Unfortunately, very few of us have the luxury of being able to actively retreat from life’s little irritations. We’ve got to stick it out and deal with the stress or fear as best we can. One way of helping yourself do this is by harnessing the power of your imagination and creating a safe place internally in which you can de-stress and prepare to face the world again. This is a technique which doesn’t work for everyone but might just work for you, what’s the harm in giving it and go and finding out?
First, you’ll need to decide where you safe place will be. It can be just about anywhere you can imagine, from the make believe to the old memories. If you had a favourite place as a kid then why not use there? Or if you used to take great holidays somewhere or even loved your living room at Christmas time with your whole family around you, it doesn’t matter. All the matters is that you feel safe and secure and that nothing can upset you there.
Second, you need to go there. This can be tricky. You need to imagine those feelings of calm and relaxation washing over you. Picture your safe place and these feelings should become more rooted. Try breathing deeply or silently counting down from ten to relax yourself while you’re transitioning to your safe place. A good technique involves picturing your safe place at the end of a beautiful country lane, you’re walking down the lane and by the time you get there you should be wonderfully relaxed.
Third, visit often. Once you’ve mastered transitioning to your safe place you should keep this skill well-honed by visiting often. It’s a safe place in which you can do what you like and nothing can contradict you, the more you go the more potent the effect of this place on your wellbeing will be!