STOPP: Pause Before You React
A quick pause-and-respond skill for moments of strong emotion. Work through five steps - Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Pull back, Practise what works - so you can choose your response instead of reacting on autopilot.
Written by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed
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STOPP: Pause Before You React
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S - Stop
The moment you notice the emotion rising, stop. Do not act on the first urge. Just pause where you are. This tiny gap is what gives you a choice.
T - Take a breath
Take one slow breath. Breathe in gently, and let the out-breath be a little longer and slower than the in-breath. A slow out-breath helps your body settle. Repeat once or twice if you need to.
O - Observe
Notice what is happening, without judging it. What am I thinking right now? What am I feeling? What do I notice in my body (tight chest, hot face, clenched jaw)? What is the urge - what do I feel pulled to do?
P - Pull back / Put in perspective
Step back and widen the view. Is this a fact, or an opinion or story I am telling myself? What is the bigger picture? What would I say to a friend in this situation? Is there another, kinder, or more realistic way to see it? This emotion will pass.
P - Practise what works / Proceed
Now choose your response. What actually helps here? What fits the kind of person you want to be and what matters to you? Do that - even if it is small. Sometimes the wise move is to do nothing for now.
Plan and record a practice
Pick a recent or likely situation and walk it through with STOPP, so the skill is ready when you really need it.
Try it here — nothing you type is saved. Sign up to assign it and let clients complete it on any device.
When to use ‘STOPP: Pause Before You React’
‘STOPP: Pause Before You React’ is an interactive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) worksheet. As a core CBT skill it is used right across the model, with presentations including depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma and low self-esteem, rather than being tied to a single diagnosis.
It is designed to be used within therapy rather than as a standalone self-help tool: a therapist introduces it, works through it collaboratively, and helps make sense of what it surfaces. You can preview the full worksheet above, then assign it digitally for clients to complete between sessions on any device — or download it as a print-ready PDF.
How it works
Most people work through it in around 5 minutes. It moves through six short steps:
- S - Stop — The moment you notice the emotion rising, stop. Do not act on the first urge. Just pause where you are. This tiny gap is what gives you a…
- T - Take a breath — Take one slow breath. Breathe in gently, and let the out-breath be a little longer and slower than the in-breath. A slow out-breath helps…
- O - Observe — Notice what is happening, without judging it. What am I thinking right now? What am I feeling? What do I notice in my body (tight chest,…
- P - Pull back / Put in perspective — Step back and widen the view. Is this a fact, or an opinion or story I am telling myself? What is the bigger picture? What would I say to a…
- P - Practise what works / Proceed — Now choose your response. What actually helps here? What fits the kind of person you want to be and what matters to you? Do that - even if…
- Plan and record a practice — Pick a recent or likely situation and walk it through with STOPP, so the skill is ready when you really need it.
Completed on the Formulate platform, your client's answers are saved automatically and shared straight back to you, so you can review them before the next session rather than waiting for a paper copy to come back.
The CBT approach behind it
In common with other CBT methods, ‘STOPP: Pause Before You React’ works by noticing the links between situations, thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and behaviour — and finding practical ways to change unhelpful patterns. The aim is not positive thinking but a clearer, shared understanding of what keeps a difficulty going — and practical, testable ways to change it.
Because it is a CBT tool it stays focused on the here-and-now links between thoughts, feelings, the body and behaviour, and it works best as one part of a wider course of therapy rather than as advice or a diagnosis.
It follows the same evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy structure as the rest of the Formulate library.
For use alongside professional support
Formulate provides educational CBT resources for use with a qualified therapist. They are not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or crisis care.
If you need urgent help now:
- Emergency services: 999 — if you or someone else is in immediate danger
- Samaritans: 116 123 — free, day or night, 365 days a year
- SANEline: 0800 689 5555 — 4:30pm–10:30pm, every day
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