Last week was a phenomenal one – events in Nottingham, Bradford, and then Edinburgh. At one of these events, I spoke to a woman who told me the most valuable thing she does when she’s stressed or overwhelmed is to stop.
Pause encourages progress. It’s not procrastination or avoidance; it’s a way to cut noise and allow the nervous system to settle so that perspective can return.
As counterintuitive as it sounds, the simple act of pausing can be the most productive thing you can do to move forward.
The Power of Pause
Stopping isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a deliberate way to interrupt unhelpful thoughts or behaviour. A short, intentional pause can:
- Lower physiological arousal (heart rate, muscle tension, stress hormones).
- Re-engage the prefrontal cortex (allowing you to think clearly).
- Restore a sense of agency and feeling of being in control.
Pausing for just 2 minutes gives your nervous system a chance to rebalance. As a result, clarity returns, priorities reorder themselves, and you can choose a suitable path, rather than sprinting blindly towards the nearest one.
A Lesson From the Wild
You may have heard me mention I trained as a Bear Grylls survival instructor. A key principle he teaches, especially when you’re lost, is to stop.
Out in the woods, your brain often wants to do the opposite. You convince yourself you recognise a tree and you charge off in that direction, when it would be more beneficial to stop and think.
The corporate version is no different. When your inbox boils over, deadlines collide, and Slack pings like a pinball machine, the temptation to accelerate increases: more tabs, more meetings, more late nights. But those are the moments when stopping, even for two minutes, will allow you to progress.
A Stop Drill You Can Use Today
When you’re flooded, you’re more likely to make the wrong call, send the wrong message, or burn an hour sprinting in the wrong direction. Next time your brain is buzzing, try this:
- S – Stop: Physically pause, take your hands off the keyboard and your eyes off the screen.
- T – Take a breath: Take four slow breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
- O – Observe: Ask yourself, what actually matters in the next 60–90 minutes? What can wait, and what is just noise?
- P – Proceed: Identify your priority action and focus entirely on that.
Teach Others To Pause
If you lead a team, role model the pause to them too. Let others know when you’re taking two minutes to reset, and encourage them to do the same. You’ll normalise recovery as part of performance.
Try these visible tweaks:
- Build buffers into your day by changing meeting culture, a simple switch from 60-minute meetings to 50 minutes, and 30-minute meetings to 25 minutes.
- Add daily slivers of recovery to your routine, such as a walk to the window, a stretch, time outside in daylight, or taking a few slow breaths away from your screen.
- Share your non-negotiables (sleep, steps, a protected midday break) with others and honour them.
When leaders protect their energy, they give everyone else permission to do the same.
Pausing Prevents Burnout
Pausing isn’t a step back from performance; it’s progressing with composure, clarity, and control.
As a burnout prevention expert, I work with organisations to support their teams to prioritise rest and recovery as a fundamental ingredient to high performance. Find out more about my keynotes and how I can support your business to prioritise employee wellbeing and build resilience.
