Shift and Stay: Social Story

Cartoon of a man who is stressed, his hands are covering his ears.

Sometimes I feel mad, upset, or other feelings that I do not like.

Cartoon of a man sitting cross legged with his head in his hands, he is stressed out.

When I feel this way, I can use a skill called shift and stay.

Cartoon of a man who is stressed but is trying to think about something else.

Shift and stay has two parts. The first part is to SHIFT my thoughts.

Cartoon of a man thinking about things that make him feel happy, he sees a puppy playing in the sun.

I can shift my thoughts to something neutral or pleasant.

Graphic of the word

The second part of Shift and stay is to STAY with the new thought.

Cartoon of someone thinking about a puppy playing.

I can stay with a new thought by paying attention to details of the new thought.

Cartoon of thinking about a puppy playing and how it can get rid of negative thoughts.

When I pay attention to details of my new thought, it helps keep unpleasant thoughts out of my mind.

Cartoon of a graph representing how you can modulate your emotions to stay in your

When I use shift and stay, it can help me to stay in my Resilient or "OK" zone.

Graphic of working toward your goal of being more resilient.

When I am in my Resilient or "OK" zone I can work on my goals.

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9

Rate this resource

Thank you for rating this resource!

Download entire resource (pdf)

This information was developed by the Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training Collaborative (ASERT). For more information, please contact ASERT at 877-231-4244 or info@PAautism.org. ASERT is funded by the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations, PA Department of Human Services.