stress tips from the experts
By Judith Lazarus
“When stress threatens to be overwhelming, I take a mini mind vacation,” says Joyce C. Mills, PhD, LMFT, LLC, Director of The StoryPlay Center in Scottsdale, Arizona; Co-Director of the Phoenix Institute of Ericksonian Psychotherapy; and author of Reconnecting to the Magic of Life (Imaginal Press, 1999). “Two minutes of clock time is all the time you need for a refreshing getaway, with no packing and no reservations required.”
Think of a place where you’ve felt a sense of well-being, and give it a name. It could be the actual name or a feeling it represents to you, such as “comfort,” “peaceful,” or “healing”; or one that reflects its overall environment, such as “flower fields,” “Hawaiian mountains,” or “desert sunset.”
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, as if blowing gently on a feather.
Close your eyes and go inward to remember your sense of well-being and happiness at this special place.
Evoke a fully sensory experience. Look at things you enjoy seeing there; listen to its sounds; smell its distinctive fragrances; taste remembered treats.
Now, let go of what’s troubling you. Think of a souvenir, like a stone or feather; shrink it down into your imagination. Tuck it away in a place you want your body to remember.
Open your eyes, take a couple of deep breaths, and bring your conscious awareness back to reality. Your mind and heart should rest easier.
