Using NLP to Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Using NLP to Reduce Anxiety and Stress
Coaching Question: What event recently evoked anxiety/stress in your life? Write it down. Next write what happened in your body specifically (my chest got tight, I had a hard time thinking, I was flushed in my face…doing this creates a degree of separation and allows you to be the “watcher” of the stressful trigger vs the reactor).
Today we are going to look into a programming method that has been successful used to move through fear and limiting beliefs that create a lot of anxiety and stress in our lives: NLP.
Anxiety is simply a signal within your body that gives you the opportunity to identify and adjust your perception of a situation and your behavior.
Failure in life is simply a way of describing an outcome in life that you did not want. Consider it as feedback, helpful corrections, an opportunity for learning and growth. (Failure vs. Feedback).
NLP: Neuro – Linguistic Programming: A shift in focus. Introducing NLP.
- Neuro: All behavior flows from your neurological processes of hearing, taste, smell, sight, touch…basically you experience the world through your 5 senses, you make sense of it and then act on it.
- Linguistic: You use language to order your thoughts and behavior and then to communicate. Pacing and leading leads to rapport and instant connection. Body language: 55%; Voice Tonality 38%; Words 7 %. Watch out for the writing on your wall, huge block to connection.
- Programming: The ways or methods you choose to organize your actions and ideas to create results in life.
- Outcome: Know what you want; create a clear focus of your outcome in the situation. Use visualization get all 5 senses involved (lemon exercise).
- Acuity: Keep all of your senses open so that you are acutely aware of what you’re getting. The way to do what you want to do already exists, you simply need to tune into it! Become a curious human being vs a reactive human being.
- Flexibility: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. If what your doing is not working…do something else”
Write out a situation or circumstance or perception in your life that you feel is“problem”, one that creates anxiety/stress in your life these days:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(How vs Why) Then ask yourself a few questions that will help you reconnect to the truth that you have the power to change your perception of any situation and your behavior. Ask “How” questions versus “Why” questions. How questions will give you get an understanding of the structure of the problem. Let go of your need to know “Why” things happen as they do, you will stay stuck in justifications and reasons without changing anything. Ask yourself solution focused questions throughout your daily life. Begin your day asking yourself to say 3 things that you are looking forward to; at night ask yourself things you achieved today. Remember whatever you focus on grows BIGGER quickly! It’s your choice, you simply forget.
A few questions to help you identify and then adjust your perception of a situation:
- What is the secondary gain for you in this problem? The upside to holding onto it?
- What would need to happen for you to feel this problem is solved?
- How will you know it is solved?
- When was a time when this problem was not so bad for you?
- What was happening at that time? What were you doing differently?
- The Miracle Question (Chevalier 1995): “Suppose one night there is a miracle while you are sleeping, and this problem is solved. Since you are sleeping, you don’t know that a miracle has happened or that your problem is solved. What would you suppose will let you know the problem is solved? What would other people around you notice was different about you? What would it take to pretend this miracle had happened?
(Curiosity and Fascination vs Assumptions) Children learn very quickly because of their spirit of curiosity. When you assume you close doors to creative thinking and solutions, when you are curious you open all doors, all possibilities, a true “thinking out of the box” experience.
YOU CHOOSE YOUR FOCUS: Know this, whatever you focus on grows bigger quickly! You forget you have the ability to choose moment to moment. Focus on what is working out for you vs what is not! Move toward what you want vs what you don’t want.
Emotional Intelligence in Christ(EIC) Thought: Insecurity in life occurs when we place our security in anything but God. Our identity and our sense of security lies in the One who created us. When we start to look outside of ourselves for that which can only be experienced within (a sense of purpose and meaning) we become vulnerable to stress and anxiety. Take a 6 week journey back to inner confidence and freedom with God.
