This Monday, take a moment to find your happy place to beat stress

Want a successful and enjoyable tactic for keeping calm when things are stressful? Take a moment to return to your center this Monday by visualizing a stress-free, happy place.

Feelings of anxiety, fear, and pressure can weigh us down. Get buoyant again by learning this simple yet effective exercise for recovering your balance and accessing inner peace.

Rather be at the beach right now?  Hiking a mountain trail? Watching a waterfall? You can.

Find a quiet place. Take some deep breaths. Close your eyes. Take a moment to be in the place you love, but in your mind. Use the senses to see, hear, feel, and experience it. Make it as real as possible. If you love waterfalls, hear the water splashing, see the light refracting, look for rainbows, smell the greenery, feel the simple beauty of it. Take a deep breath while you’re still there. Open your eyes. Carry over the calm of your happy place into the now. End with some more slow, deep breaths.

Mindfulness practice is a tool that was developed by ancient cultures and has been adapted to address the stressors of modern life. Of the many benefits, one result is to create some distance from your thoughts and the things that are troubling you. Scientists studying visualization methods associated with mindfulness have concluded that to be calmer, remember ‘calm’ first. Positive imagery may also help the body relax by slowing down breathing and lowering blood pressure.

Letting go helps us to see the bigger picture, develop patience with ourselves, and move past the experiences or feelings holding us back. Make Monday about imagining your happy place, where you are content, relaxed, and calm. A de-stressed you!