The Power of the Pause: Why Taking Time for Reflection Boosts Happiness

When was the last time you stopped—properly stopped—and took stock of your life? Not the rushed, half-hearted “oh, I should really take a breather” moment that gets shoved aside five minutes later. I mean an honest-to-goodness pause, where you sit with a cuppa (or a cheeky glass of wine), breathe deeply, and actually reflect on where you are, how you feel, and what you truly want.

For most women, especially those who’ve spent decades juggling responsibilities, the idea of pressing pause feels almost laughable. Who’s got time for that when there are bills to pay, people to look after, and a million things on the never-ending to-do list? And yet, not taking time to reflect is exactly why so many women hit burnout, feel lost, or wake up one day wondering where the last ten years have gone.

Here’s the thing: happiness isn’t about doing more. It’s about understanding what actually makes you feel good and making space for it. And the only way to figure that out? Pressing pause.

Somewhere along the way, we were convinced that being busy equals being valuable. That if we just keep moving, keep ticking things off the list, keep saying yes to everything and everyone, we’ll somehow reach a magical place where everything feels calm and fulfilled.

Yeah. That doesn’t happen.

Being constantly on doesn’t make life more meaningful—it just makes you exhausted. And yet, the thought of slowing down, even for a moment, can feel almost wrong. If you’re not doing, what are you even contributing? If you’re not busy, are you slacking?

It’s time to call nonsense on that. Reflection isn’t laziness. It isn’t indulgence. It’s essential. Because if you never stop to check in with yourself, how do you know you’re even heading in the right direction?

We take time to check our bank accounts, update our diaries, and meal-plan our weeks. But checking in on ourselves? That gets shoved to the bottom of the pile.

Enough of that. It’s time to reclaim the pause.

Slowing down doesn’t mean you’re losing momentum. It means you’re choosing where to place your energy. Think of it like driving a car. You wouldn’t keep your foot on the accelerator 24/7 without checking the map, refuelling, or making sure you’re still on the right road. Yet, that’s exactly what we do in life—we just keep going, hoping we’ll end up somewhere good, without ever stopping to check if we’re even heading where we want to go.

Pausing to reflect gives you the power to:

• Spot what’s draining you before you completely burn out.

• Recognise what actually brings you joy instead of just going through the motions.

• Change direction if something isn’t working, rather than mindlessly pushing forward.

Taking a break to reflect isn’t time lost. It’s time reclaimed.

If you’re thinking, “Alright, fine, pausing sounds lovely, but I can’t just disappear off to a retreat in the woods for a week”, don’t worry. You don’t need a luxury getaway to reflect—you just need a few minutes and a little intention.

Reflection isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about small, powerful moments where you ask yourself:

• Am I actually happy with how I’m spending my time?

• What’s been making me feel good lately—and what’s been sucking the life out of me?

• Am I living the life I want, or just keeping up with what I think I should be doing?

You don’t need to journal for hours or stare dramatically out of a window (unless that’s your thing—then by all means, stare away). But you do need to pause long enough to actually hear what your gut is telling you.

We all know this excuse: “I’ll think about that later.” “I’ll focus on myself when things calm down.” “I’ll prioritise joy when I have more time.”

And then? Life keeps rolling, demands keep piling up, and "later" never comes.

Newsflash: there will never be a perfect moment to pause. You have to choose to do it anyway.

Reflection isn’t something you fit in when everything else is done. It’s something you make time for, because everything else depends on it. You schedule appointments, work meetings, school runs—so why not schedule a moment for yourself?

Even five minutes to step away from the madness and ask yourself, “Am I happy? What needs to change?” can be the difference between running on autopilot and actually steering your life.

Here’s something radical: you don’t have to be constantly chasing more.

More productivity, more success, more achievement, more perfection—it’s exhausting. And the truth is, you are allowed to just be.

What if, instead of measuring success by how much we do, we measured it by how good we feel? What if happiness wasn’t about adding more, but about clearing space for what already makes us happy?

Pausing and reflecting allows you to realise that you don’t need to fix yourself—you just need to listen to yourself. You don’t need to achieve more—you need to notice and appreciate what’s already enough.

No more waiting for a better time. No more pushing it down the list. You’re doing this today.

Here’s your challenge:

• Take five minutes (yes, just five) to step away from the chaos.

• Find a quiet spot—your kitchen table, your garden, your parked car, the loo if that’s the only place you get peace.

• Ask yourself: What’s actually making me happy right now? What’s draining me? What do I need more (or less) of?

• No overthinking. No pressure. Just listen to yourself.

And then? Decide one small thing you can do this week that puts YOU first. Maybe it’s setting a bedtime that actually lets you rest. Maybe it’s saying no to something you don’t want to do. Maybe it’s just allowing yourself to breathe.

Reflection is your secret weapon. Use it.

You’ve spent years showing up for everyone else. Now, it’s time to show up for yourself.

Pausing isn’t weakness. Reflection isn’t indulgent. It’s how you take back control.

So, take a breath. Take a moment. Take your life back.

And if you need a community of like-minded women who are done with living on autopilot and ready to create lives they actually love? Join The Crofties Community. We’re in this together. 💪🔥✨