Here are 4 simple, fun and effective creative visualization techniques to help you get back into focus when your wandering mind thinks of wasteful thoughts and dwells on emotions that are not helpful to you.
What is Creative Visualization?
Creating mental images and movies purposefully in our minds and then intentionally transforming them in ways that benefit our feelings positively is Creative Visualization. It could provide the ‘change of scene’ that you strongly need, or it could be used to provide a resolution to your doubts and questions. You can do it as a rehearsal for what you want to achieve. Most importantly, it can provide that mental space where you can be productive, positive, and focused on doing what needs to be done. This post is about how to create a space away from distraction using creative visualization.
Images are powerful things. So are feelings and emotions. Images have the power to alter feelings and behaviour. You can test this on yourself right now.
Try this visualization!
Do This – Think of a laughing, happy small child running and playing on a lovely beach. She shrieks with joy at the water under her feet. She claps her hands, runs and laughs even more. It is a beautiful scene.
Close your eyes and softly soak in these images for a mere half minute.
Do you know that you yourself have a smile on your face? 🙂
Do This – Think of a hospital scene that is chaotic. There has been a disaster and the hospital is full of wounded, bloodied people. Ambulances are speeding in and out , sirens wailing. Children are crying and shouting in pain. Mothers are running around looking for their kids. The hospital staff are rushing about getting the victims onto stretchers. Men are dazed and stumbling about confused. Oh the scenes, the sounds, the noises.
Close your eyes and soak in these images for half a minute.
Your heart is beating faster and your breathing is probably erratic.
Open your eyes and relax. Calm yourself. This is all in your head. Around you, everything is as it is.
This is the power of visualization!!!
Use this power to generate headspace for yourself
We may feel really strongly about something or someone, maybe in unpleasant ways. May be there is a problem we are facing, or a worry that is gnawing at us. When things do not go our way and the outcomes are different from what we expect, those feelings of stress and frustration are difficult to get rid of. Sometimes these negative, unhelpful thoughts, worries or concerns may overpower us and those images, those strong feelings may be both disturbing and disabling us.
Maybe they recur so often, it is difficult to concentrate. The same thoughts run over and over, the same worries come back again and again. We want to focus but those feelings are too intense and we are unable to do anything about them.
Consequently, this results in a waste of time and energy, leading to further frustration, affecting our emotional health and well-being.
Whether or not you are used to visualization techniques, these simple, quick ways will help you develop a sense of calmness and peace. An important characteristic of us humans, and we stand apart from other creatures in this regard, is our ability to imagine and visualize. So these can be done by anyone. Keep your eyes open or closed, whatever works for you.
Let’s do it!
A prerequisite before you start this exercise is to clearly define what/who it is that is bothering you. Put your concern into a single word or image if possible. If not, use a phrase that describes the situation. For example, if it is a colleague that is the cause of your stress, you can just visualize that colleague. If it is your wife’s health, you can visualize the specific words relating to her health. If it is a business problem, use a word that sums up what the problem is. If it is your daughter’s behaviour, be specific what behaviour is troubling you.
These techniques only provide you ways to the required headspace to work effectively despite the presence of that specific problem. They are not going to give ‘solutions’ to your problems; if through the resultant relief and calmness, you do come up with a solution, then that would be a great bonus. Enjoy these visualizations as you do them.
Bubble it awayyy!
The nasty things your boss (or anyone else) said is bothering you. His image and voice are persistent in your mind. You are unable to work though you have a presentation coming up in the next 2 hours. You really need to focus.
Do This – Sit up straight. Take a deep breath. Get a clear picture of your boss (or anyone else) in your mind. Now, whatever that picture is, put it in a huge, transparent, floating bubble. Yes, just like that. See it clearly now, that gigantic bubble with your ‘problem’ in it. There’s your boss (or any other problem in your mind that you put out as a word) just floating around. Play around with it. Your boss or your problem is trapped in that giant bubble. Enjoy it.
Now fix that image firmly in your mind, use your lips and blow that bubble away. Slowly and steadily. Blow on it, visualize it floating away, growing smaller and smaller as it moves away from you. Yes, take your time. Keep blowing at it till it goes far far away, getting smaller and smaller until….60 seconds later, you can no longer see it. It is gone. Completely out of sight. Leave it there.
Open your eyes. Even without you being aware, your breathing would be deeper and you feel calmer. Use this new space to be productive and at peace.
This exercise can be repeated as many times as you need to. With practise you will need lesser time to feel calm and focused.
Cage it, Shrink it !
Visualize your issue/concern in a cage, unable to get out. Keep it there, trap it. Now shrink that cage in your mind. Visualize it shrinking, and then shrink it some more. It is just a dot now. A mere dot. Ha! Just let it remain there, a dot. With a smile, get going on with whatever needs to be done without letting any issue weigh your mind down.
Let the tiger eat it up!
This is a fun one. So there’s your problem, out in the open, just lying there. Visualize a big, majestic tiger striding in there, gobbling up your ‘problem’. He fills his belly with it and simply walks away, maybe with a wink ! Take your time with this visualization and make it enjoyable! You have creatively made the problem disappear to give you the space you need.
Magnify it and let it just pop!
Visualize your ‘problem’ as a word, increasing in size. It grows and grows and grows. And then, pop ! It bursts and no longer exists. It’s nowhere to be seen. With that gone, use your time to put out your best efforts.
Take charge and rock your situation.
This is a visualization not just for the present but also for the future. Visualize yourself as being absolutely in charge of any problematic situation. See yourself as tackling the problem confidently. Even if the solution is unclear and the path is vague at this moment, just visualize yourself being in control. Focus on that image in all detail – the look on your face, the attire you are in, your posture, your voice as you speak, the environment. Internalize it all. Then get back to work on whatever needs to be done. This is a basic visualization that top athletes and achievers use.
Enjoy this process – be creative!
Pick any of the techniques I have suggested here that appeals to you. Yes! try them. Let me know what worked for you 🙂 !
Be creative and make your own visualizations! Create your own movies. Have fun! Remember that visualization can be very positive and can be used to magnify positive feelings as well. In fact, these techniques can be used for so many good outcomes. Do you have any other visualizations that you use? Do share in the comments below ! 🙂