Come Back to Calm: A Guided Imagery Practice

In this episode, we slow things down.

This is a guided imagery exercise designed to help you calm your nervous system, reduce stress in the moment, and reconnect with a sense of safety and ease. You’ll be invited to bring to mind a place or memory that feels comforting, and gently explore it through your senses to anchor yourself in the present.

This is something you can come back to anytime... when you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, before bed, or when you just need a moment to reset.

There’s no right or wrong way to do this, just follow along and allow yourself to settle.

Transcript

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Hello, and welcome to Advantage, the podcast that helps you shift from stress to strategy. I'm your host, Katerina McCurdy, a registered clinical counselor and former frontline worker here to help you understand the patterns that fuel stress, anxiety, and burnout. In each episode, we'll unpack what's beneath the stress and explore ways to meet it with awareness and intention. Let's get started. How about today we slow things down together? Maybe it's been a full day. Maybe you're feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or even just stretched a little too thin. I'm gonna guide you through a gentle imagery exercise to help you reset, let go of some stress, and reconnect with a sense of safety and ease. I've been thinking about all these conversations that we've had around stress, anxiety, and burnout, and that it was time that I put something together for you that felt a little bit more practical. This is an exercise that you can come back to whenever you're feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or tense. You can listen to it before bed as you wind down from your day, in a stressful moment, or anytime you just need to pause and settle your mind. This is hands down the most requested exercise that I get in my practice. And it does require some intentional focus. So I would encourage you to carve out about five to ten minutes to do this. Guided imagery works by helping your body and mind enter into what's called the relaxation response. When we imagine a place or memory that feels safe and comforting, and we explore it through our five senses, it signals to the nervous system that it is okay to slow down. Your heart rate can slow, your muscles can relax, and your breathing can settle. And it helps to counteract that fight or flight stress response. So to start, I invite you to either pick a memory that feels safe, comforting, or nurturing, or you can imagine a place that evokes those same feelings, like a cozy room, a quiet forest, a beach, or anywhere that feels peaceful, secure, and soothing to you. We're gonna explore that place or memory together using your five senses. I'm gonna ask you to notice what you can see, hear, feel, smell, and even taste because connecting to your senses activates the frontal cortex of your brain, which is responsible for regulating heightened emotions. I also want to encourage you to not feel like you need to put too much effort into doing this the right way. Overthinking it is only gonna take you out of your body and back into your head. It is okay that this might feel messy for you, especially the first few times. So just allow yourself to follow along, notice what's coming up, and let your body and mind settle. And if you're finding that your mind is all over the place, then remember that your ability to stay present and focused is a lot like a muscle in your brain that just needs strengthening. So the more that you practice this, the easier it's going to get. As we begin, I want to invite you to close your eyes if that feels comfortable. Or you can simply stare at the ground just as a way of avoiding any further distractions. And let's just start with noticing your breath. In this moment, I don't need you to fix it or change it. You're just noticing. And with every exhale, you can imagine releasing any tension from your body. You're also welcome to release any distracting thoughts. Visualize each thought as it enters into your mind as if it were on a cloud and just watch it float away. And then slowly bring your attention back onto your breath. When you are ready, I invite you to enter into that memory or place that helps you connect to those feelings of safety, comfort, or peacefulness. You can pause here if you need some more time to find that place for yourself. And when you've arrived, I invite you to start by bringing all your attention into noticing what it is that you can see. Pay attention to your surroundings. Notice whether or not you are alone or with others. Is there any movement in the space that you're in? Like trees that are swaying, people passing, waves crashing? Notice the colors around you. Are they bright, soft, warm, or cool? What shapes or patterns do you see? Are there rocks, leaves, or waves? And notice the distance. What is near, what is far from you? And notice how that space feels for you. Next, I invite you to bring your attention to what it is that you can hear. Simply notice the gentle sounds in that space. Maybe that's the wind rustling, water flowing, birds singing? Or is there silence or stillness? Can you hear subtle movements like footsteps on a path? Are there particular sounds that make you feel safe, comforted, or at ease? Allow your ears to guide you deeper into the calm of this space, noticing what is present without needing to change it. Next, I invite you to bring your attention and your focus onto what it is that you can feel. I invite you to specifically focus on physical sensations here. Feel the weight of your body and how it connects to the ground. Notice whether or not you're standing, sitting, swaying, or moving. Feel your hands, your feet, or any part of your body that is in contact with something solid or comforting. Notice any gentle breeze, sunlight, or temperature on your skin. Next, I invite you to bring your attention onto what it is that you can smell. Can you notice subtle natural scents like grass, soil, warm sunlight, a candle, or the ocean? Allow your mind to linger on the smell without forcing it. Simply noticing it and letting it ground you. And if you can't pick up a specific scent, imagine one that feels calming or nurturing to you. And then next, I invite you to bring your focus onto what it is that you can taste. Notice that there's a taste in the air. Fresh, crisp, salty, sweet, or earthy. Or you can imagine a comforting taste that fits your safe place, like a warm tea, fresh fruit, or chocolate. Just take a moment and allow your five senses to just be in that space. Notice what it feels like to be in your body in this moment. Notice the weight of your body and the rise and fall of your breath. Remember that you can carry the sense of calm and safety that you just experienced with you throughout your day. And you can return to this place anytime, even if it's just for a few moments, simply by remembering the sights, the sounds, and sensations. Thanks for listening. If you haven't already, please subscribe on Spotify and Apple so you don't miss future episodes. You can also connect with me on Instagram at advantage.podcast for updates and extra resources. To learn more about my counseling services, visit vantagecounseling.com. Until next time, take a step back, breathe, and give yourself the advantage.