Power of Pausing – Why slowing down is the first step toward change.
By Tara McGee, MSW, RSW, DipTiRP, Psychotherapist, OCSWSSW, Yoga Therapist
I’ve always been a doer. Not because I crave busyness, but because I’m deeply curious and committed to growth. I want to learn, get better, be helpful. But that striving? It’s landed me in burnout more times than I’d like to admit.
For years, people told me to slow down. I heard them—but I was always chasing a finish line. “Once I get there,” I thought, “then I’ll rest.”
Eventually, my body stopped asking and started insisting. I developed chronic vertigo. Fatigue took over. My energy vanished, and my systems—physically, energetically, psychologically—started waving red flags.
Through yoga therapy, psychotherapy, time in nature, and a whole lot of internal listening, I began to trace the roots of this exhaustion. I realized that healing wasn’t just about rest—it was about presence. Noticing what I was taking in. Where my energy was going. How much was too much.
One day, lying in bed and listening inward, I heard it clearly: “Please slow down. You are taking in too much. I can’t keep up.”
In yoga therapy, we work with the understanding that illness arises not from the physical body – but from the subtle layers of being—energetic, psychological, and intuitive. When we do not attend to the cause of illness which originates in those layers, and if we only work with the physical body, we may get some relief, but eventually, symptoms return. When we tend to the subtle body, healing begins.
That day, I tuned in to each layer. I noticed the tension in my muscles, the depletion in my energy body, the stories running through my mind, and the deeper ancestral currents shaping my patterns. I saw how my pushing wasn’t just a habit—it was a survival strategy passed down through generations. And I saw the cost.
My body didn’t ask for supplements or strategies. It asked for less. Less input. Less exertion. Less of everything. It asked me to pause.
In our culture, we’re taught that if we’re tired, we should do more—try harder, be stronger. But that only leads to collapse. We’ve forgotten how to be still. We’ve lost the art of letting our nervous systems truly rest. We’ve forgotten that our body has the wisdom to heal.
Here’s what my body is learning to ask for now:
– Fewer screens.
– Simpler meals.
– More time outside.
– Fewer yeses.
– More naps.
– More staring at the sky.
– Less noise.
– More nothing.
When we pause, we make space. Our bodies metabolize what’s been held. We create space and undo long held knots. As space opens, energy starts to move again. Insight arises. We start to feel ourselves return, but wiser.
I invite you to try something simple—but radical:
Three 30-minute pauses a day. No phones. No podcasts. No to-do list. No recorded meditations. Just sit, lie down, or saunter aimlessly and just be. Let the stillness and the silence do the work.
And if you find that thought terrifying or boring, consider what is it you are avoiding?
I’ll be doing it too. Let’s see what we find in the quiet.🧘📖😌🌼
Ready to rest deeper into yourself?
If this post resonated, you’re not alone. Many of our clients arrive here exhausted—carrying so much, trying so hard, unsure how to slow down without everything falling apart.
Our Whole Again program offers a supported path forward: six weeks to reconnect with your body, tend to your energy, and remember what it feels like to feel like yourself again.
Or, if you’re craving 1:1 care, and someone to hold space for you to express, and metabolize what you’ve been holding, our therapists are here to walk with you.
💛 Learn more about Whole Again or book a free consult with one of our therapists to find your fit – click the links or buttons below.
You don’t have to keep doing this alone.