Regulation pause card
Print it, fold it and keep it where you will see it. Use it before a difficult conversation, an appointment or a decision.
Regulation
The pause
The point is not to feel calm on demand. It is to put a small gap between what you feel and what you do, so the decision is yours.
- Stop. Put both feet on the floor and let your shoulders drop.
- Breathe out slowly, longer than you breathe in, four or five times.
- Name what you are feeling in one word, without arguing with it.
- Ask what this situation actually needs from me right now.
- Then decide, or choose to decide later.
My own version
The word I use to start the pause
What settles me fastest
Where I will keep this card
A note on limits
A pause helps you make a better decision. It does not treat a health condition. If you are in crisis, contact your GP, NHS 111, or the emergency services.
Where this comes from
This page is written by AURIS from our published framework and research. You can read the papers behind it:
AURIS Institute is education and structured self reflection. It is not therapy, medical treatment or crisis support. If you are in crisis, contact your GP, NHS 111, or the emergency services. aurisidentity.org
Want to go further? Introduction to AURIS is a free nine lesson course that covers this in more depth.