Standing in the Eye of Your Storm

When distress hits, it rarely knocks politely. More often, it sweeps in like a cyclone—fast, chaotic, and completely disorienting. One moment you’re fine, the next you’re being hurled around by thoughts, sensations, and emotions you didn’t see coming. It feels intolerable. Out of control. And in that whirlwind, it’s tempting to think, “I just have to wait this out.”

And yes, the storm will pass. They always do. But here’s the thing: none of us know how long it will take. Minutes. Hours. Days. That uncertainty feeds the fear. And yet, what we’re rarely told is that we actually have far more influence over our bodies—and by extension our minds—than we’ve been taught to believe.

The Cyclone Metaphor

For this practice, I want you to imagine your distress as a cyclone. Sometimes it builds gradually; other times, it hits hard and without warning. Either way, there’s one place in a cyclone where there’s stillness: the eye of the storm.

That’s where I want you to go.

Close your eyes. Imagine the winds, the noise, the debris swirling all around—but you’re standing in the very centre. The eye is calm. Stable. Safe. Your job isn’t to fight the storm; it’s to hold your ground in that quiet space while it rages around you.

Why This Works

Your nervous system responds to perceived threat, not reality. When you ground yourself in the “eye” of your imagined storm, you’re sending a direct message to your body: We’re safe. And when the body gets that message, the storm—both physical and mental—starts to burn itself out.

Over time, practising this teaches your nervous system to downshift faster. Triggers become less intense. They pass more quickly. And you start to experience something most people think is impossible in the middle of distress: control.

The Power of Agency

So much of mental health struggle comes down to feeling powerless—like your own mind and body have turned against you. This metaphor flips that on its head. The more you practise standing in the eye, the more you prove to yourself that you can influence your experience.

You start to realise that triggers aren’t a sign of weakness—they’re an invitation to practise your own mastery. Over time, this doesn’t just change how you respond in the moment, it reshapes the way you see yourself. You’re not just surviving storms; you’re learning how to meet them with steadiness, clarity, and choice.

Why Visualisation Is So Powerful

From a brain perspective, visualisation works because your nervous system doesn’t clearly distinguish between something vividly imagined and something actually experienced. When you picture yourself in the calm eye of the storm, your brain begins to send the same signals it would if you were physically safe and still. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system—the body’s “rest and digest” mode—which slows heart rate, reduces muscle tension, and lowers stress hormones. Over time, repeatedly pairing a distressing trigger with a calming mental image helps rewire neural pathways, making it easier for the brain and body to return to a regulated state in real moments of challenge.

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn