity.

The PAUSE creates room for recognition. NOTICE gives you an opportunity to see more of what is there—not only what is difficult, but also what is helping, changing, strengthening, or becoming clearer.

Sometimes what you notice tells you that something needs to be different. Sometimes it reminds you that something is already going right. And sometimes you simply need more time to understand what you are seeing.

You do not have to decide what to do with it yet.

Take This With You

Just NOTICE.