|
|
Author Jim Loehr, Ed.D., shows how to use your inner conversations to achieve inner balance, as well as mental, emotional and spiritual wellness during the year-end holidays. Free tools available from author's web site to promote full engagement and energy for life and work.
Ten Ways to Quiet Your Mind During the Holidays
Millions of people will soon take time off for their year-end holidays, looking forward to a break from business, school and the workplace. But we all know that for many, a different type of stress takes over. How can people help themselves get the mental, emotional and spiritual wellness they hope for during this time? "Everyone has the opportunity to quiet their inner noises by managing their inner voices," says Dr. Jim Loehr, a performance psychologist whose latest book, The Power of Story, shows how to use your "inner storyteller" to become more fully engaged in life and work. Dr. Loehr explains that we all have private voices that tell us stories, often over and over again. "During holidays, that conversation intensifies as shopping, parties, communications with people we see only once a year, and complex travel arrangements that don't go according to plans all bombard us at a fast pace, and in a limited period of time. Things can get out of control, irritating, and exhausting," he says.
He offers ten "inner voice lessons" from The Power of Story:
- Quiet Your Inner Discord. Consciously turn to an activity that engages and absorbs you completely. Continue it until you can talk with yourself calmly.
- Summon the Voice of Your Conscience. Ask yourself questions like, "Is this (the stress-producing activity) really something I should be spending my time or money or other resources on?"
- Summon Your Voice of Reason and Wisdom. The next time disturbing inner chatter rises, write down the facts-just the facts-of what is happening. Then write a brief story around those facts, using your best wisdom and perspective.
- Summon Your Voice of Support and Encouragement. Whatever message you would send to those you care most about, whatever tone of voice you would use, send it to yourself.
- Summon Your Voice of Toughness. Without access to the voice of toughness, many of us are too easily pressured by the world. Listening to this voice will help you to "hang tough" in the face of temptation as well as attempts by others to influence you through guilt.
- Summon Your "I Don't Buy It" Voice. Maintain a healthy inner skeptic, or you risk becoming tragically gullible.
- Suspend Your "I Don't Buy It" Voice. Some of us tend to be overly suspicious. That's good-up to a point. Tough as it may be, at some point we have to suspend suspicion and make the leap of faith.
- Summon Your Voice of Compassion. Every time you stimulate feelings of compassion within yourself, you increase this capacity. It is a practice that has as many benefits for you as it does for the recipient of your compassion.
- Summon Your Voice of Sincerity. This voice gains volume when you listen to and acknowledge your deepest private voice, and then find an appropriate and honorable way of using that voice when speaking publicly to others.
- Summon Your Voice of Intuition. Intuition doesn't follow the standard pathways of conscious logic and reason. Training this voice, listening to and respecting this voice, can pay enormous dividends in just about every avenue of life.
"The ability to see clearly in the storm is neither inherited nor something that necessarily develops with age," says Dr. Loehr. "It comes from repetition and practice, much like strength develops from workouts at the gym." He invites readers to download a free storyboard process from The Power of Story. His organization also offers a free self assessment.
©Copyright
2007 by AlternativeApproaches.com
|
Printer Friendly Page
