Hi everyone!
Thanks for being here for this exercise called Hit That Pause Button.
Have you ever had an uncomfortable big feeling that seemed like it wouldn't stop?
Like feeling angry or sad or even scared?
You know what?
Everyone has feelings like that sometimes.
You have them,
Your mom has them,
And every single person on the earth has them.
Big or uncomfortable feelings are totally natural and normal.
But when you don't know what to do with them,
Sometimes they don't feel good.
This exercise will teach you what to do,
How to hit the pause button when you're having an uncomfortable feeling,
And most importantly,
How to feel better.
Bad feelings can be like a song that plays over and over in your head and doesn't stop.
If it's a song you like,
That's okay.
But a bad feeling that won't stop can hurt.
When that happens to me,
I feel kind of sad and lonely.
Maybe you do too.
So let's start with you and your mom getting really comfortable.
You can sit on the floor or on a cushion or chair,
Or even lie down if you like.
Get nice and comfortable and let your eyelids softly close.
Get cozy and relaxed.
You can take three deep breaths and every time you breathe out,
Say a big ah,
Like you're letting out all the air inside you.
Feel how your body relaxes a bit when you breathe out.
Take two more big breaths and feel your body go all soft when you breathe out.
You're doing great.
The first step in this exercise is to make a picture in your mind of a button.
The button can be any color or size that you like.
And what does your button feel like?
Is it smooth or hard?
Does it have a sound?
Mine sounds like a school buzzer.
It really gets my attention.
Can you see your button?
Now this is your pause button.
Just like you have a pause button on a music player,
You have a pause button inside your mind.
When you push this button,
You remind yourself to pause,
To take a little break.
And in that little break,
You can breathe away the big or uncomfortable feeling.
Now add one more thing to your pause button.
Add a word or picture to the button that will help you remember to pause.
Maybe it's the word pause,
Of course.
Or maybe it's a picture of a hand that means stop.
Or something that makes you feel good,
Like a pet or your bike or your mom.
We can try this button right now.
Is there a feeling you're having now that you'd like to practice with?
Maybe you're restless or confused.
Or maybe it's another uncomfortable feeling you had recently.
Just take a second to choose a feeling.
You're doing so great.
Now you and your mom,
Just let that feeling be here for a minute.
Let the thoughts and feelings and everything just happen.
You're totally okay doing this exercise here with your mom.
Now see your pause button.
Ready to give it a push?
Okay,
Push.
Awesome.
Now put your hands on your belly and breathe in so your hands go up.
And then breathe out and feel how your belly goes down.
Do that for three breaths.
Just feeling how your breath goes up and down,
Like you're riding on a swing.
Up and down.
And there's something neat about your breath you might not have noticed.
What happens when you're on a swing and you reach the highest point?
There's a small little pause,
Isn't there?
A little pause before you swoop back down again.
And on the other end,
When you're at the highest,
There's another little pause before you swoop down.
Your breath has little pauses like that.
There's a little one after you breathe in before you breathe out again.
Take another breath now and see if you can feel that pause.
And there's a second pause after you breathe all the way out before you breathe in again.
Can you feel that one too?
And you might feel how totally quiet and safe it is in those little pauses.
If you can't feel the pauses right now,
That's just fine.
Just keep trying and you may feel it with a bit of patience.
You may even say,
Oh,
That quiet place.
I know that.
You're both doing such a great job paying attention.
So when you're having a big feeling,
You can do these two steps.
Number one,
Remember your pause button and push it.
And number two,
Take three breaths,
Paying attention like you did just now.
Your hands on your belly,
Feeling it go up and down and even resting in the quiet,
Safe place in the pauses.
Let's all do the button push and breathing together three times,
You,
Mom,
And me.
See,
Feel,
And hear your pause button.
And on three,
Push it.
One,
Two,
Three.
Now,
Hands on your bellies.
Do your best to feel your breath going up and down,
Just like you're on a swing.
Feel that gentle,
Relaxed movement in your belly and feel the little pause at the top of the upswing and the bottom of the downswing.
Enjoy the quiet,
Safe place that's in those pauses.
That place is always there all the time,
Anytime you want to visit.
And the more you visit,
The easier it will be to find.
Everyone has big feelings and everyone needs a way to remember that they don't last forever.
They come and go like clouds in the blue sky that's always there behind them.
Because you're the boss of your feelings.
When you do this exercise,
You'll learn how to have your feelings instead of them having you.
This is an awesome,
Loving thing to do for yourself.
It's like you're a good friend to yourself.
You notice a bad feeling,
Hit your pause button and pay attention to your breath instead.
Your attention is your superpower.
Use it to help you feel better.
You've done such a great job today.
Next time you're having a feeling that's kind of big or uncomfortable,
Try this exercise.
Or tell your mom and you can do it together.
Now give your body a big stretch.
Stretch your arms and legs and give them a good shake.
Gently open your eyes and get ready to enjoy your day.
Thank you for being here.
