subject: Using Self-Hypnosis to Battle 21st-Century Challenges: Stress, Anxiety and Depression [print this page] Using Self-Hypnosis to Battle 21st-Century Challenges: Stress, Anxiety and Depression
As we move through the various situations of our daily lives, the mind creates stress in response to any perceived threats or out-of-the-ordinary challenges. It is important to maintain control of one's thoughts during stress-inducing events: if apersonis exposed to a period ofprolonged stress, chances are good he or she will eventually become anxious, even depressed. This is especially trueas the stressful situation progresses orintensifies. In many cases, the mind alternates between anxiety and depression.
When experiencing anxiety, the mindlaunches into overdrive,preparingto take action to remedy or eliminate the perceived source of stress. This is the "fight or flight" response you've heard about. The fight response reflects the mind's decision to take action; the body goes into high alert, ready to make a move. In other words, following the mind's lead, the body also becomes very"on edge."
If this situation happens for a short time,both mind and body will ultimately return to normal function. It is during prolonged situations that stress can damage our minds and bodies. If that excess emotion and energy is not properly channeled, it can literally cause aches, pains and sicknesses. This is where the idea of the mind's ability to either hurt you or heal you comes from.
So if the situation is not resolved in a relatively short period of time, the mind will force itself into a depressive state in an effort to protect itself. This is why people with depression often end up sleeping much more thanis normal; it is a variation on the flight response. Instead of physically escaping the stressful situation, the mind literally wants to escape reality. After being in a depressive state for some time, it is common for the mind to come full circle into a state of anxiety, as the desire to fix the situation comes back. And so, the vicious cycle is repeated again and again.
For this reason, it is necessary to train our minds to be balanced regardless of the circumstances.
Use this self-hypnosis exercise as a stepping stone to alleviate stress:
Relax in a comfortable chair and close your eyes.
Take several deep, slow breaths and give yourself suggestions to relax. Really deepen and lengthen your breathing as you do so.
Remember a time when you felt the way you want to feel when you felt peace and happiness. Remember all the details of how that time felt recreate it in your mind.
Allow your mind and body to accept that peace and happiness.
In your mind, tell yourself that in the same way you've had wonderful, happy and peaceful moments, you expect to have many more. Allow your mind to accept this idea as you accept peace and balance into your life. Accept that many more good things are on their way to you and that at this moment, the most important thing is to be open to the peace and happiness that comes from within. Be like a child. They don't need reasons to be happy.
By the time you are done with this exercise, you will notice that a shift has started to take place. One of the laws of the mind is that two opposite states cannot exist in the mind at the same time. So for example, you can't feel happy and be upset at the same time. This exercise follows this principle.
When remembering memories of peace, tranquility and happiness, the mind starts bringing them back into your experience, since the subconscious mind has no concept of time. Use this self-hypnosis technique as your starting point and be patient with yourself. Your mind-control abilities will improve with practice!
