Thee Puzzle piece MY COMPASS
Practice book
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Practice book
INTRODUCTION TO THEE PUZZLE PRACTICE BOOK
You’re reading these lines because you’ve decided to bring a Puzzle tip into your life—congratulations on taking this meaningful step!
The Practice Book serves as your guided companion to implement Thee Puzzle tips, supporting you step by step on your transformation journey toward living well. For each Puzzle tip, you’ll find practical guidance on how to apply it and tools to track your progress. Be ready to take notes as you move through the steps!
When introducing a new Puzzle tip, we recommend focusing on just one tip at a time for a minimum of seven consecutive days. Science suggests that building a habit takes about three weeks:
The first week helps you get familiar with the change.
The second week can be challenging as doubts and resistance often arise. This is when persistence is key—stick with it!
By the third week, the habit will feel natural, and you may even find yourself craving the practice. From this point on, the tip becomes part of you.
Once you’ve completed the program with one tip, move on to the next. There’s no pre-set order—focus on what feels right for you, when you need it most.
Enjoy the process of anchoring new habits into your life!
Live well.
SETTING THE SCENE TO LIVE WELL
How do you feel starting this practice book? On a scale 0 to 10.
How do you want to feel after applying Thee Puzzle in your life? On a scale 0 to 10.
Do I commit to myself to keep going until I reach my goal?
And when do I want to start?
You have chosen to focus on the tips of Thee Puzzle piece:
MY COMPASS
Capture why I have chosen to transform the role "my Compass" plays
On a scale from 1 to 10, capture my perception how dysfunctional the Puzzle piece "my Compass" is today
On a scale from 1 to 10, write down what success will look like after I have successfully practiced the tip for 7 days in-a-row
Science shows that it takes in total 3 weeks to settle a habit. The first 7 days to get used to it and ensure it suits you. The 2nd week will be challenging as this is when we fight and question a change. By the end of the 3rd week, you will crave to practice and the tip will be with you forever!
Today
Goal
Result
SETTING UP EXPECTATIONS
CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF MY COMPASS (so it suits me better)
What this tip is about:
How to practice this tip?
This step-by-step program will help me consciously shift the dominant emotion in my life by amplifying positive feelings and replacing old patterns.
Through consistent practice over 7 days, I’ll learn to guide my Compass in a direction that uplifts and empowers me.
Day 1: Understand my Compass and choose my new direction
My Compass is all about feelings. While thoughts and feelings often go hand in hand, my Compass is guided purely by emotions, not logic.
To change its direction, I need to focus on amplifying or replacing emotions consciously.
Action:
Reflect on the emotion that currently dominates my life. Is it anger, sadness, frustration, or something else?
Decide on the emotion I want to amplify and install in my life. For example: joy, gratitude, excitement, love, serenity, pride, or curiosity.
Write down the feeling I want to boost
And reflect: in percentage, how present is this feeling in my life these days?
Day 2–3: Amplify my chosen feeling
To amplify a feeling, I can reconnect with past experiences where I felt this emotion deeply.
Action:
Recall a specific moment when I felt this emotion strongly.
I’ll focus on the feeling itself, not just the memory, and allow myself to experience it again as if it’s happening now.
Close my eyes and spend 3-5 minutes recalling a vivid moment when I felt my chosen emotion. What happened? How did it feel in my body? Let it fill the present moment.
Write down how this practice felt and if it boosted my chosen emotion in the moment.
Day 4–6: Practice noticing the emotion throughout my day
Now that I’ve started amplifying the chosen feeling, it’s time to practice finding it in my daily life.
Action:
Pay close attention to moments throughout the day that align with my chosen feeling. For example:If I chose joy, I’ll notice a good laugh, a kind gesture, or something beautiful. Or if I chose gratitude, I’ll focus on small things I appreciate, like a meal, a smile, or the weather.
When I notice such moments, pause and savor them. Let the positive feeling settle in.
