Be strong like a boar.
Maintain Your Composure During Stress: The B.O.A.R Technique
Don’t lose it. Be strong like a boar!
We often get triggered by circumstances or people, and not only don’t understand why, but don’t know what to do. Yet we want to preserve our steadiness. Do you want a simple method for managing your tilting emotions? Do you sometimes need a tool to pull from your bag and use quickly, anytime, any place?
Here’s a simple practice for you which helps allow your experience without reacting negatively to the situation or person.
B.O.A.R.
B: Breathe. Take at least 3 mindful breaths. Breathe in deeply, with awareness, feeling your breath in your nostrils, filling your lungs. Exhale fully, completely. Slow down.
O: Observe. Using the third eye, pay attention to your present experience, without judging yourself. Notice…
- What are you feeling, in your Heart? If you can’t identify it, you won’t be able to know what’s at the root of your behavior or your thoughts. Take some time. Guess what you are feeling, if you need to.
- What’s going on in your Body, somatically? Tightness in your chest? A rash on your neck? Simply observe your experience, without questioning it, trying to change or control it. Use three words if you can, to sum it up.
- What is happening in your Mind? Are your thoughts racing? Do you seem stuck, or notice a fog or dullness? Label it with three words or phrases.
- What do you notice deep within, in your Soul? The part of you that is your deepest Self? Do you feel connected to something greater? Do you seem estranged from or disillusioned by God? Are you angry at the universe, for suffering? Notice it, and where you are in this moment.
A- Allow. Simply allow what is happening in yourself right now. No shoulds. Don’t add a “story.” Mindfully accept what Is, without trying to change it. Breathe again.
R- Re: Any variety of “Re” words are helpful to your process here. You choose what you need! Find a word or words for your next step.
Replay
| Refrain | Responsibly move forward | Refuse |
| Refer | Rework | Relate |
| Reframe | Reflect | Refinish |
| Relate | Refocus | Re-choose |
| Refinish | Remind | Restructure |
| Rekindle | Regroup | Rewrite |
| Refute | Regroup | Re-energize |
| Re-birth | Re-do | Re-look |
| Rest | Re-ignite | Refer |
| Repower | Rediscover | Re-invent |
| Recite | Respond, don’t react | Re-align |
| Reach out | Re-breathe | Respect |
Use B.O.A.R. to tune into your Self, guarding your serenity. Don’t get hooked. You are not a helpless victim of what happens around you, or to you. Find your boar power within, and allow for quick awareness and relief by utilizing this practice daily. Prevent and manage stress to live a healthier, less reactive life.
Copyright 2016 ~Pamela W. Brinker, LCSW
Thanks to Open Sky Wilderness Therapy and Tara Brach