Hold the Pause: A Simple innerawesome Practice for Intentional Living
It happens in an instant.
A message triggers you.
A request feels heavy.
An emotion rises, and you respond before you realize what’s happening.
Later, there’s regret. Or tension. Or the familiar feeling that you acted out of habit instead of intention.
This is reactivity. And for many of us, it runs the show.
At innerawesome, we teach a simple mindfulness practice that interrupts this cycle:
Hold the pause.
Why Holding the Pause Matters
Holding the pause means creating a brief moment of awareness before you respond. One breath. One beat. Just enough space to notice your body, your emotions, and your nervous system before taking action.
From a mindfulness and intentional living perspective, this pause is where clarity lives. It’s where emotional regulation becomes possible. It’s where you shift from reacting automatically to responding consciously.
When you don’t hold the pause, old patterns take over: people-pleasing, defensiveness, shutting down, or saying yes when you mean no. Over time, this reactivity leads to misalignment, stress, and strained relationships.
The Power of the Pause
Holding the pause allows you to:
Respond instead of react
Regulate your nervous system
Communicate more clearly
Set healthier boundaries
Act in alignment with your intentions
The pause doesn’t slow you down. It brings you back to yourself.
It might look like taking one conscious breath before replying, letting a message wait, or simply asking, “What’s true for me right now?” Small moments. Big shifts.
An Invitation to Practice
The next time you feel the urge to react, pause.
Stay with yourself for a moment longer.
Let awareness lead.
Choose with intention.
Hold the pause.
It’s the simplest way to create change, and the foundation of living innerawesome.