Latest 7 magazine

It’s not always easy to look on the bright side:
Zara Baker turns to the professionals

Smile and the whole world smiles with you. It sounds simple, but it’s not always easy. There are times when we all need guidance and support in our lives, whether it’s relationship issues, work problems or financial difficulties. Often, these can have a nasty knock-on effect, blurring into one, unhappy period. Life is going to throw obstacles in our path and what we think will make us happy may not be the case once we have it. Indeed, on the other side, the grass isn’t always greener. All we can do is work at techniques to be positive and upbeat, realising along the way that a positive approach to life is a step closer to happiness…

NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) practitioners and local hypnotherapists offer tips on taking a more positive approach. See if they can work for you.

“Nourish yourself at least once each week. Do things for yourself – not everyone who sings in a choir is the next Whitney Houston, but it can still make you feel good. Feeling good is the key here. The potential to make yourself happy on the inside by focusing on you for just one or two hours a week is immense.”
Elizabeth Rose, 01723 726 549, rosylife.com

“The miracle question –this is fun and takes a few minutes to bring clarity and focus. You go to bed one night, have a great nights sleep and awake refreshed. Something has happened over night – a miracle! A positive change that YOU desire has occurred. Take a few moments to consider: What would you see that is different? How do you look? What would you say to other people? What would other people say to you?How would you feel?
Ann O’Keife, 01273 871524, livinglifefully.net

“Write a plan of where you want to be in say 3, 6, 12 months time e.g. new job, plan a holiday or even a new house. Imagine your future becoming a brighter one, as it becomes brighter so will you feel more positive and with more energy. Make a list of things that you feel that you have achieved each day e.g. something that you achieved at work or maybe something that you have been putting off for a long time at home such as sorting out a store cupboard. Remember to be compassionate towards yourself and the changes that you are making.”
Jonathan Conway, 01273 540425, 07956 855027, jonathanconway.co.uk

“If you want to feel more positive, put your body in a really positive position – sit up, put your shoulders back, hold your head high, smile. Breathe deep into your chest and stomach. Remember a specific time when you felt really positive while you’re still in this position, and allow yourself to be aware of how that feels in your body, or any pictures or sounds you associate with it. Enjoy!”
Jo Wright, Phoenix Training & Coaching Ltd, 07843 052838.

“Make a list of anything that’s incomplete in your life, and then when you’ll complete it. There’s usually so much ‘stuff’ going on inside your nervous system that it needs a spring clean or clean out. It’s a bit like washing up, nobody wants to do it… but when it’s done and the kitchen’s clean, boy, what a nice feeling!”
Terry Elston, NLP World Ltd Director, 01273 220897, nlpworld.co.uk

“Tune out the talk show: Do you ever get that voice that says, ‘I’m rubbish at this!’ or ‘You’re too this’ or ‘You’re not enough that’? These critical internal thoughts are like a well meaning but slightly misguided radio talk show host. Get ready to change the channel! Notice the kind of things your inner critic says to you. Ask yourself, ‘Is this useful for me to hear this right now?’ Think of a voice you really can’t trust – the more daft, the better, e.g. Mickey Mouse,or someone you’ve heard with a really silly voice. Repeat the words your inner critic says in the new silly voice, out loud and with as much silliness as you can! Notice how the inner critic starts to sound different.”
Viv Craske, 01273 208605, buildconfidence.info  

“Presentation = Present/a(c)tion: Improve your presentation and you’ll find that the present massively improves, present meaning the now. Clear out all the negative emotions from the past although they may act as a common safety barrier. Have a positive outlook and take massive action to empower your life. Anchor your positive emotions by visualising a happy you, close your eyes, see what you’d see, feel what you’ll feel and hear what you’ll hear. Decide how much happiness you could deal with and choose a date when you can have it. Be specific!”
Benjamin Bonetti, 0845 1949644, empower-your-life.co.uk

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at 12:57 pm and is filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.