Reset Your Brain’s Normal to Joy, Appreciation, and Quiet

1/ Fill your Appreciation Memories List with between 5 and 10 Appreciation Memories

• Avoid the splinters of pain that come from memories of people who are no longer with you, whether through death, divorce, moving, job changes, etc. We want 10 “clean” Appreciation Memories.
• We recommend that at least 2 of these be memories that involve nature or pets. These memories tend to be helpful in restoring our relational circuits and appreciation at those times when people
  seem like a problem to solve.

2/ Once you have 5 to 10 Appreciation Memories on your list, this is your 9-minute exercise:

1/ Take 2 minutes to do the Shalom My Body exercises to restore your relational circuits. (Click here for video demonstration)

2/ Take 5 minutes to focus on your Appreciation Memories, one at a time. Set a timer so you can concentrate on your memories.

i. Choose one memory to begin, and fully enter into that memory, remembering how you felt in your body and emotions, and what you saw, heard, smelled, tasted, and touched at the time.
ii. Remain in this memory until the sense of “being there” begins to fade. Memories are like chewing gum – they can lose their flavor after chewing!
iii. When the flavor of the memory fades, move to another memory on your list. Again, fully enter in. Continue to do this until the 5 minutes are over.

3/ After your 5-minute Memory Visit, take 2 minutes for Simple Quiet with Deep Breathing. Breathe in through your nose and out through pursed lips. Allow your diaphragm to expand.

4/ Repeat this 9-minute exercise 3 times a day, and within 30 days, your brain will be rewired to notice things to appreciate in your environment, and you’ll begin to find it easier to quiet yourself in moments of anxiety, upset, or other stress.

If you’d like to read more about the 19 relational brain skills, we’d recommend Transforming Fellowship by Chris Coursey. Another option is to gather a small group to go through the Bible study written by Chris Coursey and Amy Brown, Relational Skills in the Bible. Both books are available at https://thrivetoday.org/.