visualisation

Visualization techniques are powerful tools you can use to combat stress, anxiety, and anger. They can help you learn how to channel and change negative emotions into positive ones. Visualization techniques can also help you reach your career goals because they help you to keep focused and to recharge your batteries. They also make you more aware of how you feel about certain events in your life. Furthermore, these techniques increase your confidence and improve your interpersonal skills. The good effects just keep on coming!

So, how do you visualize?

The steps of visualization techniques can be quite simple. First, you need to feel relaxed. Find a comfortable place to sit or to lie down and close your eyes. When you close your eyes, you block out all the visual information that your brain is receiving. As a consequence, you can concentrate on what is going on inside you.

Focus on your breathing for a couple of minutes. While you inhale, imagine that positive energy rejuvenates you and makes you feel awesome, as your breath is entering and flowing through your body. As you slowly exhale, imagine all stress and negativity from every part of you, leaving your body. Try not to think about anything other than the good energy you breathe in and the negative thoughts you breathe out. When you feel you can’t take in any more positive energy and have let all negativity leave your body, open your eyes.

The next step of the visualization technique is to picture success. Think of an accomplishment that you desire, for example, a promotion or finishing the IRONMAN competition. Or, getting your accountancy certificate, or perhaps saving enough money to travel to Miami, or change your life completely and start a new career.

When you are picturing your success, you may want to close your eyes again. Imagine your way to achievement as a journey. Picture in your mind the situations which have already occurred and also those which may occur in the future with your career leading to the success you desire.

See the challenges ahead of you and select one which you would like to deal with today. You may find useful at this point looking at Ways how self-awareness helps your career progress. Imagine in your mind how the challenge will present itself, and also picture yourself going confidently through the day ahead. How are you going to come up with a solution to solve the problem? Imagine yourself as you solve it, or as you direct others to execute your idea. See the project completed and feel the pride of success. This will help you act more confidently in the real world.

The final step is to open your eyes slowly. Continue being aware of your breathing. Hold the peace and calm you achieved applying the visualization techniques. Keep in your mind the focus on success that you are manifesting in your life. Hold these two things with you as you navigate your day.

You may repeat this quick relaxation and visualization until you solve the situation. Then concentrate on meeting the next challenge until you feel you achieved the success as you defined it for yourself.

1. Visualization helps focus your mind

Visualization techniques can help you focus your mind. Take your time to visualize your goals and determine what you need to do to meet them. Take a few moments each day and sit quietly. Clear your mind. Focus on your breathing and relax. Once you feel relaxed and calm, begin to visualize what you need to accomplish that day.

Think about the beginning of your day and decide what you will do right after waking up in the morning and what you will do next. If you are fed up with writing lists, and feel overwhelmed during the day, find a quiet corner, sit down, calm yourself. Imagine then all the tasks you have to accomplish during the afternoon as little bubbles around your head. You can color them the way you want and decide what their texture should be. The more important ones may be larger than the others, and the more urgent ones, perhaps orange or even red in color. Concentrate on the large and red ones and put the rest into a basket for tomorrow. If you think you have too many large or red bubbles, you need to think your life and accountabilities over, because you probably have taken on more than you can bear.

2. Visualization gives clarity to your day ahead

If you apply visualization techniques before work, it can help you focus clearly on the tasks ahead for the day. This can help you figure out in advance what you need to do to handle those duties most effectively and most efficiently. Your effectiveness at work should improve, and you should feel much calmer and less anxious because you have already anticipated what was to come and made a plan to address each challenge. Relaxation and visualization can greatly reduce your stress level at work.

3. Visualization techniques calm you when you are stressed

Use visualization techniques to calm yourself when you are at work, and things get stressful. Just take a minute and sit at your desk. Close your eyes. Clear your mind and think of being somewhere relaxing. This place can be where you spent your holiday last summer, or a place you dream of traveling to. Or it can simply be a bench in the park near your home. Stay there for a moment or two. Open your eyes, and you will feel calmer.

This is a quick exercise you can do at your desk in 5 minutes. Afterward, you will find your mind clear and focused. You will be seen as being cool, calm, and collected under pressure. Your line manager will notice it, and you may find promotional opportunities opening up for you.

4. Visualization helps prepare for important meetings

This is the same visualization technique that is used for focusing your mind but applied slightly differently. You still sit, close your eyes, control your breathing, and clear your mind. Now, do your presentation in your head. You can also do this by reading it aloud. Try to look at it as if you heard it, not read it. If it does not make sense, make changes, and adapt your presentation. The presentation should go perfectly well when you imagine it, and everyone will provide you with positive feedback and helpful guidance.

Now open your eyes, remember the positive feeling about a successful presentation. Think about what you did right in your visualization, and keep that in mind during the presentation. You will go into the meeting, feeling calm and confident in your success.

5. Relax and visualize before confronting another employee

When things get stressful at work, avoid making an emotional reaction in front of your bosses or colleagues. Take a moment to calm yourself. If someone has said something to upset you, take three deep breaths, in and out, or count to ten slowly. To me, it works when I start the count at ten and decide that by the time I am reaching one, I will be calm again.

Close your eyes and think about what you would like to say and how you think the discussion will go. At first, even this imaginary discussion may get heated in your mind. Next, think about what you would like to achieve. Then select those parts of your pictured discussion which help you achieve what you need. Try to determine the best outcome. Open your eyes, breathe slowly; it will help you be calmer, and address the problem rationally rather than emotionally.

As you adopt this practice into your daily life, you will find your general attitude begins to change. You will act and feel more self-confident. You will be more organized and more efficient at work. Furthermore, you will be able to reach your goal quicker because you have really taken the time to think about what you want to accomplish.

As things in your career develop and change, so will your goals and plans. Visualization techniques are flexible. You can use them in all aspects of your life to help you stay cool, calm, and collected. You will have the skills necessary to be flexible to change the course of your life, step by step. The next step to take is The psychology of positive thinking.