Visualization is a powerful tool and it can be very helpful in easing anxiety.
In this meditation,
We're going to visualize packing away your anxiety to make it easier to let go.
Let's begin by sitting or lying in a comfortable position.
Close your eyes or if you're more comfortable,
Keep a soft gaze.
Take a minute to just breathe.
Don't try to change or control the breath.
Just pay attention to it.
Give it a second to rest.
Now,
Visualize a box.
This can be a simple cardboard box,
Or it can be one made of wood or metal.
It can be plain,
It can have the word anxiety written on it,
Or it could have elaborate designs carved in it.
This is your box,
So make it look the way you want it to look.
See yourself opening the box.
Inside,
It's completely empty.
There's plenty of room for all your anxieties.
It's time to put your anxieties in the box.
Imagine each anxiety as a square.
The size of the square depends on how big the anxiety is.
If it's a mild one,
Make it a small square.
If it's larger,
Make it medium or large.
Examine each square.
See the name of the anxiety written on the square,
If you're able to name it.
If it's a more vague anxiety that you can't quite pinpoint,
Place a question mark on the square.
Imagine that the square holds all of your anxiety about that particular thing.
Now,
Place the square inside the box.
Pick up the next square,
Examine it,
And place it in the box.
Continue to stack the squares of anxiety in the box until you've neatly packed all the anxieties you can think of into this box.
If you need to,
Imagine that the box gets bigger to accommodate all the squares.
JOIN pill Keep filling the box with every anxiety that comes to mind.
Once you've packed away all your anxiety inside this box,
It's time to put it away.
See yourself closing the box.
You might fold the flaps and use packing or duct tape if it's a cardboard box,
Or if it's a different kind of box you might gently close the lid and use a key to lock it.
Whatever kind of box it is,
See yourself closing it up,
Locking the anxieties away inside it.
Now imagine picking up the box.
It's not nearly as heavy as you thought it would be.
With ease,
You're able to place the box on a shelf.
Take three deep breaths.
Explore how your mind and body feel now that you've packed away all your anxiety into that box.
Do you feel lighter,
Happier,
More at ease?
When you're ready,
Come back to the space that you're in.
Slowly open your eyes,
Stretch a bit,
And take a couple of minutes to just sit and breathe before you go back to the rest of your day.
