| 1.Visualisation | | | | - You can't change the past. It's done. What you can |
| - Try to picture the events as a REALITY and not just | | | | change is how you view the past from the |
| as a day dream. Make it real for you! | | | | present.How do you choose to see the past???Your |
| HOW TO VISUALISE: | | | | past may have been miserable, true, but how many |
| The relaxation movie | | | | times more cruel have you been to yourself since |
| To help you relax , close your eyes and take yourself | | | | then? If we never had challenges, made mistakes or |
| to a safe tranquil place. Bring into your mind all that is | | | | tried new things, how would we ever grow, ever |
| soothing about this location. | | | | learn? Go ahead and make mistakes. Everybody |
| Picture as much detail as you can -- colours, light and | | | | does. Goof it up! Then LET IT GO. If you hadn't had to |
| shadow, sounds, smell. Reach out and touch things | | | | deal with an awkward situation you would have |
| around you . Create a safe calm haven, where you | | | | learned NOTHING. Give yourself a break! Maybe you |
| can be at peace. | | | | didn't have the knowledge or experience that you |
| It might be: | | | | needed to get it right first time. Well now you do, by |
| 1.Lying on a beach- | | | | MAKING A MISTAKE! Others who have helped from |
| Feel the warmth of the sun.Hear the waves lapping | | | | your past may have been equally uninformed or |
| onto the shore.Touch the sand under your fingers. | | | | unevolved! FORGIVE THEM! Does it help you to hold a |
| 2.Walking in a garden- | | | | grudge?The future is unknown. You may as well |
| Smell the perfume.See the colours.Soak up the | | | | imagine it in a favourable light. Who knows? Today's |
| peace.Sitting next to a waterfall Listen to the | | | | loss may simply clear the path for greater gain! You |
| roar.Watch the way it flows, Taste the clear fresh | | | | don't know that it won't! Again, how do you CHOOSE |
| water. | | | | to visualise the future? How can you be sure that this |
| 3.Floating in a blue pool- | | | | was the only man/woman for you? The best job you'll |
| Feel the water supporting you.Hear the far-off | | | | ever have?Go back to visualisations for a moment. |
| sounds.Abandon yourself to floating. | | | | Create a movie about your future, as you would like it |
| 2. WORRY TIME | | | | to proceed, from here. See yourself grieving for your |
| -Allocate 1 hour a day for worrying. This is the time | | | | loss, then dusting yourself off, looking around you and |
| when you can give full flight to all the concerns and | | | | seeing a whole new option emerge. Perhaps, in the |
| cares that you normally allow to nag at you all day. Be | | | | end, this transition has nothing to do with outside |
| very firm about this. If you find yourself worrying | | | | factors (a spouse, a job, etc). Perhaps it's something |
| outside of the appointed hour, remind yourself that you | | | | important that you're discovering about YOU that you |
| can't be bothered by this now, you'll deal with it later | | | | can use to create a better future. |
| during worry time, and then you'll give it your full | | | | 5. THE NUCLEAR WAR THEORY |
| attention. A funny thing tends to happen during the | | | | -What picture does this conjure up? Death, destruction, |
| WORRY HOUR. You usually don't feel like | | | | total annihilation? The end of all life as we know it? Its |
| WORRYING! | | | | hard to imagine anything worse, isn't it? And yet, most |
| 3. MEDITATION | | | | of u, at some time or other, have built up being late for |
| - Regular meditation is a very powerful tool in helping | | | | an appointment into something almost as catastrophic |
| to promote a better understanding of yourself, a more | | | | in our own minds!If your guests are late, if the dinner |
| peaceful attitude and a lower stress level. Its positive | | | | burns, if your car breaks down, even if something BAD |
| impact on mental and physical health has been well | | | | happens, ask yourself the old question. IS IT THE END |
| documented, and it is especially helpful for anxiety | | | | OF THE WORLD???Again, it is how you choose to |
| sufferers! Several health institutions have introduced | | | | see it. If you perceive something as being a disaster, |
| meditation programs for sufferers of anxiety, terminal | | | | then that's how it will feel to you. Lets look at the burnt |
| illness and chronic pain, for example. All of us have | | | | dinner example: |
| meditated without calling it that. It occurs when we | | | | You could: |
| 'switch off'. The term ' lost IN thought' we are actually | | | | (A) Spend the entire night sulking or embarrassed and |
| allowing thoughts to occur, without any emotional | | | | have everyone feeling uncomfortable OR |
| attachment to them.This allows Anxiety sufferers to | | | | (B) Make a joke, order a pizza and enjoy an evening |
| distance themselves from the endless internal chatter | | | | where everyone's relaxed by your humour. |
| that comes with anxious thoughts and constant | | | | Ask yourself: What's important? Really important? The |
| worrying. Our minds can truly rest and, ofcourse, our | | | | company of your friends or Cordon Bleu cookery? It's |
| bodies can, too.This builds confidence as we know | | | | done (even if like a dinner!). Relax. It DOESNT |
| that we can control our fears by relaxing past them, | | | | MATTER. |
| and quietly arrive at solutions to our own problems, by | | | | 6. LET GO |
| allowing these insights to occur to us. Daydreaming is a | | | | -Often it's our attachment to outcomes, results or |
| form of meditation, when we drift off, letting our | | | | ideals that creates the greatest stress on us. This is |
| thoughts float where they will. Meditation is natural, | | | | the word 'SHOULD' at its most damaging. For Instance: |
| easy and available to all, at any time. | | | | (A) I SHOULD be well by now! |
| 4. HOW, NOW? | | | | |