ONE BREATH CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”  Charles R. Swindoll

In my years of coaching, spiritual counseling, and walking beside souls on their healing journeys, there is one simple tool I return to again and again. The pause. It sounds almost too easy to be life-changing. And yet, it is. I will confess something to you. Learning the pause was not natural for me. My old tendency? The knee-jerk reaction. If something felt critical, threatening, or unfair — I reacted. Swiftly. Passionately. Sometimes explosively. I used to joke and say it was my dad’s Irish temper passed down to me. Any excuse will do when we do not want to look at the fingers pointing back at us, right? But here is the truth that changed everything: Your reaction is your responsibility. And that realization is both humbling and empowering. Why does the pause change everything?  Because life hands us constant triggers:

  A text message that feels unclear

  A comment that hits a sensitive nerve

  A social media post that sparks outrage

  A conversation that feels confrontational

Boom. The knee comes up. Words spill out. Energy escalates. And just like that, peace dissolves. The pause is the sacred space between stimulus and response. It is emotional intelligence in action. It is spiritual maturity embodied. It is nervous system regulation in real time. The pause is not weakness. It is power. When you pause, you breathe before reacting, ground your energy, regulate your nervous system, interrupt generational patterns, choose conscious communication and create inner peace instead of chaos. That moment of stillness gives your higher self time to lead instead of your wounded self.

So many of the conflicts we see in our families, communities, and even globally are simply reactions colliding with reactions. Imagine if we practiced the pause collectively. Imagine if instead of rage, we chose regulation. Instead of assumption, we chose curiosity. Instead of ego, we chose compassion. The world does not change through louder arguments. It changes through regulated nervous systems and awakened hearts. This is personal growth. This is mindfulness. This is conscious living. This is spiritual awakening in everyday moments.

Dear Angels: how do we remember to pause when emotions feel overwhelming?

Dear Ones, the pause is not created in the storm. It is practiced in the calm. Begin with small moments. Pause before answering simple questions. Pause before sending routine messages. Train your spirit to breathe before speaking. As you practice in peace, you will access the pause in chaos. When emotion surges, do not shame yourself. Simply breathe. Feel your feet on the ground. Let your shoulders soften. Invite wisdom forward. You are not your first reaction. You are the awareness behind it. Power lives in the space you choose. And you always have a choice. Life will always deliver the unexpected. Life will always test your triggers. Life will always offer opportunities to grow. But you are not at the mercy of circumstances. You are 10% what happens. You are 90% how you respond. And that 90%? That is your freedom. That is your healing. That is your peace. The pause is your superpower. Use it.

Angels Whisper:

Breathe before you speak.

Ground before you react.

Choose love before you escalate.

In the sacred pause, you reclaim your power.

In the sacred pause, you become peace.

Today, I promise to always let the pause be my go-to before each response.

Teri Angel is a Joy Guide, Happiness Coach, energy healer, best-selling author, spiritual teacher, mentor, and inspirational speaker devoted to awakening peace within the human heart. As an International Peace Ambassador and founder of the nonprofit Angelspeakers Inc., Teri creates transformative workshops, sacred gatherings, and global initiatives that honor environmental stewardship, animal advocacy, peace consciousness, and the integration of ancient wisdom teachings into modern life.

Through her worldwide movement, Peas For Peace, Teri invites humanity to remember our divine interconnectedness—strengthening awareness of our oneness and inspiring unity through compassion, love, joy, and intentional action. During the Peace On Earth Tour, she was honored with the sacred name “She Who Blesses the Sacred Land,” a title she carries with humility and heartfelt grace as she continues blessing lands and waters around the world.

Learn more at:

www.angelspeakers.com

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To book a private session with Teri, visit  https://angelspeakers.com