Journal these moments at the end of the day, and be grateful for them
Tip: If I don’t encounter such moments naturally, I’ll create them. For example, I can watch something that makes me laugh, reach out to a loved one, or take a walk in nature.
In addition (optional): do I have any beliefs stopping me from fully embracing my chosen emotion? For example: “I don’t deserve to feel happy” or “Joy won’t last, so why bother.”
If so, write down one limiting belief at a time, and rephrase it with the opposite idea.
For example, if my limiting belief is that “I can’t feel calm when everything around me is chaotic.”; then the opposing belief could be that “I can find calm within myself, even in chaos.” Seek for evidence throughout the day that this idea is also true, in the sense that it exists and I can see it.
If I need helps in shifting these beliefs, I can explore the Puzzle pieces “My Filter” and “Connecting to Myself.”
Day 7: Assess my progress and continue the practice
Reflect on how far I’ve come in shifting my Compass and reinforcing my chosen emotion.
- In percentage, how present is mychosen feeling now, compared to Day 1?
- Do I find this feeling more accessible throughout my day?
To solidify this new direction, consciously keep practicing for another two more weeks, as science shows this is the time it takes to fully anchor a habit.
Progress takes time, but with consistent effort, I will notice a profound shift in how I experience my days.
Table of content
Changing the direction of my Compass at (so it suits me better)
Trusting my feelings
Living my dream life
Storing a positive emotion
Reflecting back on this experience:
What worked well?
What will you change with the next Puzzle piece?
Be kind to yourself!
Habits come and go: what matters is to be directionally correct.
It is OK to come back to a Puzzle piece you have already tackled, or to take more time to anchor a habit.
Do as it suits you best.
STORING A POSITIVE EMOTION
What this tip is about:
How to practice this tip?
Often, my ego leads me to dark places, and these negative thoughts create uncomfortable emotions. On top of that, life inevitably brings its own share of challenges.
One thing is certain: I am the only one capable of triggering the emotions I feel. This power solely lies within me. Yet, that doesn’t mean emotions are within my control! If they were, I only ever feel happiness and peace—but that’s not how life works.
We also need contrast to understand what truly suits us. How could we define happiness if we had never experienced sadness? How could we recognize generosity if selfishness did not exist?
Imagine watching a movie where everyone is reasonable and mature, where everything unfolds perfectly. No drama. No gossip. No threat. How successful would such a movie be? Probably not very, because we would likely find it boring!
Still, it is incredibly useful to have the ability to bring up a positive emotion when needed—and that’s what this tip is about.
The goal is to equip myself with the ability to evoke an emotion I enjoy - whenever I want, and filling myself with it. This is helpful when I simply want to feel more of that emotion, or in times of stress when I need comfort.
To begin, I need to choose the emotion I want to have readily available. Pick just one.
For example, do I want to feel calm, energized, happy, or grateful?
Once I have decided, I should select a song I like and that aligns with the emotion I’ve chosen. Ideally, it should be a song I know well and whose melody I can recall easily.
Next, I should pick a physical gesture that represents this emotion. It could be clapping my hands, hugging myself, raising my arms, tapping my feet—anything simple and easy to perform. A physical gesture that my emotion inspires.
Then, I should isolate myself and listen to the chosen song. While the music plays, I should close my eyes and repeat my gesture over and over, focusing on feeling the chosen emotion. I should let the emotion grow stronger and stronger as the song progresses, immersing myself in it completely.
When the song ends, I can choose to repeat the process two or three times for added enjoyment, though once is enough for the purpose of this technique.
By doing this, I have effectively embedded the memory of this feeling into my body and mind using multiple senses—listening, feeling, and touching.
From now on, whenever I want to bring up the stored emotion, I only need to remember or play the song and perform the gesture. The feeling will arise automatically. The more I practice this, the faster and more intensely the emotion will surface—for my benefit.
We all experience moments of stress, sadness, or uncertainty. But what if you had the ability to summon a positive emotion—like happiness, calmness, or gratitude—whenever you needed it?
