Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Happy Place?

Do you have one?

I went to a hypnotist a couple years back for stress and relaxation techniques and he taught me about finding my happy place.


It was a totally different experience than I was expecting.


I went in and he had a big squishy comfy Lay-Z-Boy recliner and I sat there and we chatted a while about why I was there and what I wanted to get out of this session. Basicly, I was there because my stress level was so high I was beginning to have panic attacks and my blood pressure was sky high and my doctor suggested that I try a hypnotist because he knows I hate to take pills for every little thing. He was concerned about my BP being so high, so we came to an agreement. I agreed to take a daily med for the BP and he agreed to not give me anything for the panic attacks if I could find an alternate way to control them. So off to the hypnotist I went.

After we chatted a while he asked what type music I listened to when I wanted to relax and I told him I liked Classical and Chamber music.
He pulled a few selections up on his computer and I chose a couple of them and he started them playing. I put the foot-rest up on the recliner and he instructed me to close my eyes and begin counting backward from 10 and to take deep breaths in and out- to breathe naturally, but slowly. Then he told me to totally relax and to visualize what he told me to.

Easy enough.

He told me to visualize a place where I thought I could relax, totally....I didn't have to tell him about it- just to visualize it in my own mind.....

My Happy Place is a large lawn(Garden for you Brits). you have to go down a set of stone steps(funny thing is I have no idea where they lead FROM...but that doesn't matter I suppose- the point is you are GOING to your happy place.)

At the landing the steps split into two directions and curve around and down to the main Garden which is a lush, long field of green grass with shade trees and flowering shrubs and LOADS of privacy. There is a stone wall with a fountain built into the wall and two loungers looking out into the distance. No bugs or insects are in the garden to bother you- just the birdies chirping every once in a while and a few butterflies flitting about here and there.

The loungers overlook a lap pool about 100 feet long and 10 feet wide and the water is blue and crystal clear.

The temperature is never too hot, nor too cool and there is always a slight breeze blowing and you can stay there as long as you like with no interuptions from the phone or schedules or ANYTHING.

And the best part is- I can go there anytime I like or feel the need to.

I felt a panic attack coming on today- and I put on a CD of Paulius and mines wedding music"Canon in D" and lay down on the bed and went to my Happy Place for a half hour.
It relaxed me so much.

Then Paulius put on our Reception Music CD and we snuggled for another half hour and that was even MORE relaxing.

I feel pretty relaxed right now. I need to do this more often and not let things get to me so much..


Anyway- my point is- find YOUR happy place. You can do it on your own- you don't NEED a hypnotist to do it. Just a bit of quiet for about 30 minutes or so.

Try it- you won't regret it!

2 comments:

Vicarious Living said...

This is a great idea.
I've personally been considering seeing someone for some sort of relief for awhile now, but worry (as I always do about something!) that they'll just tell me to calm down and grow up and do some yoga. So, maybe I should!

I know my happy place would be near the water. I need to investigate it further.

Sunny said...

WHAT???
NO WATER in your Happy Place??

Wow- I gotta hear about YOUR happy place!! I CANNOT imagine that.
;-)