PATHWAY 1 OF 8
If you’re feeling frustrated
or irritated
Some days, it might feel like everything is getting on your nerves. The kids are pushing your buttons, people let you down, and you haven’t had a minute to yourself. Feeling frustrated or irritated (even while you love being a parent) is completely normal.
When you feel like you’re about to snap
Try this. Simple practices to help you pause before reacting.
Take a Pause: The STOP Technique
– OR –
The 5-4-3-2-1 Coping Technique
5Acknowledge FIVE things you see around you. It could be a pen, a spot on the ceiling, anything in your surroundings.
4Acknowledge FOUR things you can touch around you. It could be your hair, a pillow, or the ground under your feet.
3Acknowledge THREE things you hear. This could be any external sound. If you can hear your belly rumbling that counts! Focus on things you can hear outside of your body.
2Acknowledge TWO things you can smell. Maybe you are in your office and smell pencil, or maybe you are in your bedroom and smell a pillow. If you need to take a brief walk to find a scent you could smell soap in your bathroom, or nature outside.
1Acknowledge ONE thing you can taste. What does the inside of your mouth taste like—gum, coffee, or the sandwich from lunch?