Visualization
This is a visualization technique I use. Since our minds can't tell the difference between reality and imagination, I use the power of imagination to relax. It's possible to leave our real surroundings for a while with our minds. This calms us down, so we can center ourselves. When we step back from a stressful situation, we are able to see it from a different perspective at a slower pace and with more clarity.
Close your eyes and picture somewhere you love. Let's imagine it as if you were there, seeing, feeling, breathing and tasting it.
Let me go first.
Let's go to Italy. I'm at a restaurant with a view of the ocean, up on a hill. Probably around noon and it's hot. I can feel the heat on my body. I see that orange light when I look directly at the sun and close my eyes. I'm drinking an Italian coffee. Small cup with dark coffee and intense aroma. It tastes so good. People are having fun around me, they're smiling at me, and eating and drinking together. It's really fun. Everyone is happy. I'm happy too. I can smell lemons and oranges from the trees above the table.
After lunch I take a walk into the village market. I taste some olives and freshly baked bread, which is still warm from the oven. I buy a lemon gelato which tastes tangy and so refreshing in this heat. I walk towards the beach.
The waves are crashing on the rocks. I'm looking at the ocean. There's a fishing boat and a few yachts anchored near the shore. It looks like a good day for surfing.
I'm in the water, moving with the waves. As I ride the wave, I feel like I'm flying. I can taste the salt water on my lips. The air is fresh. On my board, I'm paddling out. That ocean is so huge, so beautiful, so free.
And now you.
Find that place. Create that place. Feel it. Smell it, live it in your mind. It'll change every time. Try do this each day as many times as you can and for as long as you can. Don't rush it. Slowly build it up.
Imagine yourself at the beach, dancing at sunset or exploring a new city. Anything that makes your senses come alive.
Use this tool to clear your mind.