S stands for Stop – When you become aware that you are feeling stressed or anxious say STOP either out loud or to yourself.
T stands for Take a few slow mindful breaths – Not trying to change the breath, just noticing the breath and focusing all of your attention there.
O stands for Observe – Just observe your present experience including your thoughts, feelings and emotions – but do it without judgement.
P stands for Proceed – Now that you are feeling more calm, proceed with what you were doing, but do it more mindfully.
Just noticing that you are feeling stressed or anxious is the first step in becoming more mindful. This technique only takes a minute – so why don’t you STOP right now and give it a try!
1 Mindful Minute
For more great tips and techniques click here to view my free 1 Mindful Minute video series. In these short 1 minute videos I give you practical strategies you can use to incorporate 1 Mindful Minute into your daily activities. You can do these activities at home, at work, in the car …. You can basically do them anywhere!
Remember, it only takes a minute to be mindful!