Dr. Tammy Miller, a clinical psychologist from Mirror Mental Health in Crofton, Maryland, delivers a brief psychoeducational introduction to mindfulness followed by a fully guided beach visualization exercise, inviting viewers to use breath-focused imagery as a free, accessible tool for stress relief and emotional regulation.
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Transcript
[02:19:58] Hi, my name is Dr.
[02:20:01] Tammy Miller. I’m a clinical psychologist
[02:20:03] at Mirror Mental Health
[02:20:04] in Crofton, Maryland. Thank you for allowing
[02:20:07] me to be part of the Speak Your Truth
[02:20:09] program. Today,
[02:20:11] I wanted to talk about mindfulness.
[02:20:13] Mindfulness is a way
[02:20:15] to take a break, be present in the
[02:20:17] here and now, and to relax our
[02:20:19] brain and body. What we know
[02:20:21] about mindfulness is that it allows us
[02:20:23] to help both our physical body and
[02:20:25] our emotional state. And right now
[02:20:27] in this world, when we’re dealing with
[02:20:29] so much stress, whether due to pandemic
[02:20:31] or virtual schooling
[02:20:33] or relationship stress
[02:20:35] or just life in general,
[02:20:37] being able to take a moment
[02:20:39] to relax and
[02:20:41] create a space where we can just, you know,
[02:20:43] just be present is such
[02:20:45] a beautiful thing. And this is something
[02:20:47] we can do almost anywhere, costs
[02:20:50] nothing. And it truly
[02:20:52] is been shown to be very helpful
[02:20:54] with dealing with both physical and emotional
[02:20:57] well-being. So, stating
[02:20:59] that, and for the next few
[02:21:01] moments, I would love for you to follow along in
[02:21:03] this brief mindfulness exercise.
[02:21:06] I am going to take you to the beach,
[02:21:08] some place we all want to be right now.
[02:21:11] So please close your eyes.
[02:21:13] Take a deep breath in through your nose
[02:21:17] and let it out slowly through your mouth.
[02:21:21] And as you breathe, gently
[02:21:24] close your eyes and
[02:21:26] focus on your breath. Breathe in through your nose,
[02:21:30] out through your mouth.
[02:21:34] And as you feel your body becoming softer
[02:21:37] and more relaxed,
[02:21:39] I want you to focus on
[02:21:42] your
[02:21:43] breathing, keeping that relaxed body state and keeping your body
[02:21:46] and your breath nice and even in through your nose,
[02:21:51] out through your mouth.
[02:21:54] Now take a moment and as your eyes are closed,
[02:21:56] start to visualize a door.
[02:21:59] Visualize a door in your mind.
[02:22:02] It can be any type of door, favorite color, whatever.
[02:22:05] Visualize a door.
[02:22:06] And I want you to walk towards that door
[02:22:09] and turn the handle.
[02:22:11] And as you turn the handle, I want you to walk
[02:22:13] through that door.
[02:22:15] And on the other side of that door is a beach.
[02:22:19] I want you to imagine this beach.
[02:22:22] Imagine the sounds.
[02:22:23] Imagine that you’re walking in there.
[02:22:26] And you’re hearing the sounds of the ocean waves
[02:22:30] as they break across the sand,
[02:22:32] a gentle in
[02:22:34] and out of the waves.
[02:22:37] Maybe you hear some wind
[02:22:40] bristling through the trees, the palm trees.
[02:22:43] Maybe you hear some birds in the distance.
[02:22:46] This is your beach.
[02:22:48] As you go walk towards the beach,
[02:22:51] I want you to start paying attention to what it feels like underneath your feet.
[02:22:55] Is the sand warm?
[02:22:58] Is it soft?
[02:23:00] How does it feel as you walk towards this beach?
[02:23:04] How does it feel to feel the wind,
[02:23:06] the breeze on your skin?
[02:23:11] Focus on how it feels.
[02:23:13] Now as you further walk, I want you to visualize the color of the sand.
[02:23:19] Is it white?
[02:23:20] Is it pink?
