Happiness and Visualization for Self-Care Sage advice for expecting mothers and those of us who just need a friendly reminder now and again, mentally checking into your own special happy place has tremendous benefits. Visualizing yourself in a place where you feel safe, loved, and comfortable will prompt chemical changes in your body that produce endorphins and switch your body into parasympathetic, or rest and digest mode. Imagining yourself back on your honeymoon can be extremely helpful when experiencing contractions during labor. Especially as honeymoons are often when conception takes place, going back to a time and place in which you felt pleasure, love, and trust can work wonders for easing delivery of the baby. Alternatively, if you are having difficulty bonding with your new baby, visualize yourself going down a long tunnel or even an aisle in the grocery store, where the baby is at the other end of that tunnel or aisle, so that you have to actively go to meet the baby. It doesn’t have to be a dark, scary, or cobwebby vision, just so long as it helps bring you closer to your baby. On the same note, remember that visualizations don't have to be new-agey, you can always imagine yourself inside of your favorite store, or anywhere else you feel a sense of joy and peace.