Visualization Techniques For Stress Management

Visualization techniques have been demonstrated to improve physical and mental health, speed the healing process, and effectively manage pain. They can also help prevent illness, reduce stress, and increase an individual’s overall health and well-being.

Different visualization techniques can be used in the treatment of stress, and stress related illness. For general Stress Management, begin by identifying where in the body you feel the stress. Do you have muscle tension in the back and neck? Is your stomach
"knotted"? Do you experience a dull or throbbing headache? Different people experience stress in different ways.

Once you have identified where in the body you experience stress you can use visualization techniques to reduce the stress, as well as the physical symptoms and effects you experience while under stress.

One useful visualization technique involves placing your hand over the affected area of your body. Breathe deeply, with your eyes closed. Feel your heart rate slow to a calm and steady pace.

Visualize the stress in your mind as an image, with size shape and form. It may appear as a black ball which is located in the area of your body that you feel stress.
 
It may also appear in another form, such as a square, circle, rectangle etc... As you concentrate on the image of the stress (which may or may not be accompanied by physical pain) visualize (or picture yourself) moving the image.

It may not happen right away, but keep working at it, until you can get the image to move. Even the smallest movement is an accomplishment. As you begin to be able to move the image, be aware that you have control of it, and more importantly, know that IT does not have control over you.

Visualize the image that symbolizes your stress moving further and further away from its original location, until eventually you are able to remove it completely from your body.

Another technique along this same line is to visualize the stress you are feeling, and imagine that it is getting smaller, and smaller. Eventually the image will shrink to a tiny spot, and then disappear all together. This technique is very powerful in helping to manage the physical symptoms that result from stress.