I have long been a believer in the benefits of visualization for stress reduction and relaxation. The key components of a good visualization are to:

1. Keep it simple – a scene with just yourself and nature is a good starting point. Do not try to “control other folks” in your visualization. Focus on your own experience and how it makes you feel.
2. Use all your senses. Imagine the smells, the feel of air on your skin, the feel of sunshine and shadow as filtered through leaves, the coolness of the breeze, the sound of birds in the trees or in the sky or the sound of waves on the shore, the warm sand below your beach towel, hear the rustling of leaves in the tree as stirred by the breeze. Feel the cool water on your bare feet.
3. Select a couple of different “vacation destinations” so they become familiar and feel welcoming with repeated use.
4. Relax your body and slow your breathing.
5. Close your eyes
6. Spend at least 10 – 30 minutes with your visualization whenever you feel tension begin to tighten your muscles or to intrude upon your day.

My two favorite visualizations are:

1. I lay on a sandy beach with one palm tree overhead which gives soft shade. The day is a sunny afternoon with wispy white clouds overhead and the sound of shorebirds as they fly overhead. I hear the waves as they lap at the beach and smell the salt of the ocean in the air. I am in a slight indention of a beach with a point of trees curving into my right with palm trees and greenery. I am laying on a beach towel with the warm sand below. I feel a cool breeze on my skin (cool but not cold..). I feel the dappled sunshine and shadows as they filter from the palm tree overhead onto my skin. I have a book handy and a cool drink at an easy reach. I am usually lying down with the book open on my belly. I am very relaxed and give myself over to the increased relaxation of the visualization. Nothing really happens – just the relaxation and the breeze, the waves, and the sunshine.
2. In another favorite “vacation spot” I am on a rope swing under the cover of a woods with a trickling stream of cool water below my bare feet. The swing goes out over the stream and I dip my bare feet in the cool water as I swing gently back and forth. I hear the gurgling of the stream as it makes its way past me. I am wearing a cotton shirtwaist sleeveless dress and can feel the dappled sunshine and shadow as filtered on my skin by the tree branches overhead. I can feel the rough texture of the rope swing as I hold it in my hands and the soft smell of the hemp. The cool breeze ruffles my hair and gently lifts the fabric of my dress while it softly caresses my skin. I smell the moss, the earth of the forest, the sweetness of honeysuckle in a nearby tree, and the evergreen of the woods. I hear the bird song in the trees overhead and I hear the gentle creaking of the swing as I move back and forth across the stream. My feet stretch out to caress the cool water and I feel the stretch of shoulder muscles as I move in the swing – back and forth – back and forth. Sometimes I lean back as I swing forward to gain momentum. Sometimes my eyes are closed and at other times I look through the soft afternoon of the woods and am rewarded by spring flowers in bloom.

As you can see, both visions are very relaxing and make use of most of my senses. I do not vary them a lot as their familiarity is one of the comforting aspects of these “mini-vacations”. I take these trips sometimes as often as a few times a week or whenever I feel stress. I use them while in chemo and in Doctor’s waiting rooms or lab waiting rooms or while waiting for tests or scans. I find them very relaxing and a welcome distraction from the stress of fighting cancer, the ravages of the chemo, and the stress of time spent waiting to speak to Doctors or for tests or treatments. Now that I am past chemo, I find them useful for the anxiety that comes with follow-up appointments and while waiting for test results. Let’s face it, fighting cancer is a stressful experience and this simple method of taking a relaxing break has been very helpful to me. I hope you find it as helpful as I have.

Feel free to use my vacation spots or choose your own based on favorite activities or places you feel wonderfully relaxed.