1. calming skills allow us to wipe our minds relatively clear
The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives
William James
calming skills allow us to wipe our minds relatively clear
use the clear canvas
to inscribe messages
that you need to
remember

2. four aspects of helpful inner focus
reducing
negative states
nourishing positive states
exploring &
processing
encouraging
mindfulness

3. positive mind-body states
applications have included increasing general resilience, confidence & wellbeing phobia desensitisation, sports performance, and enhancing success in more general tasks
nourishing
positive states
researchers in this area of “positive states” include Fredrickson (broaden-and-build), Carson & Gilbert (compassion), Tarrier (desensitis’n), Beauchamp (sport), Taylor (process/attitude), Harris (gratitude & forgiveness)

4. helpful & unhelpful visualisation
a series of research studies from UCLA have highlighted:
imagining studying v’s achieving v’s control in 6 days before exams
imagining working v’s achieving v’s control for “planning fallacy”
remembering sequence of a current problem v’s imagin- ing relief & satisfaction of resolution v’s control group
“in moving oneself from a current situation toward
an envisioned future one, the anticipation & manage-ment of emotions and the initiation and maintenance of problem-solving are fundamental tasks”
Taylor SE, Pham LB, Rivkin ID, Armor DA Harnessing the imagination: mental simulation, self-regulation, and coping American Psychologist 1998;53:429-39

5. process visualisation exercises
for 5 minutes each day imagine yourself
managing the tasks of the day in a way that will help you be very successful in achieving your priorities
see yourself coping really well both with the external problems and dis-tractions you may need to tackle, and also with the internal emotions that might make things difficult

6. developing skills in application
formal practice
developing a trigger phrase/focus
first “differential” practice
Ost L-G Applied relaxation: description of a coping technique & review of controlled studies
Behav Res Ther ;25:
second “differential” practice
the reminder dot exercise
stressful real life situations