Unless you planned well ahead, managed to avoid the malls, and don’t intend to travel or host, you are probably feeling pressured, stressed out, and overwhelmed with all of the holiday hustle and bustle. Well, here is a great resource and tool to help you with those frenzied holiday happenings. In fact, it’s something that we all probably do naturally and don’t even think about—that is, allow ourselves to be relaxed through hypnosis.
Think back to when you were just starting to fall asleep last night. You probably felt a little groggy and woozy as you began to relax and unwind from the busy day. You were entering into the initial stages of hypnosis, a naturally occurring state. You can enter this state at other times as well, such as when you are daydreaming or so intently focused on something that you lose track of time and things around you.
So here is a way to enjoy your holiday season with more energy, peace, and pleasure. Take a moment to recognize that what is truly stressing you out is not what is happening around you but how you internalize and handle it. Your reaction to the holidays, various obligations, and the purchasing of gifts often causes even more stress.
Recently I was talking with a person who told me how stressful it is when he has decided on the one and only “perfect” gift for his wife and he is unable to find it. He admitted to losing sleep, not being able to focus at work, and becoming grouchy and difficult to be around. Another person commented that she gets very agitated, lacks sleep, and gets migraines when she thinks about cooking and cleaning in preparation for the holidays.
I suggested to both of them that instead of listening to that little voice or conversation in their heads saying “this is going to be stressful,” change their thinking and respond to the situation differently. Basically, if you change your internal response to those thoughts, feelings, and events, you will begin to appreciate a different, more pleasurable response both emotionally and physically.
With hypnosis, it really can be that simple.
To begin, write on a piece of paper your biggest stressor over the holiday season. Get a clear idea of what it is. Don’t rush the process, and be as specific as you can. The more specific you are, the better.
Next, on another piece of paper write down how this event could be less stressful—if, for example, cooking for the holidays is stressful for you, think of a way to make it fun and more enjoyable. If you had control, how would you prefer this stressful event or problem manifest during the holiday season? Write it down.
Tonight, as you are beginning to fall asleep, get a clear image/picture of what you want to change and what the desired outcome will look like. Think about what you wrote down earlier and envision it happening in your mind’s eye. Get a clear vision of the desired outcome while beginning to enter into natural hypnosis. Let your subconscious mind do the rest.
Your subconscious is more susceptible to suggestion, so why not make that suggestion positive? You do have control; just make your suggestions ones that will help relieve the stress of the holidays and associated events. This technique is of course effective the rest of the year as well. Try it for a week and notice the difference!
© Copyright 2014 GoodTherapy.org. All rights reserved. Permission to publish granted by Ann Marie Sochia, MS, LPCA, CHT, NLP, Hypnotherapy Topic Expert Contributor
The preceding article was solely written by the author named above. Any views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org. Questions or concerns about the preceding article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment below.
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