Every morning on a dog walk, I run a five-minute mental reset that’s transformed how I approach the day. I call it the GAIN Method—my walking-meditation framework that’s simple, sustainable, and actually sticks.

What GAIN stands for:

• G — Gratitude: What am I grateful for? Get specific—beautiful fall weather, your spouse, your health, your job. This sets a positive emotional tone instead of doom-scroll brain.
• A — Acceptance: What am I working on accepting? Release resistance to things you can’t control and put energy where you can—your choices, your routines, your responses.
• I — Intentionality: What am I being intentional about today? Name the one to three priorities (work, family time, a ...