Breathing Room

Mind & heart

Leaves on a stream

Set each thought on a leaf and watch it float away.

Sit beside the stream. Let each thought ride away on a leaf.

Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.

Timer: 5 minutes

How to do it

  1. Picture yourself sitting beside a gently flowing stream.
  2. When a thought, feeling or image shows up, type a word or two and place it on a leaf, or just send a blank leaf.
  3. Watch the leaf drift downstream. There is no need to push it or make it go faster.
  4. If the same thought comes back, that is fine. Put it on another leaf.
  5. If you get caught up in a thought, notice that, and gently return to the stream.

Why it can help

This exercise comes from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The aim is not to get rid of thoughts, but to practice watching them come and go instead of being swept along by them. Over time it gets easier to notice “I’m having the thought that…” and give it a little less power.

  • Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere. It disappears when the leaf does.
  • Feelings, images and urges can go on leaves too, not just words.