How Do You "DO" Stress - How Do You "DO" Relaxation?

Today, I want to share a powerful insight from the practice of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) that will help you release stress and increase relaxation in the face of any challenge.

One of the primary things you learn from NLP is that your experience of life is in your control.

That doesn't mean that you can control every event or circumstance. What it does mean is that you can choose HOW you experience events and circumstances and HOW you relate to them. You can choose HOW you are doing your life.

Richard Bandler, the father and co-creator of NLP, began his work in the 1960s with a simple empirical approach. Rather than theorizing about "why" people did what they did, he would investigate "HOW they did it."

For example, he looked at how people who were successful in kicking habits, getting over loss, achieving success, and creating relaxed positive experiences used their minds to get those results.

He also looked at how people who were stuck in bad habits, lost in depression, ridden with stress and anxiety, and frustrated in moving forward used their minds.

What he discovered is that recurrent experiences are the result of habitual ways of perceiving things. It's all about how you are in the habit of interpreting your experiences.

If this is so, then, you have the ability to have new experiences by adopting new ways of perceiving the same situation.

As Bandler says, "When you think in a new way, you get to do new things and you get to feel new things." (p.xxvii, Get The Life You Want)

So how does NLP work? It begins with a present experience. You begin by looking at your present experience as something that you are doing rather than as something that is happening to you.

This is a powerful mental shift that is the key to overcoming stress as well. Stress is the result of looking at yourself as a victim of events that are happening to you, rather than seeing what you can do to make things better.

With this as a starting point, your first goal is to discover how you are mentally creating your experience of stress, consciously and subconsciously.

You can get a feel for how you do this by calling to mind a recent experience of stress...

When you have this experience in your mind, ask yourself the following simple series of questions.

What do I feel in my body?

Where is this feeling located? What are the qualities of this feeling?

Does it make me hot/cold? Does it make me breathe fast? Does it make my muscles contract? Is it heavy or light?

Where does the feeling start from? How does the feeling move in my body? Is there a direction to it?

You can move your hand in circles in different directions and see which one matches how your feeling is moving.

What images are associated with this feeling?

How many images are associated with my feeling? Are they moving or still? Are they in color or black and white? Are they small or large?

Where do I see them? (In front of me? Behind? Above? Below? Left? Right? In the middle?) Am I in the image or looking at it?

Are there any thoughts, beliefs, or words in my head associated with the feeling and images?

What words do I hear in my head? Who is speaking them? What is the tone, tempo, and rhythm? How do those words make me feel?

Are there any other sensations associated with the feeling/image/thought? Any smells, tastes, or bodily sensations?

Mr. Bandler calls this taking an inventory of the "submodalities" of your experience.

Now, bring to mind an experience of "relaxation" and go through the same questions:

What do I feel in my body? Where is this feeling located? What are the qualities of this feeling? How does the feeling move in my body? Is there a direction to it?

What images are associated with this feeling?

Are there any thoughts, beliefs, or words in my head associated with the feeling and images?

Are there any other sensations associated with the feeling/ image/thought? Any smells, tastes, or bodily sensations?

As you witness how you are doing relaxation and how you are doing stress, you see that these experiences are generated by doing different things. Since stress and relaxation are the result of what you are doing, you have power to step into these experiences and do something different.

You can imagine being relaxed in any situation, focus on relaxing thoughts, embody relaxing feelings and sensations, and take actions that make you feel empowered to take yourself out of stress and into relaxation.

One of the most powerful ways you can practice this is through meditation. In meditation, you learn to calmly witness how you are "doing stress"-and let that go-so you can consciously choose to "do relaxation and empowerment" instead.

Enjoy your practice!

https://ezinearticles.com/?How-Do-You-DO-Stress---How-Do-You-DO-Relaxation?&id=9477728

How Do You "DO" Stress - How Do You "DO" Relaxation?

Today, I want to share a powerful insight from the practice of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) that will help you release stress and increase relaxation in the face of any challenge.

One of the primary things you learn from NLP is that your experience of life is in your control.

That doesn't mean that you can control every event or circumstance. What it does mean is that you can choose HOW you experience events and circumstances and HOW you relate to them. You can choose HOW you are doing your life.

Richard Bandler, the father and co-creator of NLP, began his work in the 1960s with a simple empirical approach. Rather than theorizing about "why" people did what they did, he would investigate "HOW they did it."

