The Quiet Power of Pausing: How to Clear the Dust and See Yourself Again
One Quote - Two Tools - Three Journal Prompts
Welcome to the One Micro-Mindful Minute, your guide to weaving micro-mindfulness into your day without adding one more thing to your calendar.
Hi y’all,
I know how overwhelming life can feel when deadlines stack, or your phone keeps buzzing, and exhaustion seems to dim your perspective.
Here’s what I know at this stage in my life: no amount of stress can take away the light within you.
That quiet inner radiance is there, holding steady, and waiting for you to notice it again.
What makes the difference isn’t hours of silence or grand rituals. It’s the most tiny, ordinary moments: a single breath, a pause before answering, or a kind word to yourself.
These micro-mindfulness practices clear away the dust of overwhelm so your inner light can shine through.
As someone who has walked through burnout and back into clarity, I know this from the depths of being: presence doesn’t add more to your plate. It gives you back the energy you thought you’d lost.
This week, try one simple practice that reminds you of who you already are.
Micro-Mindfulness Tips
1. Quote to Ponder
Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.
~ Maya Angelou
Reflection and Journaling for this week: The Quiet Radiance Within You
The world may weigh heavily with deadlines, distractions, and demands, yet, beneath it all, there is a quiet radiance within you that nothing can touch.
Stress may cloud the sky, exhaustion may dim your perspective, but your inner light is steady, guiding you home.
Micro-moments of presence help you remember this truth. A breath. A pause. A single kind word to yourself.
Each one clears the dust so your light shines through, even in the midst of overwhelm.
Your mindful journal prompt today:
Where in your life do you feel your inner light dimming, and what one slight pause, breath, or shift could help you let it shine again?
2. Mindful Tools
Try one actionable tool for practicing micro-mindfulness this week: a brief activity that takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
Mindful Tool of Clearing the Chaos: Unfollow three accounts that drain your energy.
Mindful Tool Making Space for Joy: Scroll through your photos and delete what no longer brings joy.
3. Journal Prompts
Take a moment to reflect on your day before journaling. Be mindful of what grabs your attention. (Choose one that resonates with you.)
Journal Prompt: What is one action you could do while waiting in line?
Journal Prompt: What’s one thing you could do consistently for three minutes a day?
Journal Prompt: What habit might help you wind down instead of powering through?
Bonus: Micro-Mindfulness Tools to Try
Too Overwhelmed to Think Clearly? Why Mindful Pausing Is the Leadership Edge You’re Missing
Your best decisions are born in the pause.
In a world where your calendar owns you, clarity feels impossible. You rush from meeting to meeting with your mind fogged by competing demands. You wonder why your energy feels spent and your purpose feels thin.
This quiet cost of constant motion: your leadership dulled by busyness.
Yet there’s a small, radical act that changes everything: a mindful pause.
A pause slows the mental storm. It gives space for perspective. It clears the noise so your voice, the one of wisdom and presence, can finally be heard.
Pausing is not a weakness.
It is your hidden edge.
The leader who breathes before reacting leads with clarity. The one who notices before deciding leads with vision. And the one who creates space before responding leads with trust.
Remember, when you learn to pause, you reclaim yourself without losing time.
Try it today: pause for one intentional breath and notice how leadership feels different when you lead from stillness.
That’s it.
Thanks for reading. I appreciate you being part of the journey. I look forward to seeing you next week.
Denise
I'm a former nun who, at midlife, pivoted to corporate life with zero business experience and became an award-winning program manager.
I help overwhelmed professional women and allies reclaim clarity and calm through my Micro-Mindfulness GPS so they can show up with presence and peace.
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Amazing post!