Wednesday 20 October 2010

Off the Beaten Track - Positive Affirmations ......


Wow, thanks for all your entries to the giveaway and lovely comments, they always make me smile :-)   If you haven't entered already then pop over to this post for info and to see what you could win.  Scented Sweetpea's Giveaway

Well this blog post is a little off the beaten track but what with most people feeling like time is flying past (there seem to be a lot of posts in blog land mentioning that at the moment) and with stressful things like Christmas (eekk I said the word!) coming up I thought this might help some of you.

When I was expecting little sweetpea we were due to go on holiday.  I have for some time found getting ready for holidays quite stressful, especially the driving to the airport and waiting to get on the plane.  Not sure why that is but as soon as I am on the plane I am fine but the whole getting there etc gets me all tied up in knots.  Also being pregnant seems to exasperate this I think because I am more tired than usual.

As I was pregnant I knew there wasn't much I could take to chill me out.  I usually take Valerian which is sold in Boots, this tastes quite yukky but does the trick, I couldn't take it being pregnant.  I looked at Bach Rescue Remedy too but the pharmacist said not to use it when I was pregnant - not sure if this is good or not so as I have never tried it.   This lead me to look into other ways of relaxing and I came across positive affirmations.

Positive affirmations have worked really well for me, it is so simple that it has really taken me by surprise at how well it works.

What are positive affirmations?

Well basically you install in your brain some lovely calming moments and when you get stressed you can recall these.  This brings back the feelings of that moment and so you bring back your relaxed state.

How do I make them?

When you find yourself in a particularly lovely state of mind and are enjoying a moment of calm hold your forefinger and thumb together tightly.  Close your eyes and soak up the sounds, feelings, warmth of the moment and hold your forefinger and thumb together tightly again.  Repeat this several times.  

How do I recall this feeling?

When you feel stressed hold your forefinger and thumb together and those images, feelings etc will come flooding back.

When I do this I have the images below flood back, the children giggling, the water running or waves lapping and the warmth of the sun on my back.  Hhhmmmm water seems to be a recurring theme in my relaxiation, maybe we need a big pond in our garden :-)

I also find listening to upbeat music works wonders too, there is nothing like a good singalong to cheer you up :-)

I hope you can use this for yourself, it really works well for me and is so simple.  What techniques do you use to relax ?


12 comments:

  1. I take deep breaths, and remind myself to be calm...but I think I'll give Positive Affirmations a go! Running water is a wonderfully calming sound...we have water features in our backyard, and they never fail to relax me. Maybe you should build a pond :)

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  2. Chocolate and gin ;-)

    No, seriously, yoga does it for me, plus the occasional bit of putting myself in Time Out if it all gets too much!

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  3. You are right about affirmations and I like using your finger and thumb to bring back a sense of peace. I typed 10 of my favorite Bible verses, laminated the paper and keep it in my purse. Many of them talk of God being our protector.

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  4. This sounds like a good idea! Trouble is I don't seem to have had any good feelings for such a long time so I need one to come along so I can remember it!!! I use the deep breathing technique when I am stressed and that seems to calm me down. You are very generous doing the giveaway. I will pass on this occasion and let other people have the luck of winning the lovely prizes!!! x

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  5. Hmm, do you mean Valerian? If I have trouble sleeping, I pop a few drops in the bath with some lavender.
    I love your last two pictures, but especially the pond-dipping one - what did they find?! Love Little Sweetpea's pink net!!
    Dan
    -x-

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  6. I don't normally get stressed, but when I get upset I generally tend to engross myself in a project, which relaxes me. Hope Christmas isn't too stressful for you this year!
    Love the photos! :) x

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  7. I'll give this a go - I have had a few really stressful days recently. Your photos are lovely. xxx

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  8. Those images look like just the things to relax you. I'm going to give this a go myself.

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  9. Thank you for such a lovely post. I often find life stressful, normally due to bad PMS. I will try this holding thumb & finger together. lou x

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  10. LOvely post! I thank you reminding me, I used to do this and have forgotten, gone off the path somewhat! Susie xxx

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  11. Oh i so agree, affirmations work for me, i just need to remember to do them! Thank you for the tips x

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  12. Thank you this sounds lovely :-) I do yoga at the moment and I find that helps me relax with my breathing but some happy thoughts would be a good one to add to see if they help :-)

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