Bracketing is a simple, three-step process. 

The first step is to acknowledge what’s distracting you. 

The second is to deliberately set it aside for the moment. 

And the third is to return to it later in order to address it.

If we want to succeed in being fully present with the people we serve, we need to find a way to acknowledge what’s happening INSIDE of US, and put it aside in order to be effective in the moment with who is in front of us (or on the phone with us).

And that’s the key to this bracketing technique – if you make a deal with yourself in the moment that you are acknowledging something in your own story that may be coming up or a feeling response to what a person is sharing – if you make a deal to put a pair of brackets around it and set it aside, you MUST return to tend to it as soon as you are able.

How you unbracket will be up to you.

Some may do something physical like go for a walk or run – some may do some self-reflective writing – some may choose to vent to someone who can hold space for them.