Find a quiet place, even if its inside your head. Breathe.(That’s a period – STOP) Breathe. Breathe. Isn’t that better? Now, take a deep breath and HOLD it.

Imagine you are in a quiet forest. You and I are camping in this green and lush forest for the weekend, so you have ALL the time you want. (Even if you really don’t!)

See the trees in your imagination. Look up into the canopy and hear the birds sweetly chirping.

Smell the air. Imagine the smell of pine all around you. There is so much of this smell, it almost feels as if you ARE a pine tree.

You look down and see wild raspberries growing near to where you are sitting. You reach out and touch one. You gently snap it from its bush and bring it up to your mouth.

All at once, a burst of succulent sweetness explodes in your mouth.

Suddenly, an abrupt movement startles you. You look down and you see a small brown rabbit hopping towards you. He stops and watches you. He cocks his head to the side. It is almost as if he in asking himself, “Should I trust this human?”

He hops closer. You reach your hand out to him. And he moves closer. You touch his head and he submits to your touch. You pet this quiet creature for as long as you can.

BREATHE!

I know it’s short, but it’s effective. It’s a five minute vacation. We all need one, from time to time.