A mental exercise I do when I’m feeling overwhelmed is to think of a time where I felt safe, a time that is so comforting without evoking extreme sadness but rather a feeling of security and equilibrium.
If I close my eyes, it looks a little like this:
I’m in the passenger seat and we’re driving home to Tennessee. It’s dark and the car is warm. Russ is in the backseat sound asleep. I look out at the road and there’s only darkness and the faint sight of the road from the headlights. In the background, I hear Mannheim Steamroller’s “Toccata” playing. It’s silent aside from the music and I find comfort knowing we’re on our way home. Soon, we’ll see the people who love us and tomorrow, we’ll wake up and have a cup of coffee with them.