Visualize: your urge appears in the palm of your hand in the form of a bird. You toss it up in the air and watch it quickly fly out of sight. Feel this joy of watching the bird(urge) just fly away and smile.
So, in my post about the idea of Attention Investment Cycle I mention the most important part of the cycle “feel the joy of letting go.”
I asked a close friend, Rob, to read it and he mentioned that it might be very difficult for others to visualize and understand this concept. It’s very related to the concept of “open/closed” which I address here, but the premise is that you can use your imagination to calm your body and you can practice doing this so that you can do it more easily over time.
Note: most of this is theoretical, but if you’re interested in the science of any of this checkout Dr. Jud Brewer’s research.
So the idea that your imagination can change your state is pretty old. One thing to try is this:
Take one big breath
Imagine yourself smiling at the funniest joke you’ve ever heard
Now ponder how that felt in your shoulders, neck, and maybe your anxiety. Maybe a little more relaxed? Maybe you feel a little happier at least for a moment?
That's the sort of thing I’m talking about and will do much more. Dr. Jud Brewer has an even simpler, less “woo woo” way of using this sort of thing but I’ll write about that in the “open/closed” blog later eh?
Be well.