This simple technique teaches me how to anchor a chosen emotion in my mind and body, creating an emotional “shortcut” I can access at any time.
Step 1: Choose my Emotion
Decide which emotion I would like to focus on:
Consider what would benefit me most in my current life situation. For example, if I am feeling overwhelmed, calmness might be helpful. Or if I am feeling unmotivated, energy or joy could be a good choice.
Focus on just one emotion for this exercise. Trying to anchor multiple emotions at once will dilute the effect.
Take a moment to remember a moment when I felt this emotion.
Step 2: Select a Song
Find a song that connects me to the chosen emotion.
It should resonate with the feeling I want to cultivate.For calmness, try a soothing instrumental or a gentle melody.For joy, choose something upbeat and lively. For gratitude, a song with heartfelt lyrics might be perfect
Pick a song I already enjoy and are familiar with. It needs to be a music I can easily recall even when I am not listening to it.
Make sure I have this song in my play list, or can easily access it on YouTube.
Step 3: Pick a Physical Gesture
Decide on a simple, consistent gesture that connects with my emotion.
This gesture should be a movement. For instance, placing a hand of my chest is not a movement I can repeat over and over, so it is not suitable for this technique.
My gesture should feel natural and easy to repeat. As an example:
- Clapping my hands
- Hugging myself
- Raising my arms in a victory pose.
- Tapping my feet or snapping my fingers.
Step 4: Anchor the emotion
Find a quiet, comfortable space where I won’t be interrupted.
Play the Song: Start the chosen song and immerse myself in it.
Close my Eyes: Block out distractions to focus on the music and my feeling.
Perform the Gesture: Begin doing my chosen gesture repeatedly, in rhythm with the song.
Feel the Emotion: At the same time I do my gesture, actively bring up the chosen emotion in my mind. Let the emotion grow stronger as the song goes by and with each repetition of my gesture.
Allow the music, the gesture, and the feeling to blend together until they feel like one unified experience.
Once the song ends, I can decide to renew the experience to feel good. Note that one round is enough for this tip to work.
Step 5: Recall the Emotion
Now that I have my emotion readily available, practice recalling it as follows:
Play the song again or simply think about it.
Perform the chosen gesture.
Bring the emotion up
Over time, the connection between the song, the gesture, and the emotion will strengthen. Each time I practice, the emotion will come faster and with greater intensity, giving me a reliable tool for emotional support.
By dedicating a little time to this exercise, I will gain a powerful resource for navigating my emotions. As I see fit, use it to bring calm in chaos, energy in fatigue, or joy in difficult moments.
What this tip is about:
LIVING MY DREAM LIFE
How to practice this tip?
Living my dream life starts with imagining the dream!
A dream life has many components, such as but not limited to
- family
- friends
- how fit and happy I will be when I am old
- what dream job(s) would I like to do
- my hobbies
- my wealth, in all its aspects e.g. housing, savings, etc.
The idea is to describe what my dream life would look like, seen from my death bed. I would turn back and say I made it if....?!
Now, let's be clear about one thing: someone can sit on the sofa and dream to be an astronaut - it won't happen if that person is too old, or not fit, or not super good at school.
What I want in my dream life are my aspirations, and yet realistic matters. Some might be a stretch as I will need to acquire some skills to make it - yet nothing is out of reach. For instance, I could be single now and dream to meet someone I'll share a great life with. Or I would like to become great at sales - and so I will need to train myself and practice, yet this is all feasible.
Another myth about my dream life is that if I imagine it, it will become real. And if it was that simple, we would all be doing it!!
However, one thing works for sure: it does set the direction. Because if I have a North Star, whether I make it or not becomes irrelevant. What happens is that I am attracted by it, and so I take actions to be closer and closer to it.
To do so, I need to create a visual of my dream life. It can be made out of drawings I do, out of pictures, out of internet images... It can also be pictures only, or pictures and text - but the text needs to remain limited, as I want to create a visual of my dream life.
And it shall cover all the aspects of my dream life - personal and professional.
