An imaginary personal sphere can form a protective shield from the stresses of the everyday.
Staying calm and resilient when facing life’s challenges can be tough. Many people start the day full of inner strength only to feel it draining away when confronted with external pressures. These could be anything from receiving criticism to absorbing a friend’s sadness or hearing an upsetting story on the news. Feeling shaken by outside events or emotions is especially common for those who are sensitive to the moods or energy of others, or who find maintaining boundaries difficult. But scientific studies show that visualisation exercises are an effective way to increase resilience. Picturing a comforting image leads to the release of the same mood-boosting chemicals in the brain as the imagined scene would produce in real life.
Visualising an imaginary protective bubble can generate a sense of safety and security. One way of creating a sanctuary for yourself is to build an imaginary protective bubble. Visualising this can generate a sense of safety and security that you can call on in any potentially unsettling scenario.
How to build an imaginary protective bubble.
- Standing or sitting in an upright chair, breathe in slowly to the count of three. Then exhale gently to the count of five, breathing out any worries or negative thoughts and relaxing your muscles.
- Feel the way your feet are rooted to the ground and stretch your arms up above your head, with your palms facing upwards.
- Keeping your arms stretched out to each side, lower your hands slowly and visualise a shimmering bubble flowing out around you from the tips of your fingers.
- Lower your arms until they come to rest against your body, sending the edges of the bubble downwards in your mind until it’s beneath the soles of your feet, where it’s then sealed.
- As you inhale, visualise a radiant golden light travelling up through your feet from deep in the ground beneath, filling your whole body.
- As you exhale, imagine your breath billowing out and filling the bubble with this powerful golden light to form a force field around you.
- Observe how any negative energy that heads towards you from outside just gently bounces off the smooth, reflective surface of the bubble.
- Notice how secure you feel in this protective dome and know that whatever comes your way, you’re safe inside. By practising this meditation regularly, this sense of security can become second nature.
