Conscious Pause Update - November 2023
Five years ago, an idea was born between us. The idea was to support people in pausing and redefining their relationships with work and rest. We both had the life changing experience of taking a sabbatical. We noticed that people were burned out and exhausted. We believed there was another way and felt we had some resources (and passion) that could support folks seeking a change of pace while they sought to undo busyness. From that desire, Conscious Pause was formed. We dove in with enthusiasm and put our work out into the world. The last five years have been so rewarding. A time of dreaming, research, un-learning & re-learning and reaching those who sought to cultivate a slower way to navigate this world.
The word “relinquish” has been showing up around us recently. It means to withdraw from, leave behind or to stop holding. It feels apt for these times in life. Relinquish control, relinquish expectation, relinquish what no longer serves. And it feels time to relinquish and release Conscious Pause in its current form.
So, after deep reflection, the partners at Conscious Pause have decided to suspend the current operations of the organization. We are relinquishing and honoring. We are so appreciative for all we have learned, for all who journeyed along, and now it’s time to pause. But, never fear, the resources, ideas and support continue to be embedded in the work of Divine Passages and Blue Castle Creative – our individual endeavours. The values and principles of pausing and slowing down through a sabbatical mindset have influenced our own life and work, and will continue to do so in the years to come. While we are not ruling out a re-birth of Conscious Pause one day, we will no longer be doing a newsletter or regular social media. There may be occasional posts of interest for our followers but you can find us in our other work for the time being.
As part of our decision to wind down Conscious Pause in its current form, a number of reflections emerged and we thought we would share them:
Resistance is Strong: The aspiration to stop being so busy was voiced by many but the resistance to actually taking a break and truly pause was strong and a little scary. The majority of our clients only rested when they hit a wall or life forced a pause on them. The deeply cherished societal narratives about rest and work are profoundly rooted in us. Despite being exhausted, people actually avoid deep rest. Working equals value and resting meant laziness or unworthiness. And, there’s a component of self-reflection that arises during slowness that adds a layer of discomfort into the mix which generally we are not skilled at or fond of.
We all need seasons of rest: A two-week vacation once or twice a year or a few long weekends are rarely restful. In nature, everything has seasons of hibernation and rest. And guess what? Humans are part of nature despite what capitalism has infiltrated into our narratives. We are told our value is only as good as our productivity or our status is only as good as the rung on the career ladder or behaviour of our children. And, more importantly, we believe rest should not be used solely so one is more productive afterwards but as a right, a duty and a time to provide space for reflection on how your life is currently shaped and how you would like it to be or to allow space for innovative, creative, and generative thinking.
Rest is hard: Even with having all the resources, tools, and understanding about sabbaticals and the importance of pausing, it is hard. We found it challenging to hold the tension of rest and making progress towards a life you are creating and/or living. We both still fell into old patterns of over-extending ourselves. Even though we did research for and the practiced the philosophy of Conscious Pause, we both struggled with imbalance between busyness and rest and the ingrained habits of a lifetime. So, we get it, rest is hard!
Skills, resources and so much more: Starting a business, using social media, marketing, client experience and storytelling are just a few of the skills we collected along the way. We learned what did or more importantly, what didn’t work along the way. Conscious Pause allowed us the space to study, explore and write about the ideas of sabbatical, work, value of self and rest. Sharing resources was the seed of Conscious Pause before the guiding services were offered because we loved finding books, videos, memes and quotes to encourage a sabbatical mindset to our friends. And, for these experiences we are truly grateful. Never stop learning.
Relationship is the heart of everything: The most important gift from the Conscious Pause journey is the deep friendship between the partners. We walked with each other through big life events, deaths, pandemics, cross-country moves, career shifts and so much more. One of our principles for this work was to honor this relationship above all else and it was. That made Conscious Pause one of the most successful things we have done so far. We are so blessed in our friendship.
A shift is happening: Looking back over our first brainstorming session, we came across the word “re-storying”. It stemmed from wanting to re-story the relationship with work and rest. While resistance is strong to shifting minds on these narratives, it appears that society is collectively shifting towards more natural rhythms and trying other ways of navigating life. The pandemic shook us to the core and while many wanted to go back to the comfort of busyness, others took the opportunity to reimagine life in a slower and more intentional way. We are watching, waiting and trusting that the time will come that slower paces of living find their way into the daily lives of society.
And finally, thank you to our community. You have supported us from day one and we wish you loving kindness and deep care for your whole being. There are always a million reasons not to care for yourself in this busy world but at the end of the day, it is hard to be our highest self or lead the life we desire without rest and reflection. Someone said this recently “What you are living is your life”. That's a great sentiment and realized how fortunate we are to live this slow life with intention. We truly hope you too are living the life you most desire.
We would be very happy to hear from you…about anything if you feel called. You can reach us via email: aconsciouspause@gmail.com
With love,
Karen & Sara
November 2023