Øvelse 1 // Exercise 1

About the exercise – a thinking exercise

This is a relaxation exercise where you use your imagination to create a place where you can feel safe, relaxed and happy. The exercise is about visualizing a safe place in your mind. Visualizing means imagining something or thinking about what it might look like or be like. This helps the body calm down and become less stressed. It is important to practice this exercise for it to help. It can take some time to find this safe place in our minds. The more stressed you are, the harder it can be to find this safe place and calm down.

In this exercise, you will use your imagination to find a place where you can be calm, safe and happy. This can be a place you have been before, or it can be a place that you create in your imagination. Have you chosen a place now? OK, we will try with the place you have now chosen. Then we will see if it works.

Imagine that you are reaching out and touching something. How does it feel? Now look a little further away. What can you see over there? Try to see the different colors and shapes. This is your special place, and you can imagine anything you want here.

When you are there, you feel calm and relaxed. Imagine you are barefoot, with your feet flat on the ground. How does the ground feel? Walk around slowly and try to notice the things there. Try to see how they look and how they feel. And what can you hear? Maybe faint sounds of the wind, or birds, or the ocean.

Can you feel the warm sun on your face? What can you smell? Maybe it’s the sea air, or flowers, or maybe the smell of your favorite food? In this special place you can see the things you want, you can touch them and you can smell them, and hear nice sounds. As you become calm you can feel yourself relaxing, your body becomes calm, your mind becomes calm. You relax all over. You feel calm and happy.

Now, imagine that a person is with you in your place. This is a good friend, someone who is good, strong, and kind. He or she is there to help you and take care of you. Imagine that you are walking around slowly, exploring your special place with this person. You feel happy that you are together. This person is your helper and is good at solving problems.

Look around in your imagination once more. Take a good look. Remember that this is your special place. It will always be there. You can always imagine yourself there when you want to feel calm, safe and happy. Your helper will always be there when you want.

Now take a deep breath, and get ready to open your eyes and leave your special place for now. You can come back to this space whenever you want. Slowly, slowly, become aware of what you are feeling here and now. Notice the chair beneath you and feel your feet on the floor. Move slowly and stretch out your legs and arms. When you feel ready, open your eyes. As you do, notice that you feel calm, relaxed, and happy.