Guided imagery can be used to help you become a success.
Truly successful people never rest.
They are not superior to others but have an insatiable appetite to look for more and want more. They are always looking for the edge over their competitors.
This can cause a great deal of stress and can be hard to deal with. It can consume most of your time leaving you little left for the things you need to do if you don’t find ways to cope with it.
Successful people have learned to somehow reduce their stress levels and to deal better with the stress they have.
A simple but effective strategy for coping better in all areas of your life is using guided imagery as a relaxation technique.
Guided imagery allows you to quickly and easily take a step back from your problems and approach them again with a clear mind.
Once you stop the chatter in your mind, your focus and your decision making become very sharp. This helps to reduce stress.
Guided imagery and visualization work because there is a strong link between your mental processes and your physical being.
When your mind is fully relaxed it can also produce a positive reaction in your body.
These physical benefits can include a reduction in blood pressure and a slower heartbeat.
One simple Guided Imagery technique is as follows:
- Sit comfortably in a quiet environment where you won’t be disturbed.
- With your eyes closed, take several deep, cleansing breaths.
- Form a mental picture in your mind of a scene which you find relaxing, perhaps a tropical beach, a forest or riverbank. It doesn’t particularly matter what you choose, so long as it is somewhere you feel safe and completely at ease.
- Keep adding details to your basic mental picture in order to make it as complete as possible. It’s important to try to involve all of your senses, for example if you were picturing lying in a forest, concentrate on the smell of the leaves, the feel of the soft earth beneath you and the sounds of the birds in the trees. The more involving your imaginary world becomes, the better the technique will work.
- After a few minutes (or as long as you like), open your eyes and slowly return to the ‘real world’. You should now feel much more relaxed and energized.
The beauty of guided imagery is in its simplicity. You don’t need a therapist to help you, and it can be performed almost anywhere and at any time.
However, if you find it difficult to obtain the necessary state of mind for the visualization process, there are many audio CDs on the market which you may find useful. They combine relaxing music and vocal instructions to guide you on your journey.
Now it’s your turn how have you learnt to deal with stress? Has it helped you to become a success story?
Score Your Way To Good Health - With Our Healthy Lifestyle Plan
Score your way to good health with our healthy lifestyle plan and it's unique 70 point weekly scorecard!
