Taking Time to Pause and Reflect

Written By Laura Bierema

When you work with a coach, they help you do something always available to you: pausing and reflecting. Stopping to think and mull over your mindsets, thoughts, and actions over a day or related to a specific interaction or incident. Reflecting is a necessary learning process where you can pause and reflect on your day, life, mistakes, and triumphs. My beloved goldens, Gunnar and Barley (L-R), are on my deck in Onekama, MI, taking in the sunset with me. Sadly, Barley left us in September of 2021 and Gunnar in May of 2022, and their energetic presence is something we all miss around the house. Stopping each day to watch the sunset, sunrise, birds at your feeder, or wind in the trees gives you a moment to take a breath and think. Journaling is another way to pause and capture what is on your mind as you live and learn.

A reflective pause can also help rewire your brain! Much of our behavior runs on autopilot as we move through the day, doing things we do daily that we rarely stop to think about. Slowing down and becoming more aware can result in more mindful actions, deeper thought, stronger willpower, and better decisions. Here are some tips to be more mindful and reflective:

  1. Trip over reminders to do it. Leave your journal in the middle of your desk or your yoga mat in the middle of the floor to remind you to reflect.

  2. Send yourself reminders to stop—pause—and reflect. Much like my watch reminds me to stand on the hour, you can also set your smart devices to remind you to breathe, meditate, or change your routine. These reminders can help you change thought and behavior patterns. Post-it notes also work!

  3. Create new patterns of how you move through the day. One of my bosses taught me to only schedule meetings at the top of the hour. Usually, that means you have some extra time between meetings, assuming they don’t take a full hour, to regroup or do something else, like breathe or reflect. What routines can you shake up?

  4. Drive reflectively. Yep. Slow down. Assume the best of intentions by other drivers. Practice being calm.

Laura Bierema