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| Photo courtesy of Microsoft When you pack for a vacation, remember to leave any negative associations/expectations about your trip at home. |
As I
have mentioned in my blog on January 8, 2014, it is very important to devote
some time every day to relaxation and chilling out. Your conscious mind and
physical body need down time the same way your subconscious mind needs REM
sleep and dreams to process information and work through stress while you
sleep. With President’s Day upon us, tomorrow marks the start of a three-day
weekend for many Americans. Some people will take advantage of the long weekend
to go away for a few days of rest and relaxation. Others may opt to take a “staycation”
and spend quality time at home with friends and family. And still others may
choose to take the next few days to spend quality time alone, going to a health
spa to meditate and recharge their emotional batteries.
While
you prepare for the weekend, consider which items you absolutely need and want
to bring with you and those you can (and should) leave behind. Plane/train/boat
tickets, money and I.D., change(s) of clothes, toothbrush and toothpaste are obvious
items you will need to bring along. If you plan to go skiing or snowboarding,
you will probably also want to pack your sports gear for the trip, too. Just as
there is limited carrying space in a suitcase, the trunk of your car and in the
storage compartments of airplanes, trains and tour buses, I believe that there
should also be limited room for the mental scripts that you bring with you on
your vacation. “Necessary” items to include in this kind of mental script are: positive
emotions and energy about the trip, optimism and alternative strategies or
options if you must make an unexpected change of plan. What you do not
need to bring on your trip are negative memories/associations with your travel
destination and negative emotions (e.g., frustration, pessimism, etc.). If
possible, you should also leave your job at home, too.
If
you have any anxiety about or negative associations with your vacation
destination—for example, if you haven’t been on skis since you had that bad
spill two years ago—check out my suggestions for increasing self-confidence in
my blog on January 12, 2014. I also provide a generic breathing and relaxation
exercise in my blog on February 4, 2014: Here, I teach you an effective
technique to replace negative associations with positive ones as you exhale and
inhale your breath, respectively.
I hope you have a wonderful and safe weekend,
wherever you go and however you spend it.
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in
Southern California. She graduated with honors from the
Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about
Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2014
