Pausing in Practice

Pause to practice using the emotion regulating techniques that many of us know, but struggle to implement consistently. In group we use breath work, body movement, thoughtful attention, and visualization to improve our ability to: notice, name, and tolerate our emotions, pause and observe our experiences without reacting to them, and stay connected to the present moment. Research has shown that engaging in practices like these can reduce stress and emotional reactivity, lift mood, improve working memory and cognitive flexibility, and increase relationship satisfaction (APA, 2012).