- QSFA
The Pause Technique
Updated: Aug 27, 2020
Stress can make us prone to get lost in the day-to-day routine. The duties we owe to our job, family, school, and other commitments make stress feel inevitable. There is negative impacts stress can have on our health, but we may not realize how it affects our ability to complete tasks.
What we can do for stress? One, is consistent time to meditate; a long-term solution. Second, The pause technique is used in the moment to reduce stress; a short-term solution. It works when you find yourself at a breaking point in stress at work, class, or just cannot pull yourself away to meditate. Try this method:
Stop what you are doing.
Close your eyes
Take three slow and deep breaths in and out
As you breathe in recite the word “Huck”
As you breathe out recite “Tu-He-Tu”
Then slowly open your eyes and return to your task
“Huck” ( the truth ) “Tu-He-Tu” ( you are )
Repeating the two phrases helps to bring you out of your predicament. Once you manage to apply this technique as regularly as you can, you are on your way to reset your frame of mind. Therefore, you can continue your undertaking with a refined approach. This method is effective for the short term, but in a busy world it is also compatible to nearly any stressful situation.
For example, I found myself in a situation where I was stressed out. I had an interview for an online job that I really wanted. The stress of setting everything up and practicing what I would say to the interviewer started to overwhelm me. Negative thoughts and insecurity about my performance settled in my head and I began to doubt myself. In that moment I stopped what I was doing and practiced the pause technique.
After coming out of the practice I managed to look at my situation in a new light. I separated what I needed to focus on from what was just insecurity and negative thinking. The method brought me from a situation that I could not grapple with to a state of relief and polished certainty about myself.
It is important to note that this is an old and secular practice, meaning it has no religious affiliation. Regardless of your background or beliefs the practice is only meant to assist you in living a more mindful life.