Visualise a favourite spot. Stay in it; fine-tune the memory. Practise creating this mental image. Safe-place visualisation is one of the ways to take a mental vacation. This kind of getaway can last as long as a tea break. You can escape once a week, or multiple times a day.
Not to be confused with daydreaming, those unfocused moments of staring into space, a mental vacation is a planned break that should be rich in detail — and devoid of any interference from real life.
Recreate the sounds from your chosen moment, the smells and feelings; the way the light reflected off the water or the feel of the wind on your skin; the kinds of birds that flew past, how long their chirps lingered; the tilt of the shadows at sunset.
All this is meant to ease stress and anxiety by acting as an escape, almost like a real vacation would.
To do it right, start small, says psychologist…
