My Special Place (guided visualisation)

At the moment many of us are inside more than usual and might also be feeling a bit worried or stressed. Something that might be helpful is travelling to an imaginary, special place where you can feel calm and relaxed. Below are some instructions to help guide you to your special place. There is also a worksheet that you can print out and fill in here. Try to imagine a place where you feel calm and relaxed, if possible a place in nature. It could be a place you have visited in real life or somewhere completely imaginary. It could be a beach, a forest, a meadow, by a waterfall, a river or a lake, on top of a mountain, there is no limit to where your imagination could take you!

When you’re in your special place:

• What can you see when you look around? (What does the sky look like, are there any clouds, is it sunrise/sunset, is there a rainbow? Can you see water or trees or flowers or animals etc.?)

• What can you hear? (Can you hear birds singing, the water lapping or splashing, the leaves rustling etc.?)

• What can you touch or feel? (Are you barefoot? Can you feel the ground beneath your feet? Can you feel the warmth of the sun or a gentle breeze on your skin etc.?)

• What can you smell? (Can you smell flowers or fresh grass, or perhaps the smell of the sea etc.?

• What can you taste or eat? Are you eating chocolate or having a cup of tea etc.?)

• Can you notice how you feel in your body when you are here? (Are you able to take slow, deep breaths? Has your heart rate slowed down? Are your muscles relaxing? Are the thoughts in your mind slowing down? It may take some time to get used to visiting your special place so don’t worry if you don’t notice any changes in how you are feeling straight away)

• What name would you give this special place? (Something short and simple is usually best)

Now try to imagine how you would get to this special place. Would you click your fingers, fly there on a magic carpet or by hot air balloon, would you blink your eyes and you’d be there? There is no limit to the ways you can travel there so be as creative as you can! Have a think about when it would be useful to visit this special place? Could it be when you start to notice you are feeling a bit worried (when your heart starts to beat fast or your muscles start to tighten?) Could it be before you go to sleep to help you to feel relaxed? Could it be first thing in the morning to help you feel grounded before the day ahead? When you are planning on visiting your special place try to find a comfortable place to sit (or lie down). If you feel comfortable to do so close your eyes. If you don’t feel comfortable to do this then try keeping your gaze low, perhaps looking at the floor. Try to visit you special place for at least 5-10 minutes and longer if you’re able to. To make this place feel even more vivid for you perhaps you could use art materials to bring it to life. You could draw or paint it. You could make a collage or vision board of all the important elements of your special place. You could make a 3D sculpture or a small set design of your special place. Or you could write about your special place as a poem or in a journal.

Download the below worksheet to print here.