The following acronym provides a simple way to remember the basics of mindfulness.
- S — Slow Down: When you feel stressed, emotional, or overwhelmed, take time to pause and reflect. Resist the urge to act impulsively or to judge yourself for how you’re feeling.
- L — Let Go: Take a deep breath and let go of tension in your body. Breathe in deeply through your nose for 4 seconds and exhale slowly through your mouth for 6 seconds; repeat this. Notice the tension in your body and how breathing deeply can help relieve it. Keep breathing this way until you feel relaxed and calm.
- O — Observe: Take note of your thoughts, emotions, and other feelings or sensations. Simply observe them without judgement and without acting on them automatically.
- W — Wise Response: Use your values, goals, and your capacity for rational thought as a guide to plan your action.
SLOW Technique — Additional Info
Notes on S:
By slowing down, we are getting off of “autopilot”—that is, our automatic manner of doing things without thinking carefully first.
Notes on L:
By using deep breathing, or an alternative grounding or stress management technique (see Stress Management and Grounding Techniques document), we are further helping our bodies to relax and get out of automatic states, like fight-or-flight-or-freeze mode. This helps the part of our brain that is capable of rational thought to engage.
Notes on O:
When observing your thoughts, emotions, and other feelings/sensations try to do this like a dispassionate scientific observer would. Simply take note of what is there. Instead of saying “I am angry,” simply note “There is a feeling of anger.”
Notes on W:
When thinking rationally about how to proceed, consider the thoughts and feelings you took note of above. Remember the phrase: “Don’t believe everything you think.” Just because you are thinking something doesn’t mean it is true; just because you are feeling a certain way doesn’t mean you have to act on that feeling or believe what it is telling you. Our automatic thoughts and feelings are not always accurate, rational, or helpful. Think about whether you have good reasons or evidence to support your beliefs; think about why you are feeling the way you feel and if you are rationally justified in feeling the way you feel.
By thinking rationally, we are overriding our purely automatic and emotional way of thinking and acting. It is important to note that our goal is not to suppress emotion but to allow reason to investigate our emotions and determine whether we want to follow our emotional impulses or challenge them.
Lastly, focus on what you can control, and let go of what you cannot control. There is no sense worrying about things we cannot change, and focusing on what we can actually do something about allows us to transform unhelpful emotional states like fear or panic into practical actions, such as preparation or caution.
Other examples of transformation unhelpful emotional states into helpful action:
Anger –> assertive communication, working for change, or defensive action
Hatred –> acceptance
Lust –> evaluation of the appropriateness of our desire based on our values.