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Stress Management

Techniques Packet

ASSIGNMENT:

• Try out 3 techniques from this packet; you must try several different types.

• Write a one (1) paragraph reaction about your experience each time you try a technique. Label each paragraph with the date and time you tried it.

• Each technique should be done a minimum of 3 times.

• Your project will be approximately 3 pages long. 3 techniques - each done 3 times with a paragraph for each time (equals 3 paragraphs per technique).

• Papers need to be typed in a 12 pt. Font, with 1" margins, and double spaced. Please staple all 3 pages together.

Papers may be done in the computer lab or at a local or school library if access is not available at home.

If you have printer problems bring your paper in on disk or email it to jennerhamlin@ or jenne.hamlin@ before the due date.

You may also email me if you have questions.

Red due date:___________________

Black due date:__________________

Breathing Techniques A

A1. Breathing clouds - Visualize the air that you breathe into your lungs as being clean, white air; pure and energized air; clean air with the power to cleanse and heal your body. As you breathe in this clean pure air, visualize and feel air enter your nose (or mouth), travel up through you r sinus cavities to the top of your head, and down your spinal column to circulate throughout your body. Now, as you exhale, visualize that the air leaving your body is black air, black cloudy smoke that symbolizes all the stressors, frustrations, and toxins throughout your mind and body. With each breath you take, allow the clean white are to enter, circulate, and rejuvenate your body, and expel the black air to help rid your body of its stress and tension. Repeat this breathing cycle for five (5) to ten (10) minutes or until the black air has faded to gray or perhaps even white symbolic of complete relaxation.

A2. Energy Breathing - energy breathing is a way to vitalize your body, by taking in air not only through your nose or mouth but, in effect, breathing through your whole body as well. In essence, your body becomes one big lung, taking in air and circulating it through out. You can do this technique either sitting or lying down. There are 3 phases to this exercise.

First, get comfortable and allow your shoulders to relax. If you choose to sit, try to keep your legs straight. Now, imagine there is a circular hole in the top of your head. As you breath in, visualize energy in the form of a beam of light entering the top of your head. Bring the energy down from the top of your head to your abdomen as you inhale. As you exhale, allow the energy to leave through the top of your head. Repeat this 5-10 times, coordinating your breathing with the visual flow of energy. As you continue to bring the energy down to your stomach, allow the light to reach all the inner parts of your upper body.

When you feel comfortable with this first stage you are ready to move on to the second phase. Now, imagine that there is a circular hole in the center of each foot. Again think of energy as a beam of light concentrating only on your lower extremities, allow the flow of energy to move up from your feet, into your abdomen as you inhale with your diaphragm. Repeat this 5-10 times, coordinating your breathing with the flow of energy. As you continue to bring the energy up into your stomach area, allow the light to reach all the inner parts of your lower body.

Once you feel you are coordinating your breathing and the visual flow of energy to your lower extremities, combine the movement of energy from the top of your head and your feet, and bring it to the center of your body as you inhale with your diaphragm. Then, as you exhale, allow the flow of energy to reverse direction, leaving the way it came. Repeat this 10-20 times. Each time you move the energy through your body, feel each body region, each muscle and organ, and each cell become energized. At first it may be difficult to visually coordinate the movement of energy coming from opposite ends of the body, but with practice this will come more easily.

Meditation B

B3.The Body Flame

The body flame is an example of restrictive meditation combined with mental imagery. It is a technique that is quite effective for people who have ulcers. It works best lying down at first. Once you are proficient it can be done in any position at any time. Start by trying this technique for about 5 minutes. Continually add more time as your comfort level increases.

1. Lie comfortably on your back, keeping your spine in line from your head to your hips.

2. Observe your breathing, making it comfortably deep and relaxed.

3. Close your eyes and try to locate the center of your body; your center of gravity. If you are like more people, it is about an inch or two below your belly button.

4. Imagine a flame hovering over that point on body. This flame is a symbol of your state of relaxation. It feeds off your body’s energy. When the body has an abundance of energy - nervous or negative energy - this flame will be quite tall, perhaps even like a blow torch. When you are completely relaxed, your flame will be quite small - a (maintenance( flame, like a pilot light on a gas stove.

5. Imagine the size of your flame. See its size relative to your body(s level of energy. Look at its color. It may be an intense, brilliant yellow/white color. Now look at its shape. At the bottom, it is round or oval shaped. The top comes to a jagged point. Your flame may even dance around a bit. As you look at this flame, feel it feed off the energy in your body. Let your flame burn off any excess energy you feel detracts from your ability to relax. If your thoughts start to wander away from the image of the flame, try to send these up through the flame and redirect your thoughts back to this image.

6. As you continue to watch the flame, feel your body slowly become calm and relaxed. As this happens, notice the flame decrease in height. Soon you will notice that your flame is only about 1/4-1/2 inch tall. Continue to notice the color, shape, and size; and feel your body relax as your attention is fixed on this image.

7. When you feel completely relaxed, with a very small, very still flame, allow this image to fade from your mind but retain the feeling of relaxation. Repeat this each day or as often as you like.

B4. Mindfulness

Meditation does not have to be done in the confinement of your room. The underlying premise of meditation is to enjoy the present moment. Mindfulness meditation means to be conscious of the present moment in all that you do; to feel your body(s senses with what you are experiencing at the present moment. This exercise asks that you try to increase your awareness and concentration by eating an apple.

1. Pick an apple and hold it in your hand.

2. Sit comfortably, with your back straight period.(You may choose to sit against a wall for support.)

3. Feel the weight of the apple in your hand. Feel the texture of the apple(s skin. Feel the curves. Feel the stem (if there is one). Notice all of the nuances of the apple with your fingers.

