As someone who has suffered from more than her fair share of anxiety, I am a big proponent of anything that helps to keep the demons at bay. Especially when it only takes 2 minutes a day. Creative visualization is not a new tool. Anyone who has read books like “The Secret” has probably constructed a “vision board” or two that’s supposed to make your dreams a reality. I don’t know about you, but Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome hasn’t stepped off the page of my vision board just yet. Why? Because there’s a difference between visualizing the fantasy and visualizing the realistic steps that can take you towards your goal.
As a writer, I am really good at the fantasy and though it can make great fodder for the page, I personally haven’t found it to deliver measurable results in my real life. But visualizing the steps that can take me towards my goal? Now, that is paying off. If you talk to any Olympic athlete, extreme adventure seeker or successful public speaker, you’ll probably find that they all practice something called “mental rehearsing” where they run through all the steps of the race or the speech in their heads before the event. It helps to calm their anxiety by focusing the mind on the process, not the outcome.
For the past 40 plus days, I have been practicing a 2 minute creative visualization exercise every night (You can do it anytime. Night just works best for me) and I can say with certainty that this practice has definitely changed my life. Not only has it done a great job keeping my anxiety in check, but I feel hopeful at a time when there’s not a lot of reason for me to feel that way. I heard about the exercise through Gabby Bernstein and her Spirit Junkie’s website (Check out the video here). Follow these steps every day for 40 days and see your life change. Really, it’s that simple.
Believe in Your Power
The first step in any kind of creative visualization is believing that you have the power to create the world that you want to see. Own this. Believe this. Practice this and your world will change.
Suspend Disbelief
I’m not talking about “fake it until you make it” although I am a huge fan of this technique. No, this is about reframing your goal in realistic terms that you believe. So, for me, it’s not about visualizing the man of my dreams. It’s about visualizing the steps that I can to take to meet said man such as signing up for an online dating site and going out on dates with strangers.
Feel What You’re Seeing
Creative visualization isn’t just about seeing the steps that you need to take for that new job, new man or new house. It’s also about allowing yourself to feel what it is that you are seeing, to experience each step emotionally. For me that means imagining what it feels like to be taken care of by a man who sees, honors and values me. To sit and soak in that feeling of being supported.
I am not going to lie. Doing this every night is sometimes scary. Old fears, negativity and judgement definitely work their way into my visualization. I often find myself in tears. But the way I see it, this is all part of the process of life. So, I force myself to sit with the ugliness and ride it out. To bring my mind back to the feelings that I want to manifest. And like any meditation, this practice of focusing my mind is incredibly powerful. Ok, so I still haven’t gotten up the courage to sign up for another dating site, but I’m close. And more importantly, I know what the support I seek feels like. Now THAT is life changing.