For example, he looked at how people who were successful in kicking habits, getting over loss, achieving success, and creating relaxed positive experiences used their minds to get those results.

He also looked at how people who were stuck in bad habits, lost in depression, ridden with stress and anxiety, and frustrated in moving forward used their minds.

What he discovered is that recurrent experiences are the result of habitual ways of perceiving things. It's all about how you are in the habit of interpreting your experiences.

If this is so, then, you have the ability to have new experiences by adopting new ways of perceiving the same situation.

As Bandler says, "When you think in a new way, you get to do new things and you get to feel new things." (p.xxvii, Get The Life You Want)

So how does NLP work? It begins with a present experience. You begin by looking at your present experience as something that you are doing rather than as something that is happening to you.

This is a powerful mental shift that is the key to overcoming stress as well. Stress is the result of looking at yourself as a victim of events that are happening to you, rather than seeing what you can do to make things better.

With this as a starting point, your first goal is to discover how you are mentally creating your experience of stress, consciously and subconsciously.

You can get a feel for how you do this by calling to mind a recent experience of stress...

When you have this experience in your mind, ask yourself the following simple series of questions.

What do I feel in my body?

Where is this feeling located? What are the qualities of this feeling?

Does it make me hot/cold? Does it make me breathe fast? Does it make my muscles contract? Is it heavy or light?

Where does the feeling start from? How does the feeling move in my body? Is there a direction to it?

You can move your hand in circles in different directions and see which one matches how your feeling is moving.

What images are associated with this feeling?

How many images are associated with my feeling? Are they moving or still? Are they in color or black and white? Are they small or large?

Where do I see them? (In front of me? Behind? Above? Below? Left? Right? In the middle?) Am I in the image or looking at it?

Are there any thoughts, beliefs, or words in my head associated with the feeling and images?

What words do I hear in my head? Who is speaking them? What is the tone, tempo, and rhythm? How do those words make me feel?

Are there any other sensations associated with the feeling/image/thought? Any smells, tastes, or bodily sensations?

Mr. Bandler calls this taking an inventory of the "submodalities" of your experience.

Now, bring to mind an experience of "relaxation" and go through the same questions:

What do I feel in my body? Where is this feeling located? What are the qualities of this feeling? How does the feeling move in my body? Is there a direction to it?

What images are associated with this feeling?

Are there any thoughts, beliefs, or words in my head associated with the feeling and images?

Are there any other sensations associated with the feeling/ image/thought? Any smells, tastes, or bodily sensations?

As you witness how you are doing relaxation and how you are doing stress, you see that these experiences are generated by doing different things. Since stress and relaxation are the result of what you are doing, you have power to step into these experiences and do something different.

You can imagine being relaxed in any situation, focus on relaxing thoughts, embody relaxing feelings and sensations, and take actions that make you feel empowered to take yourself out of stress and into relaxation.

One of the most powerful ways you can practice this is through meditation. In meditation, you learn to calmly witness how you are "doing stress"-and let that go-so you can consciously choose to "do relaxation and empowerment" instead.

Enjoy your practice!

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Do-You-DO-Stress---How-Do-You-DO-Relaxation?&id=9477728

The Tiny Mental Shift That Makes EVERYTHING Easier

Have you ever set a goal for yourself, then been utterly frustrated that you seemed unable to put forth the necessary effort to get what you wanted? Do any of these sound familiar to you?

• “I just can’t make myself go to the gym.”
• “I can’t control my emotions. I always blow up and then regret it later.”
• “I really want to get started on my business idea, but I just can’t find the time.”

In most cases like this, the word can’t is inaccurate. It suggests that you have a complete and utter inability to engage in the act in question — as if there is some invisible external force preventing you from doing what it is you said you want to do.

Saying can’t takes away your power, and in some ways provides an excuse for not moving forward toward your goals or fulfilling your commitments.

So, how can you shift your mindset to sidestep this problem? Replace can’t with won’t.

• “I just won’t make myself eat healthy foods consistently.”
• “I won’t leave this relationship, even though I know it is unhealthy.”
• “I won’t take the time to meditate every day.”

This will feel uncomfortable, but that’s kind of the point. It forces you to take full ownership of your actions. It puts the power back in your hands. Won’tcreates the possibility that you can make a different choice.