4. Look at the apple. What color is it? Look at it carefully. Study it. Know this apple so well that if it were put back into a barrel of apples, you could find it.

5. Now smell the apple. Close your eyes and focus your sense of smell on the apple. What does it smell like?

6. Bite into the apple. Savor its taste, both flavor and texture. Feel your tongue and jaws move as you chew. Feel your breathing pause as you swallow. Make each bite of the apple seem like the first.

7. Take note of any other observations about this experience.

B5. The Numbers Game

This is a very simple meditation using an imaginary blackboard. It is an excellent way to clear the mind through concentration, imagination and patterns, all of which are wonderful ways of gaining a real experience of deep meditation.

1. Sit or lie comfortably. Remember this position, you will be returning to it shortly. Sit up.

2. On a board or piece of paper, draw a diagram of numbers, three lines by three columns, making sure there are no mathematical links, like this:

3 1 5

8 6 9

4 7 2

3. Take exactly one minute to memorize this pattern in lines and columns. (You will be working on this later in your mind’s eye, that screen on the inside of your forehead.)

4. Return to your relaxed position, eyes closed. Concentrate on the numbers, and if anything else comes to your mind, recognize it then push it away.

5. Rub out a line or column in your mind slowly one number at a time continue to the last number. Really concentrate on that number.

6. Rub out the last number, now concentrate on what is left.

B6. Progressive Relaxation

Progressive relaxation involves a mind over matter technique. Give yourself a suggestion and then focus on allowing your body to follow the suggestion. Become aware of the changes in your body. Spend several minutes on each suggestion. Use these suggestions as a guide. You can tailor it to whatever you need at the time.

1. My arms and hands are warm and heavy.

2. My legs and feet are warm and heavy.

3. My heartbeat is slow and steady.

4. My breathing is deep and even.

5. My stomach is calm and relaxed.

6. My face is cool and comfortable.

7. My mind is peaceful.

8. My entire body is relaxed.

Mental Imagery C

C7. Body colors

Imagine yourself lying in a shallow pool of warm water. Visualize your internal body reflecting one color, white. As you look all throughout your body, you see the outline and the contents within as the color white. Now take a moment to examine all parts of your body from your head down to your toes. As you do this, search for any specific locations which feel tense or active. These can include muscles, joints, organs, or any part of your body that seems a little less calm than the rest. This may even include your mind, if thoughts are racing through and competing for attention. Try to locate those areas which, under stress and strain, have not been allowed to relax to the same extent as the rest of your body. These (active( areas are referred to as hot spots. When you find the area or areas of tension, envision that these are the color red. Red symbolizes a higher metabolic level of arousal or energy state. The color red is in contrast to the color white that the rest of your body reflects. As you envision your body represented by these to colors a mass of white with one, two, or several red areas pulsating, focus now on the hot spots. Allow these areas to become as calm as the rest of your body. Imagine these hot spots slowly changing their color from an intense, bright red to an orange. As you look and feel the orange areas of your body, feel a sense of calm beginning to take over. The color orange is often symbolic of change. See the orange change from a bright orange to the color yellow. As you look at this color, you detect that the area(s) you are focusing on is becoming much more relaxed, much more calm, and begins to match the feelings of calmness you sense in the rest of your body. And as you look at this image, you notice that the yellow area(s) is blending in with the white color that the rest of your body reflects. And as you continue to look at this image, you now see that your entire internal body is one color, a brilliant whiteness radiating light all around it. This color is a symbol of complete relaxation and health.

C8. Healing Light

Feel your body lying comfortably in a shallow pool of warm water. Directly overhead, about four feet above you is a pitcher suspended in the air. The pitcher contains white light, an unending supply of white light. This white light is a healing light, a healing energy that when poured over your body, has the ability to augment the healing process you initiated through the color transformations imagery. Position the pitcher over the part of your body you feel needs reinforcement of the healing touch. Now allow the pitcher to tip it(s contents onto your body onto that specific area. Feel the light softly penetrate your body. Feel the warmth of this healing light as it pours into your body. Feel the warmth of that location, and now feel the healing light pour all over your body. See the image of white light within you and around you. You feel relaxed, you feel calm, and you feel energized all at the same time. Take a moment to sense this complete mental and physical relaxation.

C9. The Haven – Your Own Special Place

Allow your mind to drift…..drift to a pleasant, peaceful place. A place that you know and where you always feel able to relax….completely. A safe secure…..place..where no one ….. and nothing….can ever bother you.

It may be a place you have visited on holiday, a beach or a place in the countryside. Or it may be a room…a room you have had… a room you do have.. or a room you would like to have…. an imaginary place. But it is a place where you can always feel able to let go..completely……a have, a haven of tranquility, unique and special to you.

In order to help you imagine this place… notice first the light? Is it bright, natural or dim…..is there any particular source of light……natural or man-made? Notice also the temperature level……hot, warm or cool and any particular source of heat. Be aware of the colors that surround you…shapes….and textures… the familiar objects that make that place special.

You can just be there….whether sitting, lying or reclining, enjoying the sound…….the smells….the atmosphere..with nobody wanting anything, nobody needing anything and no one expecting or demanding anything from you…. You can truly relax.

D10. YOGA

Yoga has been shown to reduce stress, strengthen muscles, and improve flexibility as well as coordination and concentration. Check out a book or video on yoga from the public library, check with the school library, or try one you may already have. You may also attend classes. Try a minimum of 10 different poses. Be sure to focus on breathing. Try doing yoga in combination with the breathing techniques discussed earlier in this packet.

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