POWER in the PAUSE Mini-Tool for MINDFULNESS

POWER in the PAUSE:  Use the “cootie catcher” to talk about emotions - in the heat of the moment or later during dinner. It helps to look at the descriptions of various emotions and talk about what kinds of situations might make us feel that way. Labeling one’s emotion is a big step in feeling like you are more in control. It also helps to diffuse a strong emotion long enough to calm down and take that very important pause that allows us to think about what we really want and how best to respond. The point of mindfulness is to learn how to pay attention to what is going on in our minds and then learn to manage our thoughts and emotions so that we can pay attention to what we want, when we want to. We learn to pause (do nothing) and give ourselves time to manage those emotions and make decisions rationally; decisions that are in our best interest. 
 
The POWER is in the PAUSE.