Be Prepared to HALT

By Gary Washer

    As an Eagle Scout I am constantly bringing up some of the principles I learned in the Boy Scouts.  One of them that I bring up often is the Scout motto that says Be Prepared.  One place this can be applied to is the SFT processing step 2.  Step 2 is where the processor applies HALT which in turn allows the processor to HALT his self from instantly reacting to the situation and making things worse.  
    First, before HALT can be put in place, one must apply step 1 and recognize that what is happening is a pain event.  Too often people fail at step one and react in the moment add fuel to the fire so to speak.  
    Second, once the event is recognized as painful, step 2 is applied and the processor HALTs what he is doing and checks the areas of HALT. This is where one needs to “be prepared”.  There is an old adage that says the more one sweats in training, the less he bleeds in battle.  Often HALT is not put in place due to not being prepared to put HALT in place.  An easy step one can take to be prepared is to come up with some statements to be used immediately after step one.  The following are some examples of these prepared statements.
“This is an important problem. I am caught off guard by this.  Please allow me to take a moment to think about this and we can address this at XYZ time. “
“I am sorry but I need to take a moment to step out of this situation.  I am angry and am not going to deal with this well right now.”
“I recognize that this needs to be addressed, but I cannot think clear about this right now.  I need to get some rest (or get something to eat) and address this later.”
    Those are just a few examples of some prepared statements that can help in the moment and buy time to process and address the event in a healthy as opposed to an unhealthy manner.  Sometimes when those statements are used the other person think I might be trying to avoid the problem which I assure I am not and stick to my boundary (link to the book boundaries in recommended readings) I have set in place.  Other times the person insists that we solve it now which I once again stick to my boundary and set a time to deal with it.

Practicing HALT and being prepared for it allows the processor to maintain and build relationships rather than tear them down by instantly reacting. I encourage the readers to come up with a prepared statement to get HALT in place and post below in the comments section.