Do you remember the fun you had making collages as a kid in school? You probably didn’t realize you were shifting your mindset — but you were.

Directing your energies toward the life you want to create is far more effective than ruminating on how bad things are. Thinking positively makes you far more likely to take on the requisite actions to turn your dreams into reality.

Enter the vision board — these grown-up tools are every bit as fun to make as one of your favorite school projects. Plus, you can use them to achieve your wellness goals.

What Is a Vision Board? Do They Work?

A vision board is an adult version of a collage — with a purpose. They can help you manifest the life you desire. How? It’s a matter of neurobiology.

Think about the flood of information bombarding your senses each day. You’d quickly go mad if you paid attention to every sight, smell, noise or thought. According to the National Library of Medicine, your brain uses a process called value-tagging to assign “weight” to various items — you pay more attention to those you frequently see as your mind determines they’re more critical to your survival.

Creating a vision board directs your mental energy toward those things you want to see more of in your life. You program yourself to take greater notice of potential opportunities that mesh with your skills, capacity and knowledge. In a very real sense, you manifest your future by directing your focus toward doing those actions that bring you closer to your goals.

3 Ways to Use a Vision Board to Achieve Your Wellness Goals

 Now that you understand the psychology of vision boards, you can use them to further your wellness goals. Here’s how:

1. Re-Imagine Your Food Plan

Maybe you don’t feel your best and suspect unbalanced eating is to blame. Instead of stopping for fast food several times a week, you want to begin meal-prepping healthy dinners chock-full of essential nutrients like vitamin C and magnesium and lower in fats and calories.

Your vision board might feature pictures of chef’s aprons surrounded by delicious meals, all slow-cooker ready and packed in freezer bags. Find images on the cheap by using the weekly ad from your local grocer and letting your vision board double as a shopping list.

2. Focus on Fitness

Do you want to get in great shape this year? Here are fun ideas for vision board ideas to help you meet your fitness goals:

• To train for a race: Include images like first-place medals, pictures of runs in scenic locations and fun stickers that with race times.
• To develop a sculpted physique: Search the web for images of your favorite fitness influencers, including plenty of people with body types that resemble yours.
• To increase your flexibility: Images of yogis in gorgeous natural settings and Sanskrit “breathe” symbols may decorate your board.

3. Envision a Mentally Healthy Life

What does a mentally healthy life look like? Here, you might have to get creative — but you can have some serious fun using photos of yourself to customize your vision board.

Use thought bubbles to show them reacting positively to triggering situations and setting healthy boundaries, such as, “I can’t help you on Monday. Would Tuesday evening work for you?”

Start Now 

Vision boards are fun to create. Best of all, we can use them as a steady reminder to be disciplined about our wellness goals. Use the tips above and get creating today for a healthier tomorrow.

Cora Gold has a passion for living a happy, healthy and mindful life. As Editor-in-Chief of Revivalist and an avid writer, she aims to inspire others to do the same. Follow Cora on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.