The STOP Practice: Letting Go Of Unhelpful Thoughts

The STOP practice is a simple four-step mindfulness practice and stands for: Stop, Take a breath, Observe, and Proceed. It creates a pause between what triggers or activates us, and how we respond, allowing more calm, presence, and choice in how we respond in different situations. In this practice, we’ll pause and gently release repetitive thoughts or worries and criticism. Thanks for listening.

Transcript

The mindfulness stop practice is a simple four-step technique for creating space between a trigger or stimulus and your response.

It cultivates greater awareness and thoughtful action.

The acronym stands for S,

Stop,

T,

Take a breath,

O,

Observe,

And P,

Proceed.

By pausing,

Grounding yourself with a mindful breath,

Noticing your body,

Sensations,

Thoughts,

And feelings,

And then continuing with more awareness,

You can actually change automatic reactions and respond in a more healthy way.

In this guided practice,

We'll pause,

Take a step back,

And gently let go of repetitive or unhealthy thoughts.

Feel free to close your eyes if it's comfortable for you,

Find a comfortable position,

And we'll start with S,

Stop.

Simply stop,

Pause whatever you're doing,

And notice that you're here,

Choosing to take this moment for yourself.

And now T,

Take a breath.

Take a slow,

Natural breath in,

And a slow,

Natural breath out.

You can take anywhere from one to three breaths,

Feeling the air moving through your body,

And allowing the breath to anchor you in the present moment.

O,

Observe.

Observe what's happening inside of you and around you.

Notice any thoughts,

Any thoughts that repeat themselves,

Worries,

Judgments,

Self-criticism.

Acknowledge them without pushing them away,

But then also remind yourself,

Thoughts aren't facts.

Thoughts come and go.

This is just a thought,

I can let it go.

Also notice your body,

Your feelings,

Sensations,

Anything else around you,

While continuing to notice your breath.

And now P,

Proceed.

Now choose how you want to move forward.

Maybe you can continue your day with more space and calm and clarity,

And maybe you can remind yourself,

My thoughts aren't facts.

Thoughts come and go.

I can return to my breath whenever I need to.

O,

Take one more gentle breath,

And when you're ready,

Open your eyes and return to what's next and going about your day.

Thanks for practicing with me.

Reviews

Short and sweet. I love that You also do it in Hebrew that helps me learn. I also liked your parsha the other week. Would love if you did more of those when you have the time. Toda Raba

That was really helpful! I struggle with runaway thoughts and overthinking and I really like this! Thank you!