If you suffer from anxiety then you may find it hard to believe that it actually has a positive intention. The symptoms you feel are your minds way of signalling to you that you need to avoid some perceived danger. Anxiety becomes a problem when your mind magnifies a potential threat, or perceives a threat where none exists. Appropriate levels of anxiety are actually beneficial, help motivate you, and keep you safe and on your toes. Prolonged stress and anxiety however can have the opposite effect. It can seriously impact your health, and reduce your resourcefulness, effectiveness, performance and decision making abilities.
The Process
Learning a simple way to quickly rebalance your mind and body on a regular basis can have profoundly positive effects. Practised regularly, it can help you to feel much more positive, more emotionally balanced, feel less stressed and can improve your mental clarity. This simple but very effective process, comes from a blend of ideas from meditation, HeartMath and NLP.
For maximum benefit it should be practised regularly for at least 5 to 15 minutes at a time. Practice it daily for at least 30 days. You are developing a new habit so be patient with yourself and remember the more you repeat the process the more automatically you'll start to think in a positive way.
1. Attention
Focus your attention on the centre of your chest.
2. Breathing
Continue to focus on the area around your chest and imagine you are breathing in and out through that area.
Begin to allow your breathing to gently slow and deepen, so that you breathe into the abdomen then the chest area. As you breathe out let the air leave the abdomen first then the chest. Your breathing should never feel uncomfortable or overextended. Allow your breathing rate to gently slow and deepen, until you are comfortably breathing in for 5 or 6 seconds and out for 5 or 6 seconds. With a little practice the deep breathing should feel smooth and natural. Once a smooth and natural breathing rhythm is established you can go to the next step.
3. Positive Emotional State
Recall a time when you felt a really positive feeling or attitude. For example, a sense of loving someone or feeling loved, a favourite place, or activity you enjoy, a happy memory, a sense of confidence, feelings of appreciation or compassion. Allow yourself to become fully immersed in this feeling or attitude. Make the mental images bigger, brighter, and closer. Turn up any sounds. Intensify any pleasant physical sensations and allow them to spread through you and around you. Imagine the feelings doubling and trebling in intensity. As you hold the positive feelings, continue the breathing and focus from the first steps.
4. Transport those good feelings into other areas of your life
As the good feelings from the previous step continue to intensify and flow throughout your body. Let them spread around you and form into a translucent protective bubble with you safely inside looking out. Notice the colour of this bubble, and let that colour slightly tint whatever you look at outside of the bubble. Imagine looking out through your bubble of positive feelings as you consider some of the stresses and anxieties in your life. Ensure that you maintain the positive emotion as you do this. You may need to cycle between steps 3 and 4 to keep the positive emotions feeling intense. Next spend some time imagining experiencing the day ahead in the most amazing way possible whilst staying inside your positive bubble.
The Process
Learning a simple way to quickly rebalance your mind and body on a regular basis can have profoundly positive effects. Practised regularly, it can help you to feel much more positive, more emotionally balanced, feel less stressed and can improve your mental clarity. This simple but very effective process, comes from a blend of ideas from meditation, HeartMath and NLP.
For maximum benefit it should be practised regularly for at least 5 to 15 minutes at a time. Practice it daily for at least 30 days. You are developing a new habit so be patient with yourself and remember the more you repeat the process the more automatically you'll start to think in a positive way.
1. Attention
Focus your attention on the centre of your chest.
2. Breathing
Continue to focus on the area around your chest and imagine you are breathing in and out through that area.
Begin to allow your breathing to gently slow and deepen, so that you breathe into the abdomen then the chest area. As you breathe out let the air leave the abdomen first then the chest. Your breathing should never feel uncomfortable or overextended. Allow your breathing rate to gently slow and deepen, until you are comfortably breathing in for 5 or 6 seconds and out for 5 or 6 seconds. With a little practice the deep breathing should feel smooth and natural. Once a smooth and natural breathing rhythm is established you can go to the next step.
3. Positive Emotional State
Recall a time when you felt a really positive feeling or attitude. For example, a sense of loving someone or feeling loved, a favourite place, or activity you enjoy, a happy memory, a sense of confidence, feelings of appreciation or compassion. Allow yourself to become fully immersed in this feeling or attitude. Make the mental images bigger, brighter, and closer. Turn up any sounds. Intensify any pleasant physical sensations and allow them to spread through you and around you. Imagine the feelings doubling and trebling in intensity. As you hold the positive feelings, continue the breathing and focus from the first steps.
4. Transport those good feelings into other areas of your life
As the good feelings from the previous step continue to intensify and flow throughout your body. Let them spread around you and form into a translucent protective bubble with you safely inside looking out. Notice the colour of this bubble, and let that colour slightly tint whatever you look at outside of the bubble. Imagine looking out through your bubble of positive feelings as you consider some of the stresses and anxieties in your life. Ensure that you maintain the positive emotion as you do this. You may need to cycle between steps 3 and 4 to keep the positive emotions feeling intense. Next spend some time imagining experiencing the day ahead in the most amazing way possible whilst staying inside your positive bubble.
About the Author:
Nigel is a hypnotherapist who helps with anxiety, performance anxiety, generalised anxiety, IBS and phobias. Public Speaking Anxiety in London, Harley Street Public Speaking Anxiety treatment in Manchester
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