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| Imagery Your mind can take you to a place far away from the hospital and uncomfortable procedures. You can go anywhere you want! Here's how: 1 Find an object in the room and stare at it. Breathe deeply to relax your body. Imagine a peaceful scene such as a sandy beach with waving palm trees, a clear blue sky, and bright sunshine. 2 Now imagine yourself on the beach. Use all your senses. Feel a warm breeze blowing. Smell the salty air. See sailboats in the water. Hear the seagulls crying and the waves crashing. You can do anything you want to here—build a sandcastle, look for colorful seashells, or jump in the water and body surf. Let your mind be a movie screen, showing pictures of things you like to do. You can even write down your scene and record it on tape so you can listen to it later. You can return to this place whenever you need to, or you can visit another. Pain Control Kids have actually been taught to control things like their body's temperature, bleeding, and pain just by concentrating. Be the boss of your brain's reactions. Try intercepting the messages that your brain receives from different parts of your body. If doctors are working on an area, allow yourself to feel pressure in that area, but don't let your brain interpret it as pain. (Many Olympic athletes learn similar techniques to push themselves past pain and achieve their best performance. They practice daily for months for this mind trick to become automatic. Believe it or not, kids can master these techniques much faster!) |
 Here are some ideas for other relaxing scenes you can imagine: •floating in a hot air ballon among the clouds •standing under a cool waterfall in a tropical jungle •lying under a tree in a field of colored flowers • watching a sunset with your dog •walking with a friend on a moonlit night You can also imagine yourself doing things you've enjoyed in the past. Your body will remember the good feelings, and your brain will relive the experience as if it is happening again. |