Pause. Breathe. Pray
I heard this acronym the other day…
P.A.U.S.E.
Postpone Action Until Serenity Emerges
In those moments, if I do this, I can assess my next move. My first thought out of anger is not the right one. It is usually a “knee-jerk reaction” and not a “thoughtful response”
One of the biggest tricks I learned when I got sober was to press the pause button. This works for most of my destructive thoughts, actions, and behaviors, not just drinking. My brain wants to do whatever it thinks, right now—which gets me in trouble in most cases.
When I am busy reacting and acting out of self-defense, I usually choose the wrong path. When something comes to mind, it’s not always prudent to act on it. When my behaviors are negatively impacting my day, it’s time to regroup and choose a new way.
I need to stop handing my power over to people who can’t carry it anyway. Moving forward each moment and not carrying my past with me. My past has no vote in this. Growth is not an easy path, but neither is staying stuck. Growth is the only one that gets me free. I don’t escape the past by pretending it didn’t happen. It truly shaped me and where I am now—And, I don’t have to let it define me. That pain of the past is not my identity.
I can let that all go into God’s hands and I am free to walk a new way in each moment that presents itself. My reactions are from past hurts and experiences.
Now, my responses are healthier if I pause and breathe—then, pray for God to guide and direct my thinking, then wait patiently for clearer thinking on the next right thing to do.
It works. Try it.
• Pause.
• Breathe.
• Pray.
Then, do the next right thing.
“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.”
Lamentations 3:25
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