Create space

I’ve been taking some time out this week to pause, slow down, and reflect on a few things. 

During this more restful time, I picked up Brené Brown’s ‘Strong Ground’ (those that know me, know I am a big Brené fan) and flicked to the last chapter. Brené was talking about creating a space between stimulus and response ’S( )R’, as she describes it. The gap between something happening and what you do about it. Sometimes that gap is small ’S()R’, sometimes there is no gap ‘SR’, and sometimes we react immediately before the stimulus actually happens RS!!

Creating a pause between stimulus and response is also something we teach astronauts in terms of decision making. Not to respond immediately when a problem arises. Even in emergency situations, they need to pause to consider the best response. But most problems, even in space, allow more thinking time. 

We could all do with slowing down sometimes, taking in the bigger picture, and creating that space between stimulus and the response we want to take. I’m doing that through reading, walking a LOT, and spending time with family, not doing a million things at once. 

I hope you find a moment to pause this weekend too,

Susan