How do you apply this in your own life?

1. Reflect on what's actually true.

While it is true that in some instances, can’t could be accurate, I challenge you to look at your situation to determine if and when that’s actually true. If you do indeed find that won’t is a more fitting reflection of your current situation, consider why. Why won’t you engage in the action necessary to accomplish your goal? Do you need to reprioritize? Are you afraid? Is the goal less important to you than you previously thought it was? Asking yourself these sorts of questions will provide you with insights that will help you deal with the obstacles that are holding you back.

2. Make a commitment to yourself.

If you decide that your goal is important to you and that you do want to accomplish it, say that you “will” take the action necessary. Write it down, and leave this note somewhere (or in several places) where you will come across it regularly. This will help keep you motivated.

3. Share your plans with others.

For additional accountability (and healthy peer pressure) share your commitment with others. When we make our plans public, it increases our odds for success — perhaps because we want to honor our commitments and make ourselves look good. So, take a stand for your willingness to act by telling others about your goal.

4. Repeat as needed.

When obstacles arise and you feel like you “can’t” persist, remind yourself of won’t. Take back your power, and be intentional about taking necessary actions to accomplish your goal.

Finally, remind yourself of the wise words of Thomas Edison: “If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.”

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-21470/the-tiny-mental-shift-that-makes-everything-easier.html

The Scientifically Proven Mental Shift That Makes You Physically Healthier

         

In this day and age, you would have to be living under a rock not to have heard about the powerful mind-body connection. For example, we know that exercise helps alleviate depression, yoga is great for stress management, eating vegetables and other superfoods can make you happier and the way you walk can boost your mood. So, for your overall mental health, you should definitely be exercising, eating right and engaging in other forms of self-care.

But did you know that the reverse is also true? Your moods and overall mindset have a measurable effect on your body and its functioning. Here are four of the most fascinating scientific findings about how your outlook on life affects your health.

1. Your perception of stress affects its actual impact on your body.

We have all heard about the negative effects of stress on our bodies. However, researchers out of the University of Wisconsin at Madison discovered that our views about stress may actually play a bigger role in its negative effects than the stress itself. In the study, they tracked 30,000 American adults for eight years, and found that people with a lot of stress had a 43% increased risk of dying — but only if they believed stress was harmful. On the other hand, those who had a lot of stress, but didn't see it as harmful, did not have this increased risk.

2. Your level of life-satisfaction may affect bone density.

A study out of Finland followed women over the age of 60 for 10 years, and asked them to report on their level of life satisfaction. The researchers found that while all women experienced an average 4% decrease in bone density during the duration of the study, there was a 52% difference in bone density loss between those who reported the highest levels of satisfaction versus the lowest levels. In addition, for those whose life satisfaction decreased during the 10 years, their bone density decreased 85% more than those whose satisfaction increased.

3. Positive thinking can increase your immunity to the common cold.

In another study, researchers interviewed participants over three weeks to assess the degree to which they had a positive emotional style. Then, subjects were given a nasal spray of rhinovirus (the cold germ) to see how their bodies would respond. Researchers found that those who had a positive emotional outlook were three times less likely to get a cold than those who had low levels of positive emotions. Interestingly, in a later study, these same researchers found that high levels of stress make it more difficult for the body to regulate the inflammatory response.

4. Optimism is literally good for your heart.

           

There is a wealth of research about the positive link between optimism and heart health. For example, cultivating optimism and hopefulness is linked to decreased risk of heart attack and stroke. In addition, patients who had heart attacks and were optimistic about their treatment were more likely to be alive 15 years later as compared to those who were less optimistic and hopeful (even with the same severity of illness).

Also, in a recent study of more than 5,000 adults, researchers found that the most optimistic individuals are twice as likely to have ideal cardiovascular health markers (as measured by a variety of factors, including blood pressure, body mass index, fasting plasma glucose and serum cholesterol levels and others) compared to those who are pessimistic.

These findings are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of this growing field of research, but they point to the importance of making sure not to just focus on nutrition and exercise as part of your self-care regimen. To enjoy optimal health, it's essential to develop an optimistic outlook and engage in happiness-boosting activities each and every day. Your mind and your body will thank you.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17337/the-scientifically-proven-mental-shift-that-makes-you-physically-healthier.html