We hope that your summer is off to a great start! Whether you’re having a great time so far or feel the stress of transitioning from a busy spring, we have a simple and fun exercise to brighten your day.
The following exercise incorporates a few different relational skills to help you increase and share your joy. The steps follow the “Feel, Share, Quiet” flow which is covered in detail in the Tools for Navigating Emotions course to help you process unpleasant emotions. However, today we’ll be using these steps to help build a rhythm of joy and peace.
Exercise time: 7-10 minutes
Step 1: Feel Joy
- Get in a comfortable position and take a few deep breaths.
- Invite Jesus to bring a joyful memory to mind. This could be a time you experienced a glad-to-be-together connection with Him, a friend or family member, a pet, or even someone like the checker at the grocery store.
- Close your eyes and spend a few minutes remembering as many details as you can of your memory. Tune into your different senses – what do you hear, see, smell, and feel as you try to re-experience this joyful moment?
Step 2: Share Joy
- Ask Jesus to help you tune into His presence with you. You might sense Him in the memory or sitting with you right now.
- As you focus on Jesus’ presence, share your joyful memory with Him. Tell Him about the details of the moment and what it feels like to remember and relive this joyful time.
- Notice any responses you sense from Jesus as He shares in your joy. These could be words that come to mind, an image, or just a sense of His delight to be with you.
Step 3: Quiet Joy
- Now that you’ve spent time experiencing high energy joy, take a couple of minutes to rest quietly in His presence and enjoy some lower energy peace. Try to stay tuned into Jesus with you.
How did it go? Whether this went great or you faced challenges, we would love to hear your experience. Email us at info@thrivetoday.org.
Want more practice?
➤ Check out our library of online practice courses.
➤ If you are new to relational skills, begin with our Foundational 5 Intro Course.