A simple stress interruption technique …

For parents across the country, just the idea of a new school year starting — and the overflowing schedules that’s likely to mean — is an inducement to feel stressed.

So often, people are flying through their days with very little self- and other- awareness that they can quickly feel overwhelmed with stress or flooded with anxiety. Getting ahold of your thoughts, emotions, and actions can be challenging in that moment, so sometimes a very simple tool can help you disrupt the momentary experience long enough for you to gather your self-talk and thoughts and avoid self-induced stress and/or anxiety.

I recently shared one of those simple tools called the “3 C’s,” you can find that blog post here. That’s a simple “cognitive restructuring” tool to help you check your self-talk. Sometimes you’ve already uncapped a rush of thoughts that now have you feeling stressed, so let me introduce you to a simple stress interruption technique that may help in the moment.

This tool is the S.O.B.E.R. stress interruption technique using “SOBER” to prompt you to:

S- STOP. This is the first step in interrupting being on “automatic pilot” so that you can become more self-aware of your own thoughts and feelings.

O – OBSERVE. Observe your breathing and what you’re feeling.

B – BREATH. If you’re headed toward, or have already hit, a feeling of stress you’ll want to take a minute to slow your breathing, taking in deep breaths very slowly (to a count of about five), and then release the breath very slowly (to a count of about five to 10). When we feel stressed, we begin to take on more of a “panting” breathing style, which reduces effective oxygenation and creates some of the physical feelings of stress. By taking a moment to purposely breathe deeply, you help to immediately begin to contain the heightened sense of stress or anxiety.

E – EXPAND YOUR AWARENESS. Take a minute to expand your awareness of your thoughts (what are you saying to yourself in your self-talk?), emotions, initial reaction (action), and your situation, environment, etc., while still maintaining an improved breathing pattern.

R – RESPOND. Now that you have “interrupted” that moment of stress by regaining control of your breathing and awareness of your thoughts, and giving direction of your thoughts is gaining control of your emotions, you’re better prepared to choose your response to your situation rather than reacting thoughtlessly from a feeling of stress or anxiety.

This isn’t a complete cognitive restructuring technique, but it can be helpful in interrupting an erupting sense of stress and anxiety so you can choose your response rather than just react.

Scotty