Reduce your anxious reactions with my special S.T.O.P. Mindfulness Process
Are you sometimes feeling overwhelmed, self-critical (you know that voice that can’t shut up about all that is apparently wrong with you or the people around you), overthinking, unable to slow down, people pleasing, unable to feel safe even in a safe environment, trouble saying no, worried about all the “what if “ that could happen, fear of failure so you become a perfectionist in the hopes that no one finds any errors, putting yourself under too much pressure… feels familiar? You are not alone.
I was once that person too. I had to change or else I don’t know where I would be today. I can assure you it can be different.
There are several ways of dealing with this panicky feeling and mindfulness in alliance with tapping is one proven process to get you back into the presence moment and interrupt that pattern of the fight or flight stress response in a natural none narcotic way. At its core, mindfulness is the engagement of attention and awareness in the absence of reactivity or judgment. It’s an open, accepting attention to and awareness of internal and external sensations says Adrienne Taren, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pittsburgh.
When we drop back into the present, we’re more likely to gain perspective and be aware that we have the power to regulate our response to pressure or created pressure.
In this blog, I’ll show you a mindfulness & tapping process which you can use anytime, anywhere to create a safe space to reconnect with your best self.
Next time your anxious mind takes over or you are just overwhelmed by stress and anxiety, just STOP. By this, I am referring to my S.T.O.P Mindfulness & tapping process to bring your mind back to the present moment.
S.T.O.P in this case stands for:
S = Stop
Stop what you’re doing; Whatever it is, just stop and put things down for a minute and… say out loud the word: stop or stop that shit! or any impactful word that will stop your thinking process. Why say the word itself? Because when you are in your negative mental state you are looping one thought with another negative thought and that is hard state to get out of. When you say the word: stop or stop that shit, you literally freeze (for a nano-second) the unconscious mind where all those images, events, proofs and experiences are stored.
T = Tap
Take a few deep breaths. Inhale from the diaphragm and exhale through your mouth. Take slow and steady breaths. The exhale should be twice as long as the inhale. Why? Because the vagus nerve activates your relaxation response, reducing your heart rate and blood pressure. Deep breathing turns on the vagus nerve enough that it acts as a brake on the stress response.
Take a moment to rate your anxiety level on a scale of 0 to 10. Ten being the highest level.
We are going to tap Faster EFT style on a few meridian points (eyebrow, side of the eye, under the eye and the collar bone ) and breathe while we do these rounds. No script needed. Follow the breath as you inhale and exhale slowly while you tap on the meridian points. Feel the breath coming in thru your nose and out of your mouth. At the end of the rounds, just grap one of your wrist and say peace.
Reevalutate your stess & anxiety level. It went down right? Continue doing these rounds until you feel relax and good.
O = Observe
Observe your experience just as it is—including thoughts, feelings, emotions and sensations. Notice how your stress level has now diminished. Did your thoughts shift to a more relaxed state?
You can reflect about what is on your mind at this moment. Also remind yourself that thoughts are not facts, and they are all temporary. Notice any emotions or feelings present and how they’re being expressed in the body. Research shows that just naming your emotions can turn the volume down on the fear circuit in the brain and have a calming effect.
Then notice your body. Stand-up if you were sitting or vis-versa. How is your posture? Any aches or pains? Just observe the impact of these emotions in the body.
P = Proceed
Proceed with something that will support you in the moment: stretch, go take a short walk outside, smile and replay a happy memory if you can’t talk to a friend, have a cup of tea,.. you get the picture.
Treat this whole process as a time just for you to reconnect with the present moment. Get curious about where there are opportunities in the day for you to just STOP.
What would it be like in the days, weeks, and months ahead if you started stopping more often? Without keeping scores, without rushing or pushing it. Things are just going to become better and better because you decided to practice creating the new habit of feeling good for no reason.
About the author: Linda Sauvé, founder of Emotions360, wellness and success teacher (certified practitioner in NLP and advanced certified practitioner in Faster EFT-Eutaptics and certified teacher of Ontario), uses powerful techniques and approaches to impact positively the lives of her clients. She is a professional actor, speaker (French and English), author of four books and hundreds of articles. She is delighted to offer you a F-R-E-E 30 minute Deep Dive Clarity call to get the life you want. Run to https://www.emotions360.ca/book-online to reserve your free call now or call her cell phone at 1-514-561-6742 Ext. 200