Note that what is true at a given point in time may not be at a later stage. For instance, if I create a vision board when I am 30, it most likely includes some components I not longer will be interested in when I am 70. So it is expected that my vision board evolves over time.
Once I have this vision board of my dream life, to integrate in full my North Star, I need to live it. Over and over. And so here is the secret to activate if: I want to live it now. I want to feel every picture as if it has happened. I want to create the emotions that come with these visuals. I want to feel my dream life in the present tense. And as I feel it over and over, my dream life may not be here my emotions are real. And because of it, then consciously and unconsciously I am pulled towards my dream life.
This implies too the discipline to look at my visual each day, so I foster these emotions over and over.
And as a side bonus, it will make me very happy to feel these emotions every day - because I find all what I love in it. So again, regardless of whether I land, it is worth the moment I spend on it as it will lighten my day.
Please find enclosed below the various steps to set the North Star on my dream life.
Step 1: Define the components of my dream life
Begin by deciding what components I want to include in my dream life.
These should cover both personal and professional aspects, making my vision comprehensive and meaningful. Reflect for instance on the following questions:
What does my ideal love life look like?
What does my ideal family life look like?
What does my dream job look like? Is it one job or several? For instance, working in corporate while writing a book on the side.
How much money do I envision in my dream life? How does this translate—what do I gift myself with, what kind of financial security do I have?
What hobbies do I include? Traveling, sports, exhibits, shows, reading by the fire, etc.?
How do I picture myself in old age? What type of impression will I leave on others?
Are there any volunteering activities or causes I see myself contributing to?
Be as specific as possible.
For example, if I want a child, is it a boy or a girl? How would I name him or her?
There’s no judgment or right or wrong—this is about what I would love to live. Specificity strengthens the emotional connection to my vision.
Step 2: Create my dream life board
To give my dream life a tangible form, I need to create a visual representation—a vision board.
Use drawings, printed images, online pictures, or even text to represent each component of my dream life.
Include the aspects I already have in my life that I cherish, such as a loving partner, great friends, or hobbies.
Ensure the board feels plausible and aligns with what I genuinely aspire to. Stretch goals are OK, as long as I believe they can be achieved with effort. For instance if I am really not good at maths, it will be difficult to achieve be an engineer - yet not impossible as we can all learn. Just know that in this example, you will invest a lot of time and energy to make it happen.
Tip: I know my dream life board works if it brings me feelings of calmness or joy when I look at it. Joy feeling similar to when I was opening Christmas presents being a kid. And calmness being as close as possible to the image I have of a Boudha (or any figure I aspire to when it comes to being calm).
Step 3: Schedule time to immerse myself in my board
Decide when and how I will look at my dream life board every day.
Set a reccurent time each day to review my board. To ensure I don’t forget, add it as a recurring calendar invite or include it in my daily checklist.
When that time of the day comes, physically look at it, or view it on an electronic device, or simply bring it to mind. The medium doesn’t matter—what matters is consistency.
And etime I look at my vision board, I bring up the emotions associated with my dream life. Let myself feel grateful, happy, calm, hopeful, inspired, or powerful—whatever emotions align with the images on my board. Imagine living my dream life in the present moment. Visualize it as if it’s already real and feel those emotions deeply.
Step 4: Track the intensity of my emotions
To measure progress and strengthen my connection to my dream life, let's assess the intensity of the emotions I feel as I review my vision board.
Over the course of 7 days in a row,
On a scale from 0 to 10, rate how intense my emotions are the first time I review my board.
Do my emotions feel more intense or accessible as I engage with my dream life board daily?
Am I noticing yet shifts in my focus or motivation throughout the day?
Science shows it takes 21 days to anchor a habit, so I’ll commit to continuing this practice for an additional 2 weeks.
In addition, we recommend that every 6 months to 1 year, I take the time to reconfirm, adjust or refine my vision as needed. It is natural and expected that my aspirations evolve over time.
By creating and consistently engaging with my dream life board, my objective is to set a clear North Star for myself.
