Imagination is a valuable asset for lowering stress.  Tis the season; because the holidays are stressful for a lot of people, we are sharing a visual anchoring technique that may provide a solution.  Visual anchoring is a mind management practice that can lower stress. Be aware, anchoring takes practice to be effective…think of it this way, we exercise our body, why not our mind. 

 

Here are the 7 steps:

 

• Find a quiet spot to relax. 

• Identify your stress symbol along with a calming symbol   (vacation photo’s work well).

• Close your eyes, picture the stress image and slowly shrink it until it’s no longer legible.    

• Bring up a calming image zooming in…make it large taking in the colors, textures, shapes, sounds, and feel the feelings at that time.

• When the image is at it’s peak immediately press your thumb and forefinger together (pushing hard). Say to yourself RELAX.  Note: You are giving your emotional brain a command while anchoring the feeling with your thumb and forefinger. 

• Quickly release, open your eyes, look around the room and take a moment to be back in your current space.  Test by pressing your thumb and forefinger together once again saying RELAX, see if you experience more ease. Repeat process as needed until you anchor in the ease.  

• When the holiday stress trigger comes up, press your thumb and forefinger to call up a more relaxed feeling. 

 

Because our earliest from of communication was cave painting, our emotional brain is hard wired to respond to visual cues.  Visualization with anchoring imprints a resourceful state on our emotional brain by replacing a stressful trigger with a desired state of mind.  Keep in mind anchoring is a discipline which requires some concentrated effort and needs to be practiced before the stressful event occurs. 

 

In closing Einstein knew this when he said “the mind does not know the difference between imagination and reality”.

 

Your imagination is a muscle, why not try exercising it over the holidays.  All the best and Happy Holidays!!