“The Power of the Pause” & “Play the Movie Forward” (LESSON 2)

One of the best tactics for learning new habits is to visualize yourself successfully completing the new behavior. This is what “Play the Movie Forward” is all about. The idea is to visualize in your mind what your success looks like, in full detail.

First, you need to PAUSE and think about your decision to drink or not drink! Pause, set an intention, make a commitment, and play the movie forward. This lesson has both techniques, along with a bonus of brief 5-4-3-2-1 Mindfulness exercise to slow down your thinking and force your brain into using its prefrontal cortex (which is responsible for regulating your thoughts, emotions, and actions), so you can make the decision from a place of mindful, rational thinking vs. functioning from the limbic system (which is the part of your brain that is used when you are in “fight or flight” mode, or where our impulsive or reactionary actions come from).

The 5-4-3-2-1 Mindfulness exercise mentioned in the video is simple! It takes just a minute to run through these steps so you can get the benefits of the Power of the Pause. Take a few deep breaths first: in through the nose, out through the mouth.

• 5 things you can SEE (that are a certain color)

• 4 things you can TOUCH

• 3 things you can HEAR

• 2 things you can SMELL

• 1 thing you can TASTE

Give it a try next time you are experiencing some discomfort, anxiety, or are triggered to grab a drink!

HOMEWORK: Try the “Power of the Pause” and the “Play the Movie Forward” techniques the next time your brain has this thought, “It’s time for a drink.” Visualize yourself successfully completing the day, all the way through to the next morning, without grabbing the drink — in full detail! Feel free to share how this works for you in the comments below!