The Power of Pausing
- GR
- Aug 5
- 4 min read
You know what doesn’t get enough credit in this whole “reinvent your life” business?
Stopping.
Not quitting. Not giving up. Just… pausing.
Because before we start stacking new skills, chasing new goals, or adding more to our already-too-full plates, there’s power in hitting pause and taking stock of where we are—and how we’re actually doing.
Stack Your Midlife is a series I created to help women (like me) move from chaos to clarity—one intentional layer at a time.
Whether you’re feeling stuck, stretched thin, or simply unsure where to begin, this series is for you. It’s not about big, perfect changes—but small, thoughtful ones that build on each other.
Each post is designed to be a gentle nudge toward growth, direction, and momentum in your own midlife shift.
🧭 If you're new here, follow me on Pinterest and head to midlifeponderings.com to join the email list so you don’t miss the next step in the stack.
Or, if you're finding this after the series has been completed, I invite you to read through each post one day—or even one week—at a time. Let it settle in. Practice. Reflect. Ponder your own path forward. For now, lets get into the power of pausing.
When Life is Loud, the Pause is Quiet—and Powerful
If I’m being honest, I had the idea to start a blog years ago. And not just one idea. Many. Too many to name without a little twinge of embarrassment. But maybe you know the feeling—when you can see your dream clearly, but there are a dozen louder voices crowding it out:
Which kid needs to be where?
What bills are due?
Am I happy in my marriage?
Should I apply for that job?
Do I even have the time—or energy—for one more thing?
That mental clutter doesn’t just distract you. It fuels doubt. And that doubt kept me in motion but not in alignment.
I chased ideas that looked good—on paper, to others, even to me—but they didn’t feel right. Until one day I stopped.
Journal in hand, I sat and asked myself real questions:
How are things really going in my marriage?
What season am I in as a mother?
What am I doing just for me—and do I actually enjoy it?
What does the best version of me even look like now?
And what might I need to do today to become her?
That moment was my pause. And it changed everything.
What Pausing Really Looks Like (Hint: It’s Not Lazy)
Pausing might look like:
Sitting in the car for 10 minutes in silence before going inside
Journaling with your morning coffee instead of scrolling
Saying “no” to the extra thing just because you always say yes
Taking a week off social media and noticing how your brain feels
Letting go of that business idea you thought you wanted because your gut says otherwise
Opening ChatGPT and saying, “Can you help me reset? I need a fresh plan.”
Pausing doesn’t mean you’re doing nothing. It means you’re making room to do what matters.
What Happens When You Pause
When I took time to be with myself—no noise, no pressure, just quiet attention—I realized I wasn’t failing. I was simply exhausted from staying in motion without clarity. That clarity came when I stopped trying to outrun the discomfort and got still long enough to hear myself.
Pausing creates space to:
Hear your own thoughts again
Notice what’s draining or distracting you
Name what you want—not just what’s needed from you
Make peace with regret (“Gotta learn to live with regret,” as Jay Z says)
Reimagine what your life could look like from here
Midlife often comes with a subtle grief—the version of you that never quite got to shine. But pausing gives her a chance to speak up. And maybe this time, you’ll actually listen.
A Simple Challenge: The Midlife Pause
Try this: for one week, carve out 10–15 minutes a day just to be with yourself.
No podcast. No multitasking. No fixing.
Just you.
Sit. Walk. Breathe. Journal. Or just stare out the window with your thoughts.
Then ask yourself: What's working? What’s not? What do I want more or less of?
And if journaling’s not your thing—yet—I’ve created a free 7-Day Midlife Pause Journal Prompt Guide just for this. These prompts also work beautifully as simple reflection starters during your morning quiet time.[Download it here → Insert Your Link]
Why This Matters So Much
Here’s the thing: we spend so much of our lives doing what’s needed, what’s expected, what’s responsible. And there’s honor in that. But at some point, we have to ask:
What do I want?
Not in a dreamy, unrealistic way—but in a deeply human way.
What do I want to feel more of?
What do I want to stop carrying?
What kind of life do I want to design from here?
That mental shift—from “what’s needed of me” to “what do I want for me”—isn’t selfish. It’s sacred. It’s the bridge between existing and actually living.
Final Thought: Don’t Just Push Through—Pause Through
Remember when I said earlier getting quiet and I quote "changed everything", that change momentum only lasted so long before over 20 years of habit slowly creeped back up, and I was overwhelmed again. This time it looked like a good ugly cry and a brain dump to get all the things compartmentalized, reprioritized, and me back on my feet.
Midlife isn’t just about pushing forward. It’s about pausing with intention.
Because when you give yourself space to reset—not just your schedule, but your spirit—you stop spinning and start steering.
The pause is where clarity grows. And clarity is where your next stack begins.
🧘♀️ Want a companion for your own pause? Download the free Midlife Pause Reflection Guide [here]—it’s a gentle way to begin the very kind of pause this post is all about.
Take a few minutes each day to ask yourself a better question. You may just find a better answer waiting quietly within you.
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