Inviting Peace with Jonathan Hale

Press the Pause Button on Stress

• Jonathan Hale • Episode 1

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The Pause is your first powerful step toward finding peace in stressful moments, creating space to choose your response instead of defaulting to reaction. This practice interrupts the momentum of stress by creating a gap between trigger and response, allowing you to respond with intention rather than react automatically.

• Stress doesn't arrive politely—it barges in through everyday moments like frustrating texts, traffic jams, and difficult conversations
• Our automatic reactions to stress (snapping, shutting down, overthinking) are human, not failures of character
• The pause turns down the heat on stress, like turning off a burner when a pot boils over
• Simple pause practices include taking a breath before responding to criticism, stepping away briefly, or saying "I'll get back to you"
• Building a pause habit in easy moments makes it available during difficult times
• Pausing has a spiritual dimension—"Be still and know"—creating space to hear guidance beyond our own thinking
• This practice works whether you approach life practically or spiritually, shifting you from reaction to response

If this episode spoke to you, I'd love for you to follow and share it with someone who wants to bring more peace into their life. Visit my website at jonathan-hale.com to book some time with me. Peace is not passive, it's a practice and you're not alone on the journey.


https://jonathan-hale.com/

Jonathan:

I'm Jonathan Hale, and this is your invitation to seek, find and keep peace in your life, even when life feels anything but peaceful. Welcome to the Inviting Peace podcast. This is a space for reflection, grounded truth and simple, powerful ideas to help you find calm in the chaos. No hype, no fluff, just real talk about what it takes to cultivate peace from the inside out. Whether you're in a period of stress, in a season of searching, or simply want to grow in clarity and stillness, this is for you. In today's episode, we'll begin with the first step in finding peace in stressful moments the pause, that quiet space where the noise stops and something deeper can finally be heard. So take a breath, let's begin. Let's start with a simple truth.

Jonathan:

Stress doesn't arrive politely. It doesn't knock on the door, wait patiently and ask if now's a good time. No, it barges in, determined and controlling. It throws its weight around and suddenly we're tense, our hearts race, our shoulders tighten, our thoughts speed up and before we even know what's happening, we're in it. And here's the part that most of us miss.

Jonathan:

Stress doesn't always show up in dramatic moments. Yes, it can come through crisis, conflict or trauma, but more often it seeps in through everyday life. A frustrating text, a traffic jam on the way to work or a difficult conversation that left you feeling unseen or misunderstood, a sharp comment from someone we love, a missed deadline, the constant buzz of digital noise in our pockets, even that subtle but constant pressure to be everything to everyone all the time. And when stress shows up, how do we tend to respond? We react. We react quickly, often automatically, and sometimes not in ways we're proud of. We snap, we shut down, we overthink, we say something rude. Now let me say something gently here. None of this makes you weak, none of it means you failed at being peaceful. It just means you're human. But here's the invitation what if the power to change that pattern isn't found in the type of reaction, but in the pause before the reaction? This is the very first step in the peace framework. I teach my clients P for pause, and I want to stay here for a while today because it's not just a clever starting point, it's a game changer. When I say pause, I'm not talking about avoidance. Pausing doesn't mean pretending things aren't stressful. It doesn't mean minimizing your feelings and it certainly doesn't mean putting your head in the sand. It's about interrupting the momentum of stress before it takes over. It's about reclaiming just enough space to choose how you want to respond, instead of defaulting to panic, defensiveness or overload. It's where we step in and say Wait, I get to choose how I respond to this. And that single breath of space. That's where peace begins.

Jonathan:

Let me offer you a real-world scenario. Imagine you're in the kitchen and a pot starts boiling over. Let's say, you walked out of the room for a moment and now it's boiling over Steam everywhere, the contents spilling down the sides and across the burner. What's the very first thing you do? Well, you don't debate with the pot, you don't scold it, you don't stare at it hoping it'll calm down. You turn off the heat and in our lives, stress is that rolling boil.

Jonathan:

The pause is what turns down the heat and no, it doesn't clean the stove, but it does stop things from getting worse. It gives you the space to breathe, to gather yourself and to begin again, this time with intention. Stress builds momentum fast and unless you disrupt it, it will run the show. But a pause, that's your power move. So what does this look like when we apply it to daily life? Sometimes it's as small as taking a little longer before answering a difficult text message. Sometimes it's a physical pause, getting up from your desk and stepping out for a minute. Sometimes it's saying can I get back to you on that, instead of committing to something you're not sure about? Small pause, big impact, because every time you pause you're creating a gap wide enough to make a better choice.

