A Powerful Tool for Anxiety: Your Safe Space

For those that struggle with anxiety - it can be quite debilitating. Wave after wave of intense pressure in your chest, arms, legs, and face can make even the most basic tasks seem overwhelming and daunting. Left unchecked - these symptoms can cause immense damage.

While there are numerous techniques for coping with anxiety - one specific tool that can be incredibly effective when implemented correctly is a technique called "Safe Space".

Your "Safe Space" is a visualization strategy that involves the creation of a physical space in your mind that you can go to whenever you are experiencing negative or challenging symptoms or experiences. Once properly implemented, you can then utilize "cues" or "triggers" of your safe space throughout your home, work, office, cars, etc. to help you cope where ever you go.

But for your Safe Space to be effective, it must be properly primed and practiced. Here are some tips to getting this strategy to work for you:

Picking your Safe Space

Where are you most at home? Where do you find the most relaxation? Are you alone there? Are you with someone else? This can be a scene from a movie, a fictional place that you create, or some place where you have been before. It is truly up to you as to where your Safe Space will be.

Once you have picked your Safe Space - make sure to explore it in your mind. You should visualize almost every angle of your new space.

Where will you use your Safe Space?

Before you are ready to use your Safe Space for coping - you need to practice relaxing in your Safe Space. When you are starting to use your Safe Space - a good strategy is to pick one place in your house where you will visit your Safe Space. Make sure this place is soothing, calming, and free of work or major distractions. This location will become your new coping area of your home. A comfy chair in the corner of your bedroom or backyard works well. Once you establish the location where you will use your Safe Space - devote this location to only this activity (or at a minimum only coping). You want to train your brain that this space is a place for relaxation and coping and not for stress or other activities that produce this.

Practice using your Safe Space

Now it is time to use your Safe Space. However, it is best to practice first before really deploying your new technique to combat anxiety, depression, or a variety of other PTSD symptoms.

Turn on some relaxing music, light a candle if you would like, and close your eyes. Imagine yourself in your Safe Space now. What does it look like? Is there anyone else with you? Take some deep cleansing breaths as you enjoy the quiet, the relaxation, and the peace that comes with your Safe Space.

Once you are calm, it is now time to practice using your Safe Space to calm yourself from a small amount of anxiety. Think of something that brings a small amount of stress. Feel your nervous system activate at a low level. Then return to your Safe Space. Take your deep cleansing breaths and feel the relaxation wash over you again. Stay in your Safe Space for as long as necessary to feel your anxiety melt away.

Try this practice technique a few more times until you feel confident that you can properly cope with your anxiety in your Safe Space.

Cues and Triggers for your Safe Space

Once you have properly implemented your Safe Space - now you are ready to take it to the next level. Find pictures that closely resemble your Safe Space. Find objects that remind you of your Safe Space as well. Put up pictures of your Safe Space where ever you need them. This can be in your office or throughout your home. The objects that you find you can also bring with you where ever you go. If, for example, your object is a smooth rock, you can keep one in your car, one in your pocket when needed, and one in your laptop bag. Whenever you are experiencing anxiety - go to your safe space using your object as a trigger/cue and cope until your anxiety is gone.

When practiced and implemented properly - your Safe Space can be a very powerful tool for not only coping with anxiety - but for any other negative symptom that you experience.

If you have any questions or would like more information on this technique - please feel free to reach out to the Warfighter Alliance via email at VeteranWarfighterAlliance@Gmail.com.