Coping skill · 5 min
Safe-place picture
Your body won't stand down, even though nothing is wrong right now.
Do this
- Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
- Picture a place where you felt calm. Real or made up.
- Fill it in: what you see, hear, smell, the temperature.
- Give it a one-word name.
- Practice when calm, so the word works when you are not.
Why it works
Strong feelings and urges rise, peak and fall, usually within minutes. A skill gives your body something to do while the wave passes, and each time you ride one out, the next one gets a little easier.