PDS Resources Tool Box
This page includes some awareness exercises, suggested reading and video resources that, after completing a PDS Readiness To Change series class, you might find helpful.
STOP:
Stop > Be still and quiet
Take 3 deep breaths > In by the nose* then out by the mouth (*if comfortable).
Observe > Notice your Outside World /5 Physical Senses and your Inside World / Mental senses.
Prepare to take action > Embrace Your Values by moving Toward Who & What is Most Important for a Full and Meaningful Life
SIFT:
Sensations > What am I sensing right now in my body?
Images > What images come up in my mind’s eye?
Feelings > What feelings are inside me?
Thought > What thoughts are streaming through my consciousness?
This is the basic way we can SIFT our sea inside to see what is going on. When we SIFT through our minds, we check inwardly on the sensations, images, feelings, and thoughts going on inside ourselves at any given moment. “Sift” is an apt term to describe the process, or course, because all of the many sensations, images, feelings, and thoughts that may come up in awareness are often connected to one another in a free-flowing process.
(From the book BRAINSTORM by Dan Siegel. Copyright (c) 2013 by Mind Your Brain, Inc. Reprinted by arrangement with the Penguin Group, a division of the Penguin Random House Company. All rights reserved.)
FACE IT:
Focus on your 5-senses by noticing your, sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch
Acknowledge your thoughts and feelings and delay / pause your reaction.
Connect with your values for living a Full and Meaningful Life
Engage in values-based actions and activities (Choose to move toward who & what makes for a full and meaningful life).
Include people from your support network.
Track your progress in making workable choices.
“Stop, Drop, and Roll”:
1.Stop. Stop the inner war against the actual circumstances—acknowledge and accept them. It is what it is. Let me be clear: This does not mean that you are “all good” with the situation. It has nothing to do with your judgment about the actual events. It just means that you are accepting the actuality of what is occurring.
2.Drop the story. Your assessment of this situation is merely one story, one account of the unfolding events and their emotional tone. It may not be true. And perhaps it is not the only story.
3.Roll with it. Keep going, keep moving, get curious about what the next moment will bring. This approach keeps attention agile, open, and receptive. It also frees up cognitive resources needed for decision-making and complex thought, since you aren’t getting hijacked away by destructive and attention-grabbing emotions.
Adapted from the ABA article Mindfulness 101: Mindfulness, Emotions, and Peak Mind By Scott L. Rogers https://www.americanbar.org/groups/gpsolo/publicat...
Recommended Resources from the web:
Comfortable and Uncomfortable Emotions
https://richerlifecounseling.com/comfortable-and-uncomfortable-emotions/
Free Resources By Dr. Russ Harris
https://thehappinesstrap.com/free-resources/
Managing Stress and Stressful Situations:
https://www.healthline.com/health/stress-prevention
How Stress Impacts Decision Making
https://www.waldenu.edu/online-masters-programs/ms...
10 Affirmations for a Difficult Day
https://www.thetappingsolution.com/blog/10-affirma...
Anxiety Skills video playlist Therapy in a Nutshell by Emma McAdam, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist of
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiUrrIiqidTVNQB...
Negativity Bia:
https://youtu.be/g6zXBHdbQJI?si=3mH_UdACp5JCb67K
How to Be Less Emotionally Reactive
https://therapyinanutshell.com/black-and-white-thinking/
Primary Emotions vs Secondary Emotions (Sometimes what you're feeling is actually covering up the real emotions)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqi7jp6tKZI&t=347s
Therapy in a Nutshell YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/c/TherapyinaNutshell
Therapy in a Nutshell website:
https://therapynutshell.com/
Mindfulness Is a Workout, NOT a coping Strategy:
https://youtu.be/xpCN98W3A7o?si=SLpa11wEwz0XUxmG
Video: Breathing Exercises: 4-7-8 Breath by Andrew Weil, M.D.
https://www.drweil.com/videos-features/videos/brea...
17 Strategies for Coping with Stress in 30 Minutes or Less
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/st...
Looking at Problems Staying in your three-foot world
https://www.theifod.com/great-life-advice-from-a-s...
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) aka Tapping
https://www.healthline.com/health/eft-tapping
The Tapping Solution
https://www.thetappingsolution.com/
Recommended Reading
The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT
by Russ Harris
Tapping Solution to Create Lasting Change: A Guide to Get Unstuck and Find Your Flow
by Jessica Ortner
Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes a Day
by Amishi P. Jha