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| Photo by Sara Fogan |
“You
deserve a break today…” So sings a popular advertisement jingle. Unfortunately,
it is not always easy to get that well-deserved break when we want (or need)
it. That’s okay: even a mini, mental vacation can provide the emotional and mental
respite you need right now to tide you over until you get a chance to enjoy the
real thing. Here are some suggestions:
·
Read a book for fun. It doesn’t matter if it is
fiction or nonfiction, poetry or Manga. Anything that draws you into a subject deeply
enough so you can temporarily lose track of time and place will enable you to
feel refreshed when you put the book down.
·
Exercise, meditate or do yoga. Physical activity
is not only good for the body, it also kicks up the endorphins—those “feel good”
chemicals inside—that help us to relax and relieve stress. If you ever go for a
run to clear your head and experience the runner’s “high” you know exactly what
I mean.
·
Go outside and experience nature. It doesn’t
matter whether you go to the beach, walk in the woods or take a stroll in the
neighborhood park; just get outside and experience the sounds, smells and other
sensation of this different environment. Spend time looking at your environment:
what do you notice that you have never seen before? What color is the sky? Are there
leaves on the trees yet? Is there snow still on the ground?
·
Play catch with your dog, cuddle your cat or
groom or ride your horse. Nothing compares with the Zen experience of interacting
one-on-one with an animal in this way. Clear your mind (and agenda) to spend some
time with another creature: focus all of your attention and energy on the animal
and immerse yourself in its world for a little while. Notice how your pet
responds to what you do and how you communicate with it. What do you do that
earns the biggest positive response? What do you do (or don’t do) that the
animal seems less interested in? Isn’t it wonderful how little you actually have to say or do to elicit the wagging tail,
purr or gentle blowing sound to indicate that it is content? There is nowhere
and no one in the world that gives us this kind of positive feedback for just
doing something that feels good to both parties.
·
“Special place” imagery: Close your eyes and draw
slow, deep breaths. Visualize, imagine, picture or pretend that you are in an
environment where you feel completely relaxed, calm and comfortable. This can
be someplace that is familiar to you, where you have visited before and really
like; or, it can be a location of your own creation. Notice every detail of the
environment around you: what do you hear, see, smell, feel, taste? Enjoy the
sensation of feeling completely relaxed and at peace with everyone and
everything around you in this place. You can anchor these feelings of calm, comfort
and relaxation by pressing or rubbing your thumb and index (pointing) finger of
your right hand. Anytime you activate this anchor, you can and will immediately
access these sensations. To finish this exercise, thank the images you have
encountered and open your eyes.
Have a great
weekend, everyone!
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
