✨Your Third Space Reset (011)

90 seconds of intentional pause can reset your state

Author

Mary Vaz
June 20, 2025

Clues You’re Already the Third Space for Others

If you often hear…

  • “I always feel clearer after we talk.”

  • “Can I quickly debrief with you?”

…and colleagues linger at your desk or Zoom room before their next challenge; chances are you’re their Third Space.

You ask grounding questions like, “What do you need before you head into X?” and quietly absorb their leftover stress. But if everyone else’s reset happens in your presence, your own energy can drain fast.

If three or more of these clues resonate, you’re providing Third Space. Time to protect your own.

So, What Is the Third Space?

Performance researcher Dr Adam Fraser defines the Third Space as the intentional pause between:

  • First Space → What just happened

  • Second Space → What’s about to happen

In that micro-gap you Reflect → Rest → Reset.

Fraser found that using the ritual daily can lift workplace composure and home-life mood by 40 %+.

“It’s not what you do; it’s what you do between what you do that matters.” – Dr Adam Fraser

Who Needs a Regular Third Space?

Profession

Why It Matters

HR, ER & DEI professionals

Prevents vicarious burnout; preserves empathy

Healthcare & emergency responders

Clears adrenaline; lowers risk of error

Teachers & facilitators

Stops emotional spill-over

Executives & founders

Maintains decision-quality and agility

Remote/hybrid “always-on” workers

Rebuilds boundaries blurred by tech

Working parents & carers

Protects relationships and self-compassion

A Real-Life Third Space Example

In my corporate HR role, our weekly team dialogue is a collective Third Space—time to check in, debrief, support, and celebrate. When holidays cancel the ritual, we miss it.

These check-ins and the boundaries that come with them stop ultra-resilient teams from quietly over-functioning and burning out.

What’s Not Third Space?

Looks like a break

But it’s actually...

Doomscrolling on Instagram

Mental clutter spiral

Auto-pilot commute

Rumination on wheels

Multitasking (emails + podcast)

Splintered attention

A true Third Space always includes:

✅ Intentional reflection
✅ Physical/mental rest
✅ Forward-looking intention

Why Third Space Matters

We shift roles, tasks, and conversations dozens of times each day. When we carry the mindset from one moment into the next, decision quality, empathy, and relationships erode.

The fix? Just 90 seconds of intentional pause can reset your state - no yoga mat required.

✅ This Weekend’s Action: Your Mini Third Space Reset

Pick one disguised break (maybe your phone scroll). Try this instead:

  1. Reflect – What emotion am I carrying from the last situation?

  2. Rest – Take three deep belly breaths. Unclench your jaw.

  3. Reset – Ask: How do I want to show up next?

Try it just once this weekend.
Notice the difference.

🎁 Want More?

I’m finishing a free Third Space Reset Workbook (ritual guide, 1-week tracker, grounding audio).

Reply “WB” if you’d like first access.

Ready for deeper change? My coaching sessions provide a protected Third Space where you can recalibrate your autopilot and keep low energy from your previous encounter from hijacking what’s coming up next.

✨ Closing with Kindness

Minding the gap between what was and what’s next means you’re showing up for others and for yourself.

To your spark,
Mary
Burn Bright Coach
www.maryvazcoaching.com

P.S. Do you know someone who’s been pushing too hard? Forward this along. Remind them: Just 90 seconds of intentional pause can reset their state