Anna Veale

MIND MATTERS

Do you need to spring clean your head space? Anna Veale explains how visualisation can be a helpful wellbeing tool.

PHOTOS SALINA GALVAN

As we find ourselves coming out of hibernation from what seems like a very long winter, a sense of new beginnings may be upon you – and for good reason. The mornings are getting lighter and the evenings are drawing out, bringing a new cycle which represents planting new seeds, growth and expansion.

Spring, “the king of all seasons”, is a fantastic time to check in with yourself and see what sneaky habits have crept in over winter that don’t have your best interests at heart. Perhaps you’ve been hitting the snooze button one too many times, or drinking one too many cups of coffee to warm yourself up.

If you want to build on the energy that can come from our change in seasons, here are some tools to accelerate your journey. THE POWER OF VISUALISATION

In the sports world, visualisation or “mental rehearsal” is used to help athletes prepare for and enhance their physical game. This technique draws in direct focus to task, using the senses to dial down on the process of the goal rather than the outcome itself.

As we move into the new season, we have an opportunity to get clear on what we want for the coming months, and we can use visualisation to bring a goal to life and generate the allimportant ingredient for success: Action.

When we mentally rehearse our goals and the process of reaching them, we are sending a strong message to our unconscious mind that we are ready and will be more likely to take the action required to make change. Science tells us that if we commit our goals to writing we are 40 percent more likely to achieve them. It also tells us that if we tell someone else about our goals we are 60 percent more likely to achieve them and if we have a coach, we are 95 percent more likely to achieve success.

YOUR GOAL-SETTING TOOLBOX

Adding visualisation to your goal-setting toolbox will help bring your dreams to life. If you are new to visualisation, here are some ideas to get you started:

CREATE A VISION BOARD This can be fun and simple to do and serves as a daily reminder of your intentions. Use magazines and printouts to create your very own piece of goalsetting art. Be brave and think big. You are only limited by your imagination, so banish limited thinking and get creative.

VISUALISATION MEDITATIONS There are plenty of good visualisation meditations out there for guided goalsetting visualisation, leaving time at the end to brain dump, set goals and put timelines on them.

So now we have our head space covered, how can we give our body a shake-up out of its winter slump and get it bouncing into spring?

REHYDRATE Often water gets replaced for hot drinks over winter, so look to replace caffeinated drinks with water or herbal tea.

EAT WELL Nourish your body with whole foods like split peas, lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, buckwheat and rye. Increase the fibre in your diet with fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, apricots, berries, broccoli, carrots, okra and spinach.

CATCH THE MORNING SUN Reset your circadian rhythm by getting up at the same time each day, taking yourself out for a walk around the block and getting some fresh air.

BE CONSISTENT Showing up daily for yourself sends the message that your wants and needs are important. Cultivate a routine that's easy, fun and aligns with your values.