[02:23:22] What color sand do you have underneath your feet?
[02:23:26] And as you move forward, maybe you find a seat to sit on.
[02:23:30] Is it a log?
[02:23:31] Is it a chair?
[02:23:33] Is it a lounge chair?
[02:23:35] Whatever it may be,
[02:23:36] when you find this comfortable seat,
[02:23:39] take a moment and sit
[02:23:41] and enjoy the atmosphere.
[02:23:43] As you breathe in,
[02:23:45] you’re going to hear the waves come closer.
[02:23:47] And when you leave out,
[02:23:49] the waves rescind.
[02:23:51] Take a moment to look at the waves.
[02:23:54] Is it the water crystal clear blue?
[02:23:57] The little white under the waves as they break?
[02:24:01] Is the sky clear?
[02:24:03] Or maybe there’s some wispy clouds coming through.
[02:24:06] Take a moment and pay attention to all the colors that you see.
[02:24:12] Will there be the sand, or the trees, the water, or the sky?
[02:24:21] Breathe in.
[02:24:24] And breathe out.
[02:24:27] As you breathe in,
[02:24:29] maybe you start to smell the taste, smell the ocean waves.
[02:24:34] Maybe even taste a little bit of the salty water.
[02:24:37] So focus on all the sensations,
[02:24:42] the feel of the sand on your feet,
[02:24:46] the wind on your skin,
[02:24:49] the smell of the ocean.
[02:24:52] Allow yourself to relax into this moment.
[02:24:56] Really focus on the here and now.
[02:25:00] Breathe in.
[02:25:03] And breathe out.
[02:25:04] And as thoughts come, and they will come,
[02:25:07] let them imagine that they’re being washed away with the waves.
[02:25:12] You’ll deal with them later.
[02:25:13] They’re there.
[02:25:14] Acknowledge them.
[02:25:15] And release them into the waves.
[02:25:18] And focus on the here and now.
[02:25:21] And allow yourself to relax into this feeling.
[02:25:27] Allow your breath to stay even.
[02:25:30] Maybe your shoulders roll back.
[02:25:34] Your body just further relax as you enjoy this personal beach.
[02:25:41] Pay attention to the sounds.
[02:25:43] Maybe there’s some birds in the background.
[02:25:46] Maybe it’s just the waves on the water hitting the sand.
[02:25:51] Enjoy the peace.
[02:25:53] Enjoy the quiet.
[02:25:57] Use all your senses to be fully present in this moment.
[02:26:02] Breathe in.
[02:26:05] And breathe out.
[02:26:08] What do you see?
[02:26:12] What do you hear?
[02:26:15] What do you feel?
[02:26:19] What do you smell?
[02:26:23] And what are you touching?
[02:26:25] Pay attention to all your senses and allow yourself to be fully present in your beach.
[02:26:31] This is your beach.
[02:26:33] Nobody’s going to disturb you while you’re here.
[02:26:37] And as thoughts come, allow them to be written in the sand and the wave washing them away.
[02:26:47] You’ll deal with them when you leave your beach.
[02:26:50] Right now, focus on the here and now.
[02:26:54] Breathe in.
[02:26:57] And breathe out.
[02:26:59] This beach is your beach.
[02:27:03] And focusing on your breath, the here and the now, allows your body to come to a place of calm and relaxation.
[02:27:16] When it’s time for you to leave your beach, just walk to that door.
[02:27:23] And as you exit that door,
[02:27:25] know that that door and that beach is always there for you.
[02:27:27] At any point in time, you can revisit that beach and find this place of relaxation and calm just by focusing on your breath.
[02:27:41] In and out.
[02:27:44] And taking the time to visit this beach can help you find a place of peace and calm in a very chaotic world.
[02:27:54] Thank you for letting me be part of this program.
[02:27:56] And I hope you found some peace and calm on your beach.
[02:28:01] And know that you can get there at any point in time.
[02:28:04] And that it can help reduce our stress, our blood pressure.
[02:28:08] Just make us overall feel better.
[02:28:11] Five minutes a day doing this can really make a big difference in your life.