Many leaders today are simply worn out. With so much change, volatility and uncertainty, it is simply exhausting. What you are feeling are the effects of living in a chaotic, constantly changing environment. Chaos is energy out of control. It is exhausting for everyone, but especially the leader. Not only does your body need order, but so to does your mind. We must discover and practice the power of the pause.

The leader is under more pressure, more stress and has more demands during a time such as the one we are currently experiencing. Exhaustion comes from sustained exertion. We are in a prolonged season where our minds are constantly racing, our bodies are constantly working and our minds are not at rest. There is new info, no info, changing info and conflicting info. All of this information creates a vortex, a whirlwind of stimulation. Every new piece of information causes a domino effect of decisions and reactions within us. It is like being in a race that you can’t stop running where there is no finish line and the course is unmarked. It often feels like a race in the dark with a gut punch here and a trip and fall there! This race creates fatigue. A race is run to be won and finished. You rest after the race. During the race, you pause. A rest is a hard stop. A pause is a temporary halt. To be effective in seasons such as this, prolonged rest may not be an option, but a pattern of pauses certainly can be.

A pause is a temporary halt. To be successful, you cannot have your mind racing all day every day, but your mind is probably needed all day every day. However, it is okay to halt the action—to pause. You have permission to pause. You must learn to pause. Good pauses lead to better thought. No pauses lead to emotional, absent-minded reactions and responses. It is better to pause, than to push when you are fatigued. A pause allows you to slow your spinning mind down. Uncaptured thoughts spin through our minds like a toddler in a fine china shop. A pause allows our mind to catch up to the thought, subdue it and bring it under control. An exhausted life leads to a mushy mind.

If you are a leader, then there is a high probability that you and or your organization are experiencing the signs and or symptoms of exhaustion. This sustained and “unprecedented” crisis followed by significant social upheaval and unrest causes the leader/community leader/financial planner/coach/counselor/spouse/voice of calm/parent/business person a great deal of sustained pressure and stress. The challenge of a crisis is there is no perceived finish line.

Afraid to let your guard down. It’s hard to prepare and plan for a field that constantly is changing, a landscape that has no predictable rhythm or a cycle that is un-cyclical and turbulent. Leaders today are tired both mentally and physically, but afraid to let their guard down for fear of a new twist, a new turn or a new trouble. This exhaustion has come from feeling, believing and not being able to “turn off.” Leaders for the past several months have had to “be on” all the time. This constant position of being on can lead to breakdowns, shutdowns and meltdowns.

Beware of mental meltdown. An overwhelmed mind will lead to broken down decisions. This means when your mind is tired your judgment, your attitude and your actions often suffer. An overwhelmed mind will not have the focus that a leader needs. Clearing your mind is not effective, because clearing your mind doesn’t clear the concerns or the challenges in front of you. Resting your mind and renewing your mind are absolutely essential.

Your mind gets dull, it must be renewed. Your mind gets tired, it must be rested. Your mind gets empty, it must be replenished. Your mind gets mushy, it must be sharpened. Your mind gets confused, it must be enlightened. Your mind gets narrow, it must be opened. Your mind gets weak, it must be strengthened. Your mind gets loose, it must be focused.

Your life is a journey. Every journey requires, among many other things, faith. The first thing to go when your mind begins to melt or turn to mush is often your faith. When your faith goes, your problems grow, the finish line disappears and the walls feel like they are closing in. You being to feel like your work is futile.

Faith in your soul is iron in your mind. Great effort takes great mental energy. Energy is both renewable and depletable. It is easier to spend energy and for energy to be drained than it is to be replenished. Replenishment takes one thing: time. You can spend or drain energy quickly, but the renewal and restoration of energy takes much longer. A pause will give you a moment of replenishment, especially if you spend that moment of pause wisely. We are pausing, but we are not pausing wisely.

In exhaustion the first thing to not function correctly is the mind.

You are tired.

You can’t focus.

Everything is not at rest.

You are giving great effort.

Many people are depending on you.

Pause.

Do simple things.

Pause.

Do things, simple things, with pleasant people.

All people need pauses.

Learn to pause.

And in your pause, pray.

In the pause, pass on things the that don’t settle your soul or renew your mind.

Learning to pause teaches you how to endure. Endurance is strength over time. You need strength. You need mental strength. You need mental sharpness. But, the forces around you are sapping, draining and overstimulating your mind. Your thoughts are a form of mental energy. Uncontrolled mental energy is a collection of thoughts that will stir you up, steal your peace and sap your strength.

The power of the pause puts those chaotic thoughts back in their place. The power of the pause allows you some much needed mental margin. The power of the pause allows you to recalibrate.

“Be still and know that I am God”
Psalm 46:10