STOP Technique
When you are feeling stressed over a thought or situation, remember the STOP technique to help ground you back into the moment.
To practice STOP just:
Stop
Either tell yourself out loud or in your head to “Stop”. Stop the thought that you are thinking.
Example: I am not good at being a mom. I can’t get my baby to sleep through the night, and I am so tired and can’t stand to hear her cry. I’m a failure”.
Think
Is this thought real? Think of all the different things that may be going on.
Example: Does my baby really not like me or maybe my baby is just uncomfortable. Maybe this is the only way she can communnicate. Maybe this has nothing to do with me being a good mom. I know babies cry with other mothers.
Observe
Observe how the new thoughts make you feel.
Example: When I think of the other ways to look at this, it makes me feel better about myself. I feel less scared. Less sad.
Proceed
Know that you can always go back to this method if the thoughts come back. You may need to check your thoughts more often in the beginning but pretty soon after some practice, you will build the habit of being able to talk down and stop thoughts that make you feel bad.