Visualisation

This technique is an excellent method of shaking off tension.

1 Lie down in a quiet place and close your eyes.

2 Mentally sweep through your body and relax tense muscles.

3 Picture an image that uses all your senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. For example, imagine a white beach fringed with palms trees bent so low their fronds gently stroke the sand. See the clear blue-green water stretching out to the horizon under a cloudless azure-blue sky. Hear the surf breaking on the shore. Feel the warmth of the sand and the warm sea caressing your feet as you walk along the water’s edge. Smell and taste the salt in the warm air.

4 Now think of a short, positive statement that affirms the fact that you can relax at will – for example, ‘my mind is relaxed’, ‘I’m letting go of all stress’, ‘I feel calm and relaxed’.