Bring It Down Page

[MUSIC PLAYING] This exercise will teach you how to gain control of your stressful energy when it gets too high to handle. Close your eyes, listen, and follow along, or keep your eyes open and follow along that way. It's up to you. Sit tall. You can be on the ground with your legs crossed or in your chair with your feet flat on the floor. Now, imagine that you can look up and see the sky. And up in the sky, way up in the sky, is a balloon. If you'd like, you can choose a color for your balloon. Keep the picture of the balloon in your mind. The balloon's string reaches all the way down to your hands. Hold on to the string. Imagine that you can feel the pull of that big balloon. Imagine that the wind pushes it from side to side. Or imagine that the wind actually tries to pull the balloon higher into the sky. Maybe you can feel the gentle tugging of the string in your hands. Now, try to bring your balloon down. Be careful to go slowly. You don't want the fragile string to break from pulling too hard or too quickly. Take your time. Imagine that you can gently pull the string hand over hand. The string collects in a pile at your feet. Hand over hand, pull after gentle pull, the balloon appears to come closer. It might even become easier to bring it down in your mind as it gets closer to you. Keep bringing it down. Closer and closer. Some other strings might be longer or shorter than yours. And that's OK. Just bring it down at your speed. Focus on your balloon. Keep bringing it down. Your colorful balloon may now be within your reach. Pretend that you do not need to use the string anymore. You can actually hold the balloon between your hands. Notice if you can feel the balloon in your hands. Be gentle. Imagine that with your next outbreath, you can open your hands and release your balloon. Let it go. Notice in your mind where it goes, it could be different for everyone. Just remain still for a few more moments and watch your balloon drift away. [MUSIC PLAYING]