Here is an easy method for reducing distress and reconnecting with the best in yourself. Everyone should have a rich toolkit of these sorts of techniques.
- Notice that you are having an internal experience that you would like to change. Cues might be physical tension, stress, boredom, spaciness or something else.
- Make a sincere effort to shift your focus from your mind or emotions to the area around your heart. If it works in the situation, actually put a hand gently on your heart area. Feel the warmth there and pretend you are breathing through your heart to help you keep your attention there. Keep that up for 10 seconds or more.
- Recall a positive, fun feeling or experience you have had in your life and attempt to re-experience it.
- Now using intuition, common sense and sincerity, ask your heart for any advice on dealing with the stress, letting go of the past pain or reconnecting with the best in yourself.
- Listen with gratitude to your inner wisdom and resolve to act upon it.
This is a skill, so you will get better with practice. Practice right now!
This pattern is based on the Freeze-Frame process developed by HeartMath. They have done some great research on stress, heart rate variability and heart and breath rhythm coherence, check ’em out!