Daily stressors and the pandemic is taking a toll on a lot of people. It’s important to take a few minutes in the middle of the day to calm and relax your mind. Psychiatrist Dr Sagar Mundada shows you how with the help of a Guided Visual Imagery exercise.

A Guided Visual Imagery exercise that can help relax your mind?

Dr Sagar says, “Guided Visual Imagery exercise is a great way to beat stress, anxiety and to calm and relax your mind.” It can be done at any part of the day, anywhere.

Try this four minute exercise to beat stress

Close your eyes and take deep breaths, and focus on your breathing. Try and activate your third eye. The eye of visualisation,  imagination and creativity. Imagine a place that makes you feel comfortable. It could be the comfort of your home or a tea corner stall you frequent with your best friends. Try and imagine that you are at this place that has always comforted you. Now, paint a mental picture of the twilight. Picture what this evening looks like in your head. Focus on the multiple colours in the sky. It has a tinge of orange, pink, blue and yellow, beautifully mixing with each other. Look into the horizon, and appreciate these beautiful colours. As you observe the changing colours of the sky, a soft breeze flows across your face. It comforts you, and makes you feel relaxed.

Use your imagination to create a happy mental picture

Now imagine you are sitting on a comfortable chair with a cup of coffee or tea in your hand.  As you are sipping on this cup of tea or coffee, you are staring into the horizon. You feel relaxed and calm. There are two more chairs right next to you. The two people you are most comfortable with in the world are sitting there with you. The three of you are enjoying your tea or coffee and the gentle breeze. The sunlight is slowly fading away, and the birds are going back to their nests. You are enjoying this special time. Forgetting about your worries and laughing and smiling away. Take a mental picture of this moment and store this memory.

The next time you are in an overwhelming situation,  close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Go into this blissful state. Tell your mind to store this memory, and to access it anytime you are in a bad state of mind. Now slowly open your eyes, and come back into the real world. This exercise takes three to four minutes. It’s  a healthy escape route to beat stress and anxiety.