Each morning before plugging into your computer, cellphone, or turning on a podcast, take a deep inhale and then exhale, then make your way to the comfortable space you have created for yourself. Once you are sitting comfortably with good posture, repeat the steps for Square Breathing and Learning to Be Present. Remember to be compassionate and patient with yourself while creating your practice.
- Square Breathing (remember to make note of how many cycles it took before you became centered).
- Once you find yourself centered begin Learning to Be Present exercise.
- Once present, begin to create a view of yourself as engaged, open, compassionate, and curious (this is a state of self-energy, which you will use to understand your internal influences). Remember, this is the state which allows for integration of your new adaptive patterns, beliefs, emotions, etc.
Daily Journal questions:
Using the maladaptive narrative you comprised over the first three lessons and juxtaposing with your adaptive narrative:
- What beliefs, emotions, strategies, vows, behaviors, etc. have changed or feel more accurate now?
- Are there beliefs, emotions, strategies, vows, behaviors, etc. still needing attention? Attend to these needs.
- Visualize the maladaptive traits fading away and the new empowering adaptive traits getting stronger.
- Once you have connected with the empowering traits, visualize employing these traits in various scenarios.
Night Resourcing:
Mental Theatre: The Mental Theatre Technique is a technique used to help integrate the empowering traits into your system. First begin by sitting comfortably, take a couple of deep breaths, and become centered. Next, in your mind, create a theatre. It can be outside or inside as long as there is a movie screen. After you have created your theatre, imagine you have a remote control that can rewind, turn emotions up or down, fast forward, control sensations, basically anything you need to be successful. Now picture yourself on the screen and successfully employing your adaptive traits through various scenarios. Use your remote to rewind, dial down intensity, or whatever function may be needed in order for the positive traits to be used. This technique can be used for past scenarios and anticipatory situations which provoke anxiety patterns. Remember to take your time and really connect with the discoveries and paths forwards as you are directing your life. Each night, continue to review and modify your narrative as you integrate these empowering, adaptive characteristics.