The Risk of Choosing to Pause

Recently, I have had some fine epiphanies about the Power of the Pause.

I typically am going so fast that I default into my usual choices.

Recently, I made a very bold move for myself: I chose to go a day late on a camping trip.

I know, monumental right?

It was for me though. I try to do what I say I’m going to do as much as possible.

I feel guilt for any failure to follow through. 

Integrity is important, but so is being authentic to your own limits.

Since this particular choice was initiated by an argument, it felt
dramatic. But it felt right in my core center.

I found that making this choice somewhat disconcerted me. I felt off kilter for hours afterwards.

I called a friend who recently graduated from therapy school and who is a consistent source of wisdom in these moments.

He pointed out that I was doing something that was showing myself value for myself.

We can talk all day about how much we hold self esteem, but only when we take actions that display self-worth does it really solidify as actual value.

It’s natural that the associated guilt coming up for me was deeply discombobulating. That’s going to happen every time I practice this type of self-care until it becomes normalized in my system.

My friend pointed out that baseball players during practice will have balls thrown at them on purpose. This helps them get less scared of getting hit by the ball.

We have to get in the line of the ball to get hit with a discomfort of choosing what we know is right for us enough times until we’re not scared of it anymore.

Sometimes, that’s in the best interest for everyone involved.

I was in a great mood when I showed up to camping the next day. I would not have been if I pushed myself to go the day I originally planned.

Granted, I also need to practice the pause when I schedule my time. It’s more considerate to say no early, rather than reschedule.

Another time it serves others for us to step back and pause to self care is when we are insisting on doing things for other people that they can do themselves.

When we do, we are saying to them that we can do things better than them and they can’t do it as well as us. That can dis-empower others from developing their own skills.

These behaviors are related to being a caretaker. There are beautiful aspects of that nature, but we can choose to clean up the shadows that don’t serve the greater good.

Ask yourself: How will Pausing to consider what your intuition is saying help you this weekend?



Take a real pause for insights when you sign up for a tarot reading with me today or bring your friends together for an online tarot event or learning the tarot together.

Permit Self-Care,

Jenna Lynne Roberts

Present Path Tarot

Image Credit: https://unsplash.com/@brett_jordan