Roadblocks that prevent us from taking vacations and Quick Techniques for Diminishing them:
1. Stress-
Rhythmic Breathing Exercise for Stress Reduction:
Rhythmic (or Box) Breathing is a helpful technique for rapidly decreasing stress, anxiety, heart rate or blood pressure. It also is centering and prepares you for a meditation or a peaceful night’s sleep.
Think of your breathing pattern as if it were a box or square drawn on a piece of paper with the breathing in being the left upward drawn line, holding your in-breath as the line on the top of the square from left to right, breathing out as the line going downward on the right side, and then the holding of the out-breath being the line from right to left on the bottom side of the square.
You slowly count the length of your breath going in, being held, or going out that is right for you. The length of your in-breath and out-breath should be the same count; just as the length of the held breath at top and bottom should be the same number of counts. As you practice your breathing, you might find that your square is actually a rectangle. Each person may find they have a different count from another person; and that is fine as we are all unique individuals. Just make certain that you are not strained in your breathing in or out or with the breath holds at top or bottom; if you find you are strained, then change the length of your counts for different sides of your ‘box’ of breathing.
Once you find the pattern of your square or rectangular box that works best for you, go through 4 to 5 complete rounds of the rhythmic breathing and notice how your body and mind respond.
2. Guilt or Shame-
Confront Your Biggest Fears in a Relationship Exercise:
Make a list of your biggest fears in a relationship. Include the worst things that friends, family members, co-workers or others could say about you. Once you have compiled your list, use the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) based on tapping on 8 specific accupuncture points for each fear, starting with the ones that resonate most powerfully within you or bring up the strongest emotion. (We describe the EFT protocol in our book with specific protocols for each of the roadblocks and more; or you may visit www.emofree.com website to download the manual for the long form of EFT with tapping on each of 21 points.) Once you have completed the tapping exercises for each of your fears, you may find it helpful to do the Loving Benefactor exercise below.
3. Unworthiness-
Loving Benefactor Meditation:
Close you eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and bring to mind a heartfelt sense or visual image of someone whom you believe embodies the qualities of unconditional love and compassion. This person can be a friend or relative, a religious or historical figure, a spiritual being or just someone who embodies these qualities. Picture this person as if they were sitting or standing right in front of you.
Look into their eyes and feel the absolute unconditional love and compassion flowing from them towards you. Now radiate feelings of love and gratitude back towards this person. Whenever you feel your mind wandering, gently bring your attention back to the image of the loving friend, historical or spiritual image and once again practice radiating love, empathy and compassion towards them. Feel their love, empathy and compassion radiating back towards you.
Stay with your Loving Benefactor and feel their love flowing to you and your love flowing to them for up to 20 minutes. Know that this Loving Benefactor is sending you love every minute of every day.
4. Lack of Self-Love:
It is important to feel as much compassion for your self as you do for everyone else. Do you get upset if your loved one takes
some time to de-stress? Why should it be any different for you to grant yourself the same opportunity?
Close your eyes, take a few slow, deep breaths, and then picture your self as if YOU were the Loving Benefactor looking into the eyes of your own self when you were an innocent and joyful child (around age 5 or younger). Feel your own unconditional love and compassion for your self flowing to the beautiful young child that was once you. Feel the warmth and expansion of your heart as you feel compassion for your own self. Allow the love to flow to flow from your own Loving Benefactor to your self and then to the young child that you picture in front of you. Feel the connection and oneness between you all. Stay with this until you feel a complete expansion of your heart.
Everyone needs time to de-stress and rejuvenate. How will we ever have anything left to give to others if we do not take the time to recharge our own batteries first? Whether it is a vacation or a stay-cation, be sure that you schedule time for peace and relaxation- when we take care of our self we feel more vitality in our body and more passion in our life.
You are indeed worth it! 🙂
The Shift Doctors (Tracy Latz, M.D. & Marion Ross, Ph.D.)
*Check out The Shift Doctors’ books at the Amazon link by clicking here and the Meditation CDs at the digstation link by clicking here
Some people see things that are and ask, Why? Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not? Some people have to go to work and don’t have time for all that..
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