How S.T.O.P Changed My Life

Mascari, Brooke. July 30th, 2024.

Emotional health is essential if we are seeking to experience overall health, balance, and wholeness daily (I don’t know about you, but this is certainly my goal!). On my journey to experiencing higher levels of health and happiness, the emotional clearing and emotional health portion has been of particular help to me.

Nutrition, meditation, mindful eating, optimal sleep, etc. have all been practices that have had an immense benefit on me and I feel better now than I ever have in my life as I consistently practice/ take steps toward further balance.

Practicing emotional clearing and becoming aware of the importance of healthy emotions has revolutionized my life. It is something I benefit from multiple times a day.

Just yesterday I was remembering some of the damaging emotional habits I used to experience often and how it affected my health and relationships with people I love. I felt helpless and lost, not knowing how to change the patterns I continued to fall into.

Undoubtedly, one of the most practical and helpful tools I utilize daily is the S.T.O.P. practice. When I feel harmful emotions well up within me or self-doubt tries to take over, I habitually remember to S.T.O.P. I am going to share this practice with you, with the knowledge that this simple practice can change your life in wonderful ways just as it has for me.

How to S.T.O.P

Stop:

The first step is to Stop the moment you feel any degree of discomfort—sad, mad, worried, frustrated, overwhelmed, stressed, afraid, impatient, or disappointed. The first step is to stop and take a moment’s pause before reacting to anything. Awareness is the key, and that is what this first step does for us.

Take:

Step two is to Take three breaths. Inhaling and exhaling deeply will help you become aware of the present moment so you can get some immediate perspective instead of allowing the circumstance to completely control you. We do not have to allow our emotions to control us. We can control them when we become aware.

Observe:

Step three is to Observe! Take notice of any thoughts, feelings, and sensations you’re experiencing without any judgment. One thing that has made a tremendous impact on my life has been the practice of not judging my emotions. We are not bad people for having negative emotions! We all have negative emotions sometimes because life can sometimes be quite challenging! The key is how to navigate the negative emotions we do not want. But do not identify yourself with the negative emotions you may be feeling. You are not a bad person for sometimes experiencing negative emotions.

Proceed:

The final step is to Proceed. Proceed with self-compassion and love; for yourself and anyone else. These steps enable you to become present and see all the choices available at the moment so you can make a conscious choice in your next word or action. Self-compassion is very powerful and very necessary if we want to live our best life possible. Shame and guilt will only keep us in a cycle of negative emotions, depression, and self-hatred. These are emotions that must be released.

S = Stop

T = Take three deep breaths

O = Observe

P = Proceed

Blessings and love on your journey to complete health and happiness; in mind, body, and emotion.

Havah Holistic Health