Slow down. Add calm. Be love.

This simple practice can help you regain a sense of peacefulness in the midst of a busy or stressful situation.

First: Slow down. Maybe take a few deep breaths or get up and stretch in a way that feels good to you.

Second: Add calm. One way to add calm is to simply lift your eyes: to the greater room, to the horizon. Another way is to place your hand over your heart and gently but firmly apply pressure, engaging the calming part of your nervous system. Or, you could rub some aromatherapy lotion into your hands; I like lavender for this. You might gaze at a picture that makes you feel a sense of awe, wonder, beauty, or joy, like the picture at the start of this email.

Third: Allow yourself to think back to or imagine an experience of feeling liked, seen, appreciated, included, or loved. Really let yourself soak in the feeling. Use your senses. How do things look, sound, feel, smell, and taste as you imagine this? Let this loving feeling fill your entire being. Now, resonating with this vibration, imagine sending that loving energy out into the world to someone who needs it. Imagine this energy surrounding them and infusing them with the beauty and peace of lovingkindness.

Prayer: May you have all you need. May I have all I need. May we have all we need. Peace to you. Peace to me. Peace to all.

As someone with a long history of anxiety, Roxanne has a lot of practice calming herself down. This expertise comes in handy in her work in the field of Behavioral Health and Trauma Informed Care, as well as at home with her three very anxious yet beloved cats.