Think It Chapter 6: The Power of Pause

This step-by-step method helps you recognize, pause, and redirect intrusive thoughts while creating a plan to address real stressors productively.

*This is a chapter from my upcoming mindset book Think It, become a paid subscriber to get access to all chapters and content.

Read the previous chapters of this book here.

Think It: Chapter 6

Goal of This Chapter

In this chapter, you’ll learn how to use the Power of Pause to break free from mental loops that fuel stress, anxiety, and negative thinking. By practicing this simple yet effective tool, you’ll develop a way to manage repetitive stress-inducing thoughts, create intentional time for problem-solving, and free up mental energy to focus on creating new desired outcomes. This is the most effective tool I teach to overcome anxiety, fear, and reduce stress.

We’ve talked a lot about negative thoughts in the previous chapters, but there’s a specific kind that is the most difficult to change: “the stressors.” These are thoughts that are so deeply trained as negative stories that they can instantly trigger stress, anxiety, fear, and even panic. They are ones we’ve built entire stories to support and strengthened over the years by layers of “facts” we’ve created through self-fulfilling prophecies.

Let’s talk about anxiety for a minute. In my coaching practice, I work with clients daily who are suffering from various levels of anxiety—it seems more common every day. We live in a fear-based world with so many things “going wrong” around us that it’s hard not to internalize all that negativity and disaster, creating internal stories that trigger fear and constantly see threats to our safety, livelihood, or way of life. The American Psychiatric Association's 2024 poll revealed that 43% of adults reported feeling more anxious than the previous year, up from 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022. This steady rise in anxiety is being felt by men and women of all ages; it’s a serious threat to our mental health.

I’ve worked with several clients in severe stages of anxiety-related disorders, including agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is an intense fear of situations where escape might be difficult or help unavailable if a panic attack or other distressing symptoms occur. This fear often leads to avoidance of certain places or situations, significantly impacting daily life and functioning. I’ve had clients who haven’t left their homes in years—ones who, prior to developing severe anxiety, lived “normal” lives. They’ve come to me after trying all other options—therapy, medication, you name it—but for them, nothing has worked to return them to “normal life.” This is when I’ve seen the most dramatic results in using the Power of Pause.

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