Check out Part 2 as we offer some tips and solutions to changing thought patterns. Step into these new behaviors and step out of the cycle!
Below is the STOPP method we have shared in a past pod. It’s worth resharing and we discuss this again in this session.

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STOPP !    Just pause for a moment TAKE A BREATH    Notice your breathing as you breath in and out - use 7/11 breathing technique OBSERVE
- What thoughts are going through your mind right now?
- Where is your focus of attention?
- What are you reacting to?
- What sensations do you notice in your body?
PULL BACK - PUT IN SOME PERSPECTIVE
- What's the bigger picture?
- Take the helicopter view.
- What is another way of looking at this situation?
- What advice would I give a friend?
- What would a trusted friend say to me right now?
- Is this thought a fact or opinion?
- What is a more reasonable explanation?
- How important is this? How important will it be in 6 months time?
- It will pass.
PRACTICE WHAT WORKS - PROCEED
- What is the best thing to do right now?
- Best for me, for others, for the situation?
- What can I do that fits with my values?
- Do what will be effective and appropriate.
HOW TO USE STOPP
- Practice the first two steps often for a few days - many times every day at any time.
- Read through the steps often.
- Carry written reminders with you (use the printable resources below).
- Practice STOPP by running through all the steps several times a day, every day...when you don't need it.
- Start to use it for little upsets.
- Gradually, you will find that you can use it for more distressing situations. Like any new habit or skill, it will become automatic over time.
THE STEPS EXPLAINED STOP! Say it to yourself, in your head, as soon as you notice your mind and/or your body is reacting to a trigger. Stop! helps to put in the space between the stimulus (the trigger, whatever we are reacting to) and our response. The earlier you use STOPP, the easier and more effective it will be.

TAKE A BREATH Breathing a little deeper and slower will calm down and reduce the physical reaction of emotion/adrenaline. Focusing on our breathing means we are not so focused on the thoughts and feelings of the distress, so that our minds can start to clear and we can think more logically and rationally.

OBSERVE We can notice the thoughts going through our mind, we can notice what we feel in our body, and we can notice the urge to react in an impulsive way. We can notice the vicious cycle of anxiety, sadness or anger. Noticing helps us to defuse from those thoughts and feelings and therefore reduce their power and control.

PULL BACK / PUT IN SOME PERSPECTIVE The thought challenging of CBT. Thinking differently. When we step back emotionally from a situation, and start to see the bigger picture, it reduces those distressing beliefs. We can do this by asking ourselves questions.

PRACTICE WHAT WORKS / PROCEED This is the behavioral change of CBT. Doing things differently. Rather than reacting impulsively with unhelpful consequences, we can CHOOSE our more helpful and positive response.

REFERENCE: Full credit to this technique is owed to Carol Vivyan of http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/