Jonathan:

The beauty of this practice is that it's universal. You don't need to meditate for an hour, you don't need a guru. All you need is a willingness to recognize when stress is taking the wheel and to reclaim that moment with a breath, a step back or a quiet inner reset. Let's say you're in a meeting and someone criticizes your work unfairly. Your first instinct Probably defensiveness, maybe embarrassment, maybe even anger. But before you respond, before you explain or apologize or escalate, what if you paused? Just two seconds? A breath, a sip of water, a silent check-in with yourself. What do I want to say here? What would peace look like in this moment? Or at home? Maybe the kids are loud, the dishes are stacked high, your phone is buzzing and someone just asked you a complicated question. You feel that tightening, the overwhelm is rising. Pause, put your hand on the counter, take a breath. Even five seconds of stillness can give you enough perspective to respond with clarity instead of reactivity.

Jonathan:

And here's something I always remind my clients you can build a pause practice. This isn't about mastering a skill overnight. It's like any habit. You practice it when it's easy so that it's available when it's hard. You might start by pausing before you check your phone in the morning, pausing before you say yes to that extra commitment, pausing before you respond to that email. One breath, one beat, one important second, and over time, something changes. You begin to feel more grounded, not because life is stressful, but because you're meeting it differently. You're no longer at the mercy of the moment, you're in partnership with it, and that, my friend, is peace in action.

Jonathan:

Now let's shift our lens. Let's step into something deeper, something sacred, because while the pause can be practical, there's another layer to it that I believe speaks to the deepest part of who we are. When we pause, we're not just resetting our nervous systems, we're opening space for a spiritual connection. Now, I understand that we all come from different spiritual backgrounds, or perhaps none at all, but in my experience, there's something incredibly meaningful about what happens when we quiet the noise long enough to hear the whisper underneath.

Jonathan:

There's a passage I love from the Psalms. There's a passage I love from the Psalms. You've probably heard it before Be still and know that I am God. That line carries weight for me, not just because of its spiritual truth, but because of its instructive sequence First be still, then know. Stillness is what allows us to access a deeper knowing. And in today's world, stillness is almost counter-cultural. We're so used to reacting, explaining, defending, fixing. But God, he doesn't shout at us over the chaos. It's the opposite. He whispers and if we don't pause we miss it.

Jonathan:

In a noisy world, pausing is a form of worship. It's a declaration that says I trust there's something bigger at work here than just my to-do list or this moment of panic. It says I don't have to have all the answers right now, I just need to listen. Sometimes, when I'm in a moment of stress or overwhelm, I pause and say a simple prayer in my mind God help me see this differently. Or sometimes, what would peace look like here? That invitation opens the door for a different kind of wisdom outside of our own mind. Not just what's logical, but what's right. Not just what's urgent, but what's right. Not just what's urgent, but what's true. And whether or not you share my beliefs.

Jonathan:

I believe everyone can benefit from a spiritual kind of pause, one that moves beyond the mind and into the heart. You don't need to have it all figured out, you don't need to belong to a particular religion to access this step toward peace. You just need a little willingness to stop, breathe and be open. When you pause, you make space for something bigger than your fear, your stress, your anxiety. You remember that you are not just a body in motion. You are a soul worthy of rest, worthy of peace, worthy of guidance. So maybe your spiritual pause today is a moment of prayer. Maybe it's journaling a question and sitting quietly with whatever comes. Maybe it's simply closing your eyes and saying I'm open. However you choose to do it, the point is to make room.

Jonathan:

So, whether you're someone who leans into the practical, the spiritual or somewhere in between, pressing the pause button on stress is a powerful place to begin, not because it fixes everything instantly, but because it gives you the space to shift from reaction to response, from chaos to calm, from survival to peace. Whether you feel connected to God or not, whether you approach life through logic or intuition, pressing the pause button is a practice that meets us all right where we are. You might be a parent trying to stay calm in the chaos, a professional balancing too many deadlines, someone navigating loss or change, or simply the complexity of being human in a noisy world. Wherever you find yourself, peace isn't out of reach and it starts in the pause. Not a perfect pause, not a dramatic retreat from life, but a moment, a breath, a shift.

Jonathan:

So, as we end this time together, I want to invite you to reflect. Where in your life is stress calling the shots? Where have you been reacting without realizing it, and what might become possible if you pressed pause? Take that with you, sit with it, let it unfold in your mind this week. If you need something simple to start with here, it is Put your feet flat on the ground, close your eyes, inhale deeply through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth Again and again. And if all you remember from this episode is this Pause, then proceed. That alone can change the course of your day.

Jonathan:

Join me in the next episode when we explore the skill of how you can quickly evaluate before you react, no matter where you are in your journey, whether you're deeply spiritual, spiritually curious or just looking for practical tools to get through the week. I hope you'll carry this truth with you. You are allowed to pause, you are allowed to breathe, and peace is not something you earn. It's something you choose, one pause at a time. So when life feels anything but peaceful, you know what to do Pause Peace. If this episode spoke to you, I'd love for you to follow and share it with someone who wants to take action to bring a little more peace into their life. As you know, I'm a peace coach and I invite you to visit my website at jonathan-halecom to book some time with me. Remember, peace is not passive, it's a practice and you're not alone on the journey. Until next time, be kind to yourself and keep seeking peace. Thank you.