Whether or not I achieve every detail is secondary; what matters is that I’m moving closer to what I aspire to. Each time I immerse myself in the emotions of my dream life, I not only create a positive experience in the moment, but also will be open to and notice opportunities that align with my vision.
More challenges?
Come back to Thee Puzzle as you see fit
Seeking for inspiration?
Go through Thoughts and People’s stories to find out how others have leverage Thee Puzzle to solve their challenge
WHAT NEXT?!
TRUSTING MY FEELINGS
What this tip is about:
How to practice this tip?
Feelings are intuitive.
I can’t think twice about a feeling—it just happens, like a first impression.
With practice, I can create an environment that encourages me to feel more of what suits me. This requires conscious effort and a focus on the main feeling I want to cultivate in my life - and that is what this tip is about.
The more balanced I become, the less situations destabilize me.
For instance, when I overcome a Cold Case (see tips in "My Filter"), situations that used to trigger me lose their power over me. Still, we’re human, and we experience emotions all the time.
Knowing when I can trust my feelings
The key is to recognize where a feeling arises from:
Is it coming from my head—meaning my Ego is in control?
Or is it arising from my body?
Here are a few ways to tell the difference:
When my head triggers it: The feeling tends to stick around, often fueled by overthinking.
When it comes from my body: It’s more of a floating impression, which fades unless I actively focus on it.
When I check in with my body: It provides a clear, grounded response. This sense comes from deep within, and it’s always authentic. For instance when I ask myself whether my body needs a rest. My head might want to keep going, but my body will tell me whether it is tired.
When a strong emotion doesn’t feel good: I need to ask myself if I’m polluting myself or if the feeling is real. Some cases are obvious: if a car doesn’t stop while I’m crossing the road, I feel scared, and I run!
Other situations, like in the office, are less clear. Is the situation or person genuinely triggering me, or is my Ego clouding my judgment? As an example, if there is a co-worker I do not like at work and I feel uncomfortable around. If nothing specific happened, and I have no fact or seen nothing which justifies my feeling, then it is most likely coming from my Ego.
When my Ego is driving my emotions, I can’t trust my feelings because my judgment is clouded. This is crucial to recognize, as what might feel like intuition could actually be my past experiences influencing how I perceive the present.
What is an intuition?
An intuition is my body’s way of warning me that something is off —especially in situations where I’m craving for things to work out.
For example if I really want to make a friend, but there’s a small voice inside me saying it won’t work, that’s my intuition speaking.
I might ignore it because I’m so focused on making the friendship happen. Later, if things go wrong, I’ll remember that initial discomfort. Alternatively, I might tolerate my discomfort and make compromises to keep the friend.
Another example could be a friend asking me out, and I really want to go but at the same time I feel exhausted and do need a rest.
Intuition is my body telling me "This does not seem to be what you think it is "!
Then it is always my choice whether I listen to it or not.
Acknowledging my intuitions
What matters most is that I acknowledge the feeling which my body is bringing up.
I bring it up from my gut into my brain and recognize that I’m feeling this way - so the feeling does not go away before I have processed it
Then I ask myself: does this feeling align with reality, or am I imagining it?
Am I trying to fit a circle into a square, forcing a situation or person to match my expectations?
Once I’ve acknowledged the feeling and validated that it comes from my body, I can consciously decide to listen to this intuition and act accordingly, or do I ignore it and move forward despite the discomfort.
There is no “right” or “wrong” answer—only the one I choose. The future isn’t written until it becomes the present: I always have the power to influence my part of the story.
This step-by-step program combines both texts to help me develop trust in my feelings and intuition while identifying when emotions may be influenced by my Ego or past experiences.
Through conscious practice, I’ll learn to acknowledge and act on genuine intuitive signals from my body.
Day 1: Notice my first impressions
On this first day, I start paying attention to the first impressions I get in new situations or when meeting someone new.
Action:
In every new situation or meeting today, write down my first impression.
Avoid analyzing or rationalizing—just note the feeling as it comes.
