In the last Strong Roots Blog Post and Podcast Episode we introduced the term “buffering.” Buffering is the activity we do when we feel emotional about something, when we are procrastinating or avoiding, when we are bored, or during any time we should be addressing another issue. We “buffer” out of habit. Some examples we mentioned in the last post were binge watching Netflix, eating, shopping, drinking, spending too much time on social media, etc.

So what can we do to stop “buffering?”

Recognize - the first thing we need to do when we are about to buffer is to just recognize the action. Do not do anything else, just notice our buffering. Once we start noticing our buffering, we realize we are doing it a lot more throughout the day than we realized. If you do nothing else over the next month, just start recognizing your behaviors.
Pause - once we have recognized we are about to buffer, just pause. Do not do anything. Do not do the buffering habit. Jane Springer recommends a wait period. Depending on what you are going to do, wait 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or up to an hour. Often, within that time frame we no longer want to do the buffering habit that is not good for us.
Inaction or Replace - once we have recognized and paused, then what do we do? Some buffering may require inaction. For example, if you are not hungry but just want to eat or snack, then instead let time pass and most often this desire goes away. If you are still hungry, make sure the snack is a healthy one. Another example is wasting time on social media, this is a buffering activity that we could replace with something else.

This will be a process and will not happen overnight. There are plenty of buffering activities we do throughout the day. Pick one and work on recognizing it first, then pause, and replace it with a better habit or do nothing in its place.

For me, at night I waste time watching television even when I am exhausted. Then I do not get to sleep on time. I am going to replace this with a night-time tea and maybe some light reading. I am already having tea sometimes and it helps a lot but the television is what I need to replace or stop doing all together.

Good Luck on your Journey to recognize, pause, and replace!