If you're feeling anxious,
Find a quiet place just for you.
A place where you can rest with your thoughts.
Sit or lie down somewhere safe and comfortable.
Take a deep breath in.
Feel the air as you let it go.
Picture a stream of running water in the woods.
Picture the trees.
Picture the sun shining.
You can hear the water running gently over rocks and pebbles.
Leaves fall gently from the trees one by one.
Each leaf is just like one of the thoughts you have.
Each leaf is OK.
Each one is unique and important,
Just like your thoughts.
Your thoughts are OK.
Each thought is unique and important.
Imagine one of your thoughts,
Maybe one of the anxious ones,
Resting on top of one of those leaves as it's floating down to the stream.
It lands on top of the water and simply floats away.
It's OK to let it go and to stop thinking about that anxious thought for a little while.
All you have to do is rest in your special place and think about the water,
The trees,
And the sunshine.
Your thoughts are still around,
But they can float away for a little while.
Imagine another thought on another leaf as it flows through the air.
The wind touches it and lifts it high,
Higher than the tallest tree before it,
Too,
Makes its way down to the stream and floats away.
You can say goodbye to that thought for a little while.
It's OK.
We can rest when thoughts make us anxious and picture our special place where they get taken away just for a little while.
It will help us feel better.
It will help us feel calmer so we can look at those leaves or think those thoughts later.
Whenever we feel upset over feelings or thoughts,
We can return to the forest in our minds and allow ourselves to take a break.
It will help us realize that thoughts are thoughts,
Feelings are feelings.
Thoughts and feelings can come and go out of our minds and hearts.
We can notice them the way we notice those leaves floating on top of the water.
Those leaves are just there floating around.
Our thoughts and feelings can be just there,
Too,
Alongside of us.
We can know they are OK.
They will come and go.
They are part of life,
Just like the leaves on the trees.
