The courage to pause

What happens when you are in-between

There comes a time when you’re moving so fast you barely feel your own footsteps. Life’s a blur, a string of responsibilities, projects, and deadlines , one after another. Somewhere in between, you stop asking if the direction is right, and you just keep going, hoping the path will lead where you want to be.

Sometimes things just don’t feel right. There’s a tightening in your chest, a restlessness, a quiet resistance to the work that once felt natural. You feel it in your bones : something isn’t quite aligned. It’s subtle at first, easy to ignore, and the body has this way of speaking up when the mind is too busy to notice. There’s tension, fatigue, or even a sudden lack of enthusiasm for things that used to bring joy.

Our bodies know before our minds do. And if you’re just a little like me, you keep pushing, keep ignoring, because the idea of stopping feels so inconvenient and scary.

Pausing can feel like the hardest thing to do. It’s counterintuitive, especially in a world that seems to value productivity and growth above all else. But if we’re honest with ourselves, there comes a moment when we get to acknowledge that maybe, just maybe, something needs to change.

And what if you pause, and you don’t know what comes next?

That’s the scariest part — the silence that follows. The quiet that can feel like you’ve lost all momentum, all certainty. We fear that if we stop, we’ll be left behind. This year for me has been about realizing that this silence, this moment of not knowing, it’s the moment when we get to ask ourselves what we really want. It’s the space after the storm, where answers don’t come immediately, but insights slowly start to surface. It’s a strange, uncomfortable place, and it’s also where the truth lives, if we’re patient enough to wait for it.

And then, in that space, something remarkable happens. When you allow yourself to pause, to stop forcing answers, the clarity begins to find you. Maybe it’s a new direction, maybe it’s a simple change in pace, or maybe it’s just a reminder to realign with the things that truly matter.

Stepping back doesn’t mean stepping away. It means reconnecting with yourself, with that deeper intuition that sometimes gets lost in the rush. It’s a chance to ask, “Is this really where I want to be?” and to listen for an answer without judgment or fear.

So, if you also feel that tightness in your chest or that nagging sense of unease, maybe it’s time to honor it. Give yourself permission to pause, to trust in that silence, and to find courage in the stillness. Life isn’t a straight line. It’s a series of pauses, shifts, and realignments. Sometimes, those quiet moments of courage , when you stop, listen, and breathe , are the ones that lead you closer to your most authentic path.