This month, we’ll be focusing on a specific mindfulness technique: STOP. Before diving into this practice, let’s first dive into what mindfulness is.
WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
“Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.”
~ Jon Kabat-Zinn
Mindfulness is the practice of deliberately paying attention and without judgment in the present moment:
- To your internal feelings, body sensations, thoughts
- To your external environment & what is going on around you.
Practicing awareness of the present moment is not easy! However, just like learning to play a musical instrument, mindfulness is a skill that you can learn. And with practice, mindfulness may help you free yourself of reactive, habitual patterns of thinking, feeling and acting; reduce stress; and improve sleep.
THE STOP TECHNIQUE
The STOP technique involves working through these steps: Stop, breathe, take a breath, proceed. The Wellness Society describes these steps in further detail:
- Stop – Interrupt your thoughts with the command ‘stop!’ and pause whatever you’re doing.
- Take a breath – Notice your breathing for a second. Breathe in gently and slowly through your nose, expanding your belly as you do, and exhale slowly through your mouth.
- Observe – Be the observer of your thoughts, emotions and physical sensations. What thoughts do you notice? What emotions are surfacing? How does your body feel? Tune in and stay with whatever arises for a few moments.
- Proceed – Mindfully consider how you’d like to respond. What’s one small thing you can focus on right now? What would be a helpful response to this situation? Narrow down your focus and take it one small step at a time.
Do you have a moment to STOP today? For support, consider watching this short video to be guided through this mindfulness practice. Or you may consider attending the Online Mindful Moment Skills Lab Series:
Join the Education Embedded Counsellor to learn about and practice mindfulness for 15 mins, once monthly from March through June 2024. You will be guided through a new mindfulness exercise each month, with the opportunity to practice together and connect as a community.
WHEN: First Wednesday of every month from March through June 2024 (March 6th, April 3rd, May 8th, June 5th)
TIME: 4 – 4:15 pm
WHERE: Find the Zoom link in Canvas Calendar, Navigating the BEd Program 2023-24 (Click on the event in the calendar to find details for the Zoom link).
Take good care of you,
Education Embedded Counselling & Wellbeing