A B C D

This audio track guides listeners through the "ABCD" mindfulness practice, which is designed to help you pause when you feel lost in thought or stressed. The framework stands for Awareness (A), Breath (B), Compassion (C), and Decide (D). Listeners can expect to learn how to identify difficult emotions without completely absorbing them, practice controlled breathing techniques like "in for four, out for more," and perform self-soothing gestures. The session wraps up by prompting you to consciously decide what positive action or self-care step to take next.

Transcript

This is the ABCD practice, And it's really something that once you listen to it a few times, You can just bring it into your day whenever you notice that you've been lost in thought or perhaps you're feeling a bit stressed and just starting with the ABC. So it's A for awareness, B for breath and C for compassion. So, The awareness is what are you noticing? Even if you're noticing you're lost in thought. Or noticing stress. What does it feel like? In your body. Where do you feel it? So if you're having a difficult emotion. . . Saying I am noticing this emotion separates yourself from it rather than if you're feeling angry and you say I am angry, That's embodying all of you. If you say I'm noticing I have an angry thought or this part of me feels angry, That's just creating that separation between you and your thought and you and your emotion. So, B is for breath. So, Just noticing the breath coming in and out. If you are feeling stressed or having some difficulty, You might be doing some shallow breathing into your chest. So, We really want to lengthen that exhale. So you could do your box breathing, Which is the 4-4-4-4 or the 4-7-8, Breathing in for 4, Holding for 7, Out for 8. Or even simpler than that, In for 4, Out for more. So breathing in for 4 counts and out for more. And remember, If you can, To purse your lips as if you're blowing out a candle, Because that gives us more control. And then we've got C for compassion. So, Just performing a self-soothing gesture, Maybe your hand on your chest or your tummy or your face. Just saying something kind to yourself like it's going to be okay or this is a difficult moment. Trying to let go of any judgments that you're making about yourself or others. So that's the main crux of it. But then the D is decide. So decide what you want to do now. Maybe you just want to continue what you were doing. Maybe you want to go for a walk, If that's possible. Maybe you need a glass of water or to do some more breathing or compassion. So the ABC is about just kind of stopping you in the moment and then it gives you more space to decide what you want to do next. Good luck.