Phase one: Brainstorm
Brainstorm “feelings of comfort.” This can be defined as anything that feels comforting, or that makes you feel relaxed, content, or safe.
This can be done in a web, or in a list. You may choose to sketch situations that convey your feelings of comfort. It’s not hugely important what form the brainstorm takes. The important thing is to generate lots of ideas.
A simple example: “a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day.”
Additional Examples to encourage creative thinking about these types of experiences:
- The feeling of slipping your feet back into your own shoes after wearing rented skates (or bowling shoes) for an hour…
- Holding my cat against my chest, with her head tucked in under my chin, as she purrs …
- The way my mom used to flip my pillow to the “cold side” when I was sick in bed, craving relief from a fever…
- Another example I like to use is a memory I have of my dog.As a child I recall that my dog used to lie in the hallway near the front door all the time and I used to wonder why he chose such a random spot. One day, I lay down on the floor next to him, almost nose to nose and just stared into his eyes. What I suddenly became aware of was why he chose that spot. It was the spot where the midday sun streamed through the window and he lay basking it the warmth of it.
Brainstorm as many examples as possible.
A good suggestion for generating more examples is to share examples with a friend or family member. Often, when you share your examples with someone else, it prompts them to think of more examples, and when you listen to them share their feelings of comfort, you often make connection and are reminded of other examples.
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