(This blog was originally posted on February 6, 2014)
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| Photo courtesy of Microsoft |
As
I have mentioned in my blog titled Dream
Therapy, Part 1, 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 a
blast of summer-like weather hitting Southern California, many Los Angeles
residents will likely head out to the beach to take advantage of the
unseasonably warm weather. 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 water-skiing or surfing,
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 to spend the
weekend. “Necessary” items to include in this kind of subconscious 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 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 in the ocean since you got caught
in a rip current ten years ago—check out my suggestions for increasing
self-confidence in my blog titled, When
Self-Confidence Is on Thin Ice. I also provide a generic breathing and
relaxation exercise in my blog titled, Breath
Control: 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/.
© 2015
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