And at the end of the day, review my notes and consider:
How easy was it to capture my first impressions?
Did I notice a pattern in how my Compass guided me?
Day 2: Validate my first impressions
Once I’ve gathered more information about situations or people, let's come back on my initial impressions.
I want to compare them to the outcomes to see how accurate my intuition was. Now that I am after the facts, do I think that my feelings were aligned with what was happening?
Also reflect about how often did I second-guess myself, thinking I was wrong?
Write down any insights, such as when I tended to doubt myself or ignore my intuition - and why.
Day 3–6: Tune into my body’s signals
Over the next 2 days, I’ll practice paying closer attention to my body and emotions, especially when I feel uncomfortable.
My body often signals discomfort through sensations like muscle tension, fatigue, or unease. I’ll make it a point to listen to these signals and ask myself what they mean.
Action:
Throughout the day, note down instances when I feel uncomfortable, why there is no good reason for it - we repeat as this is key: only focus on cases while there is no good reason for me to feel not at ease.
What is my body telling me?
Does the feeling align with the situation I’m in, or might it be my Ego creating unnecessary tension? Intuition often feels like a quiet, guiding voice. Ego-driven emotions, by contrast, tend to linger, amplify, and cloud my judgment.
Take a moment to understand my body’s needs. For instance, if I feel tension, do I need a break? Or if I feel unease, what could make me comfortable?
At the end of Day 4, write down whether listening to my body helped me adjust or improve my experience during the day. Also capture how many times my Ego was in charge, and whether it did fool me in the moment.
Note that if my Ego fools me too often, then I might have a Cold Case to solve (cf. My Filter's tips).
Day 7: Look back and assess how reliable my Compass is
Today, I’ll evaluate how well my Compass is guiding me.
If my intuition feels clear and reliable, I’ll continue to trust it as a tool for decision-making.
If it feels off or inconsistent, I’ll explore whether unresolved emotions are clouding my Compass.
Action:
Reflect on the past 6 days:How often did my intuition feel accurate and aligned with reality?
Were there moments where my feelings seemed unreliable or polluted ?Answer the following questions:How often did I trust and listen to my intuition this week?
Did paying attention to my body’s signals help me make better decisions?
Is my Compass now guiding me in a direction that feels right?Do I notice a positive trend of my Compass becoming more reliable over time, since I starting introducing this tip?
If I notice unreliable patterns, review the tips from "My Filter" and "Connecting to Myself" to address any Cold Cases that might be influencing my emotions.
Keep on practising for another two weeks in a row, as science shows that it takes 3 weeks to fully anchor a habit.
This is about building trust in my intuition and refining my ability to discern between feelings driven by my body and those influenced by my Ego. With continued effort, I’ll create a stronger connection with my emotions and use them as a reliable guide for navigating life.
CONGRATULATIONS!
MYSELF
EGO
PRESENT
CONNECT
FILTER
COMPASS
PROTECTION
POLLUTION
RULES
MASTER
YOU ARE MASTERING THE TIPS RELATING TO THEE PUZZLE PIECE "MY COMPASS"!
WELL DONE!!
STORING A POSITIVE EMOTION
What this tip is about:
How to practice this tip?
Often, my ego leads me to dark places, and these negative thoughts create uncomfortable emotions. On top of that, life inevitably brings its own share of challenges.
One thing is certain: I am the only one capable of triggering the emotions I feel. This power solely lies within me. Yet, that doesn’t mean emotions are within my control! If they were, I only ever feel happiness and peace—but that’s not how life works.
We also need contrast to understand what truly suits us. How could we define happiness if we had never experienced sadness? How could we recognize generosity if selfishness did not exist?
Imagine watching a movie where everyone is reasonable and mature, where everything unfolds perfectly. No drama. No gossip. No threat. How successful would such a movie be? Probably not very, because we would likely find it boring!
Still, it is incredibly useful to have the ability to bring up a positive emotion when needed—and that’s what this tip is about.
