Contents
Contents
Introduction
There is no doubt that stress in the modern world is a prevalent and insidious issue. As such, three out of four adults in the UK report having felt so stressed at some point in the last year that they felt overwhelmed and unable to cope (Mental Health UK, 2018).
Chronic stress has been linked to numerous health conditions, both physical and mental. Considering that research has repeatedly shown that mental health plays a crucial role in overall health, and that stress can negatively affect physical health, it’s important to tackle stress thoroughly and effectively.
Although stress is an umbrella term, and each individual’s stress is idiosyncratic and therefore has its own solutions, there are a variety of ways that are recommended to deal with stress. The most common of these are: exercise, meditation, spending time with friends and family, and pursuing hobbies.
I’ve previously mentioned the effectiveness of visualisation in my post about the Stoic concept of memento mori (here). The Stoics practiced a technique called negative visualisation in order to prepare themselves for a future event ahead of time.
In this post, I’ll outline the practice of positive visualisation, and how this centuries-old practice is a highly effective technique that does not only bust stress, but is also able to change your outlook on life – with enough practice!
The significance of visualisation
Visualisation is an ancient mindfulness technique and has been practised as a form of meditation by Buddhist practitioners. Despite it’s mystic origins, visualisation has seen a resurgence throughout the ages and has been used as a form of therapy within the realm of psychotherapy.
What makes visualisation so attractive is that it is a multi-faceted and easy-to-use mental tool that can be practised anywhere. It can be used effectively to deal with stress or adverse circumstances, and both psychologists and counsellors have used as a way to help patients deal with stress and overcome psychological challenges.
On the other hand, life coaches and the like have used visualisation as a means to boost one’s chances of success in life through the repetitive imagination of oneself in favourable circumstances. It’s claimed that such visualisation is able to ‘re-wire’ the brain by repeated (imagined) exposure.
Using visualisation to create a happy place
A great way to use the visualisation technique is to develop your very own happy place. What is a happy place you ask? Your happy place is a product of your visualisation practices. It represents a mental construct that you design and furnish in your own way, so as to give you a mental space where you can truly relax and be at peace in the moment, even if the world outside is helter-skelter.
Your happy place represents a mental scene, location, or image that has a significant meaning to you. From personal experience, these are often past locales that inspire feelings but can also be made up. For example, your happy place might be the holiday destination you used to go to on a yearly basis as a child, the very thought of which is bound to give you an influx of nostalgic feelings.
However you choose to decorate your happy place, the purpose remains the same – to give your mind a break from the pressures and constraints of your current environments, or to just simply let your mind wander in soothing thoughts as coloured in by your own imagination.
Moreover, in order for your happy place to be an effective stress-buster, you’d need to form a certain degree of emotional attachment to it. It is for this reason that it’s usually best to imagine a place that has special meaning to you.
Creating your happy place
So, with the above in mind, it’s time to get to work. Accessing, creating and furnishing your happy place is skill that takes time and practice – as with anything else. But, the more time and effort you put into it, the better it will serve you.
Though the following process wouldn’t necessarily apply to everyone, I find that it works for me (someone with a weak imagination, to say the least):
1. Become comfortable meditating
One of the main requirements necessary for accessing your happy place is the ability to sit still and focus on a single concept for some time. If this sounds a lot like meditation, it’s because it is. For this reason, I would recommend starting with a regular meditation routine first – try getting to a stage where you can meditate 10-15 minutes at will, with no issues.
Tips for meditating
Getting into the habit of meditating can be difficult at first, but the following tips are sure to help:
- Create a comfortable space: This not only means a space where you feel more at ease, but also one that is physically comfortable and soothing to you.
- Listen to ambient music: This is a great way to ease into the meditative mood, and will prevent you from becoming distracted from any environmental noises. Even better if you use the same ambient soundtrack each time, as it aids the formation of a habit (see more here).
- Meditate at the right time: For the best results, set apart a few minutes at a specific time each day to meditate. This is more conducive to solidifying a meditation routine, and will speed up the process of getting into the meditative mood faster. Personally, I like to meditate first thing in the morning as it’s much easier to have an empty mind straight out of bed.
2. Accessing your happy place
While meditating, focus your thought on the essence of your happy place, where do you find yourself? What do you perceive? What do you feel? Try to capture the essential qualities of your happy place as you are letting your mind wander through this space.
Everyone’s happy place with naturally differ. Your happy place could be a quiet and tranquil, or even a busy hustling-and-bustling cityscape. Either way, let yourself to imagine the foundation of your happy place; your happy place in its natural state. Regularly visualise this locale and take care to run through the same sequence every time you do so (in order to solidify your happy place in your mind). So, make yourself comfortable with the scene, the emotions, and the feelings that you perceive whilst you are there.
3. Furnishing your happy place
Once you’ve established the essence of your happy place, and are able to repeatedly imagine the same setting with skilful comfort, it’s time to start adding the finishing touches to your happy place. It is here that you can truly exercise your imagination and creative spirit.
You could embellish your happy place by adding all sorts of flourishes and touches. You can choose to jazz the place up in whichever way you want – It’s all in your hands (or rather, in your mind)!
Conclusion
Visualisation is a tried-and-tested method that dates back centuries, if not millennia, and the ancient Buddhists as well as the Stoics were known practitioners of this technique. The benefits of visualisation range from stress-relief to the ability to change existing thought patterns.
Even within the realm of modern psychology, the benefits of visualisation are often lauded, and visualisation is a proven and commonly used tool in treating stress.
Visualisation is easily accessible (the barrier being the ability to sit still and let the imagination roam), and yet serves as a very effective tool in calming and calibrating the mind. Taken together with the fact that it can be practiced anywhere, at any time, with no price tag attached to it, makes visualisation a highly attractive technique to add to one’s mindfulness arsenal.
Sources:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/about-us/news/survey-stressed-nation-UK-overwhelmed-unable-to-cope
