4 Mind Tools to Alleviating Your Stress

 Accept Challenges

 Use a process of self-discovery to identify change opportunities
      

• Identify Your Emotions
• Understand What Triggers Your Negative Thoughts
• Monitor How You Respond

Allow a New Focus with Meditation

Focus your mind to achieve a new perception 

      Walking meditation - talk a slow/moderate paced walk and focus your attention on the part of your foot contacting the ground.  Remain focused on that process as the foot hit the ground.  When you feel your mind wander return back to the foot contact focus.  This teaches you to control your thoughts, and can be easily used in times of stress with walking or another activity (breathing).

·         Gratitude meditation - as you wake up first thing in the morning take some time to focus for the day, and give your thoughts some positive influence.  With your eyes closed focus on a person in your life that you are grateful for knowing.  Focus on their face, specifically a part that you associate when they come to mind (eyes, smile, and hair).  After finding this focus send them a thought of gratitude.  Repeat this process for 2-3 others.  This meditation helps us to focus on gratitude, and changes our focus outside of ourselves to others.

·         Centering meditation - Start with a simple stretch to relax the body, then find a comfortable position where you sit still, focus on your breathing patterns as you relax all your muscles, and finally choose a word or concept and let your mind absorb it for 15 minutes while you remain completely relaxed.  This is building a bridge between conscious and subconscious thought that promotes positive change.

Affirm Your Personal Power

Unleash the power of your mind to control stress

 

·         Using positive daily affirmations - counteracts stress in your life is extremely effective.  Prior to creating an affirmation use these tips to ensure the outcome is achieved: make it personal, positive, present tense, believable, simple, say it 3x times as you stand in front of your mirror, and complete this process for a minimum of 30 days.

·         Samples of Effective Affirmations You Can Use to Manage Stress: "I am at peace even when life gets crazy", "I am in control of my stress level", and "I am relaxed and free from stress".

Actualize Transformation with Self Hypnosis

Use Self Hypnosis to engage your sub-conscious mind in overcoming stress

 ·         The Mental Vacation Method - Imagine your favorite vacation spot or somewhere you've dreamed of going to use for this session.

·         The Safe Place Method - Choose a place where you always feel safe, comfortable, and at peace for this session.

·         The Marble Method - Sit yourself down in a comfortable place, and place a marble or a smooth stone in your hand while you allow your fingers to feel all the contours of the object.

Going through the process:

• Seat yourself in a comfortable place
• Start by breathing in focusing on a smooth inhalation
• As you exhale you say the number 3 to yourself three times, then 2 three times, and 1 three times
• Your feel your body relaxing every single muscle starting at the top of your head to your toes
• Then you picture a staircase in your mind, and as you go down the staircase you start with 10 and then say "deeper and deeper", then 9 and "deeper and deeper" until you get to the bottom of the staircase and number 1 followed by "deeper and deeper"
• Now in that safe relaxed place choose a powerful phrase, "I am confident and competent, and I can deal with stress in a confident manner" - repeat this phrase 5 to 10 times
• You can now take a rest or come out of hypnosis by counting from 1 to five

1.   Beginning to awaken

2.   I am completely and totally relaxed

3.   I am physically refreshed and mentally alert

4.   I am exceptionally clear headed

5.   Eyes open, wide awake and feeling wonderful

 

I know you'll experience success in managing life stresses when you take the time to use these tools.