The goal is to equip myself with the ability to evoke an emotion I enjoy - whenever I want, and filling myself with it. This is helpful when I simply want to feel more of that emotion, or in times of stress when I need comfort.
To begin, I need to choose the emotion I want to have readily available. Pick just one.
For example, do I want to feel calm, energized, happy, or grateful?
Once I have decided, I should select a song I like and that aligns with the emotion I’ve chosen. Ideally, it should be a song I know well and whose melody I can recall easily.
Next, I should pick a physical gesture that represents this emotion. It could be clapping my hands, hugging myself, raising my arms, tapping my feet—anything simple and easy to perform. A physical gesture that my emotion inspires.
Then, I should isolate myself and listen to the chosen song. While the music plays, I should close my eyes and repeat my gesture over and over, focusing on feeling the chosen emotion. I should let the emotion grow stronger and stronger as the song progresses, immersing myself in it completely.
When the song ends, I can choose to repeat the process two or three times for added enjoyment, though once is enough for the purpose of this technique.
By doing this, I have effectively embedded the memory of this feeling into my body and mind using multiple senses—listening, feeling, and touching.
From now on, whenever I want to bring up the stored emotion, I only need to remember or play the song and perform the gesture. The feeling will arise automatically. The more I practice this, the faster and more intensely the emotion will surface—for my benefit.
We all experience moments of stress, sadness, or uncertainty. But what if you had the ability to summon a positive emotion—like happiness, calmness, or gratitude—whenever you needed it?
This simple technique teaches me how to anchor a chosen emotion in my mind and body, creating an emotional “shortcut” I can access at any time.
Step 1: Choose my Emotion
Decide which emotion I would like to focus on:
Consider what would benefit me most in my current life situation. For example, if I am feeling overwhelmed, calmness might be helpful. Or if I am feeling unmotivated, energy or joy could be a good choice.
Focus on just one emotion for this exercise. Trying to anchor multiple emotions at once will dilute the effect.
Take a moment to remember a moment when I felt this emotion.
Step 2: Select a Song
Find a song that connects me to the chosen emotion.
It should resonate with the feeling I want to cultivate.For calmness, try a soothing instrumental or a gentle melody.For joy, choose something upbeat and lively. For gratitude, a song with heartfelt lyrics might be perfect
Pick a song I already enjoy and are familiar with. It needs to be a music I can easily recall even when I am not listening to it.
Make sure I have this song in my play list, or can easily access it on YouTube.
Step 3: Pick a Physical Gesture
Decide on a simple, consistent gesture that connects with my emotion.
This gesture should be a movement. For instance, placing a hand of my chest is not a movement I can repeat over and over, so it is not suitable for this technique.
My gesture should feel natural and easy to repeat. As an example:
- Clapping my hands
- Hugging myself
- Raising my arms in a victory pose.
- Tapping my feet or snapping my fingers.
Step 4: Anchor the emotion
Find a quiet, comfortable space where I won’t be interrupted.
Play the Song: Start the chosen song and immerse myself in it.
Close my Eyes: Block out distractions to focus on the music and my feeling.
Perform the Gesture: Begin doing my chosen gesture repeatedly, in rhythm with the song.
Feel the Emotion: At the same time I do my gesture, actively bring up the chosen emotion in my mind. Let the emotion grow stronger as the song goes by and with each repetition of my gesture.
Allow the music, the gesture, and the feeling to blend together until they feel like one unified experience.
Once the song ends, I can decide to renew the experience to feel good. Note that one round is enough for this tip to work.
Step 5: Recall the Emotion
Now that I have my emotion readily available, practice recalling it as follows:
Play the song again or simply think about it.
Perform the chosen gesture.
Bring the emotion up
Over time, the connection between the song, the gesture, and the emotion will strengthen. Each time I practice, the emotion will come faster and with greater intensity, giving me a reliable tool for emotional support.
By dedicating a little time to this exercise, I will gain a powerful resource for navigating my emotions. As I see fit, use it to bring calm in chaos, energy in fatigue, or joy in difficult moments.