Try one of the following visualisation techniques every time you are experiencing stress. The power of the mind can be a wonderful tool for stress relief. Hopefully one of these visualisation techniques will work for you, or you can be inventive and devise your own personal stress busting visualisation. Remember, what works for one individual won’t always work for everyone else, so don’t be hard on yourself if you struggle with visualisation. It takes time to master.

Let of the balloon

Visualise yourself holding the end of a big full balloon with the word 'stress’ stretched across it, to represent your own personal stress. Now let go of the balloon and see it whizzing around the room, with all the stress disappearing as it’s finally deflated.

I’ll take a glass of calm

Visualise yourself pouring yourself a glass of elixir out of a bottle labelled 'calm'. Drink the liquid and feel it glide down your throat, instantly soothing you and flooding your body with calming, relaxation sensations. Every time you take another sip you feel more and more relaxed. You can’t even remember what you were worrying about. It doesn’t seem important anymore.

Throw the ‘stress’ ball

Visualise yourself with all the tension inside your body. See yourself holding a rubber ball with the word ‘stress’ written across it. Mentally squeeze the ball with all your might and as you do so, feel all the stress move from within your body to inside the ball. With every squeeze your stress is being channelled inside the ball. Once you have channelled as much of your stress as possible into the ball, you’re going to visualise throwing the ball as far away as you possibly can, so in essence you’re throwing your stress away. Use all your strength, bring your arm backgrounds and throw the ball. Perhaps see it travel up into the universe, so it is far away from you and as it does so the ball disintegrates (to stop your stress ball whacking anyone else!).

Golden Frame Technique

1. Sit in a comfortable position, in a quiet place without distractions. Close your eyes and relax.
2. Visualise and/or intend a golden picture frame in your mind's eye.  If you have trouble visualising a golden picture frame, just intend that it is there.
3. Visualise and/or intend that you are in the centre of this golden picture frame. You need to see yourself as clearly and accurately as possible as you are now, with all of your usual negative interactive ways.
4. Now bring a new version of yourself into the golden picture frame from the right hand side. This new version of yourself has all the good and positive qualities you need and are looking for. You need to see yourself as clearly and accurately as possible as you would like yourself to be. Visualise the two different versions of yourself side by side.
5. Now you need to decide which of the two versions of yourself is going to be the future you. If it is the one on the left (the old version) you should open your eyes. If it is the one on the right (the new version), you should let the new version of yourself ask the old version to leave out of the left-hand side of the frame. If necessary force the old unwanted version of yourself out of the frame.
6. Make a strong and positive affirmation that, "This is ME!"

Whenever you feel the need, recall the image of the new positive version of yourself in the golden frame.