The grown-ups are the ones deciding when and how to eat, sleep, play, go to preschool, what to wear, what not to wear, when to celebrate your birthday, when its Christmas eve, when to go to the bathroom, when to visit grandmother, when to have a babysitter, what to buy in the supermarket, if you’re allowed to have a pet…
And when the adults are not close by, her big sister is in charge to make sure that Maja doesn’t get any candy or snacks. Well, lucky for Maja that she has the ability to scream “STOP!” Then she can move around objects and people, changing things her way. When she is done and happy, she kick starts time again by shouting: “Ready, steady, go!”
In season three Abbe overtakes the “Stop!-power”. He lives in a flat with his mum, dad and big brother. His everyday is full of injustice, since it’s not easy being the youngest. Soon he realizes that he can uses it to fight the adults. When his parents doesn’t listen or his big brother is being mean, or the world is unfair, Abbe shouts: Stop!. And everything stops, apart from Abbe who is now in charge of the story and calls the shots.
STOPP
STOPP is CBT in a nutshell.
Learn this ONE KEY SKILL and you can start to take control of your emotions and your life.
"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our freedom to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom". Viktor Frankl.
How to use STOPP
STOP!
Just pause for a moment
TAKE A BREATH
Notice your breathing as you breathe in and out. In through the nose, out through the mouth.
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
- DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK!
- 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 afact or opinion?
- What is a more reasonable explanation?
- How important is this? How important will it be in 6 months time?
- It will pass.
PRACTISE WHAT WORKS - PROCEED
- What is the best thing to do right now?
- What is the mo
The STOPP technique is great once you’ve mastered it for managing emotions.
For me however it is often the STSTSTSTOOSTOPP technique as I always find its linear structure difficult to manage.
I keep looping round the first few steps until I actually manage to observe what it is that is going on.
If you have an over-active imagination like me (I’m almost % sure unicorns aren’t real) then logical techniques like STOPP can be a real challenge.
This week I’ll share a few things about how to get the most out of the STOPP technique. Thought simple to understand it can be tricky to put into practice.
Today is a summary of what each step of STOPP means and the questions you can ask to help you at each stage.Imagine a red stop sign or say "STOP" to yourself internally. Remind yourself: I don’t have to react right now. Take a moment before responding.
Ask yourself: What am I reacting to? Is this an automatic reaction, or do I need to think this through? Do I need to respond immediately, or can I take some time?
Take deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Focus on the sensation of your breath entering and leaving your body.
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