Materials:
Paper, drawing tools (colored pencils, markers, crayons, or paint), and optional collage materials.
Instructions:
Design a space that makes you feel calm and safe. This can be a real place, like your bedroom or a favorite park, or it can be imaginary, such as a fantasy world, a scene from a book, or a made-up sanctuary. Add as much detail as you'd like. This space is yours, and you can return to it mentally whenever you're overwhelmed or in distress.
Goals:
Creating a personal “safe space” supports grounding and emotional regulation during distress. This exercise helps you identify calming imagery and develop a mental refuge to return to in times of crisis, reinforcing DBT distress tolerance strategies like imagery and self-soothing.