1. Bring to mind a person, place, or activity that brings you calm or peace.  

Resources can include positive memories with loved ones, a favorite place in nature, a beautiful building, or activities like singing, dancing, art, cooking, yoga, walking, laughing, meditating, or journaling.

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2. Enrich this memory by fleshing out the details. Where are you located? What is the temperature? Who are you with? What are you doing? What do you smell or hear? 

Enhancing the details engages our senses, making this an embodied experience.

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3. Keep your attention focused on the sensory details and feel them in your body (to the best of your ability), savoring and stretching out the 'felt sense' of this positive experience. What sensory detail is the strongest for you in this memory? Where in your body do you feel it? (chest, face, belly, etc.)

It takes time for the body to catch up with the mind! Lingering on sensory details begins to rewire your nervous system to access more positive experiences.

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4. Ask yourself, "What begins to happen in my body when I stay with this positive sensation?"

Stay with this experience until you feel a shift in your body - a change in breath, softening muscles, a feeling of calm, or an expansion in your chest. Write this down. You are embodying your resource, impacting your nervous system, and counteracting stress. Even a tiny shift is excellent; the more you practice, the more benefit you will receive.

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