Hey friend,
This is something that you can do in the moment if you're feeling activated in your mind or nervous system.
It's also something that you can do later on as a way to process an event that might be holding your attention.
I know that it may feel like the last thing you want to do is to turn towards something that may be painful.
So I hope that you can take comfort in knowing that I'm here with you and you can stop in any moment with the STOP practice.
It stands for stop,
Take a breath,
Observe,
Proceed.
So let's try it out.
I invite you to bring a situation to mind that feels emotionally challenging.
When you're just starting to practice this,
I encourage you to try on something on a scale of one to 10.
That's no more activating than a four or five.
Now that you've brought that situation to mind,
Simply stop.
This is the sacred pause that allows you to move from reactive to responsive.
And take a few breaths next.
Allowing your mind to become calmer and to center your attention on this natural anchor point of the breath.
Next,
Observe.
Scan through the body with your awareness and notice what sensations are here.
Naming whatever emotion is here.
You might say to yourself,
This is,
And then fill in the blank.
Are there thoughts that are accompanying this emotion?
You can say to yourself,
I'm having the thought that this is.
And then fill in the blank.
The last step is to proceed.
So having taken some deep breaths to calm your nervous system and having observed the feelings and thoughts that are here,
Ask yourself,
How would I like to proceed in this situation?
What would I like to try?
And how would I like to show up as I do it?
That's it,
My friend.
Encourage you to notice how that practice lands in your body.
You can do this in just a few breaths.
In the moment.
Or you can create space for yourself after work or on a weekend to really let yourself marinate in these practices.
I encourage you to remember that whatever it is that you decide to do,
You can trust yourself.
I hope this practice helped you feel a sense of empowerment,
To reconnect with the fact that no matter what goes on in your life,
You have a choice of how you want to respond.
Thank you so much for practicing.
Take care.
