How to Use Guided Imagery for Stress

Video Transcript

DEBBIE MANDEL: Greetings everyone. I'm Debbie Mandel, a stress management specialist and author of "Addicted to Stress." In this clip, we're going to talk about how to use guided imagery to reduce stress. When you're stressed and upset, your mind is all over the place and usually it's caught in a negative weary loop and it gets inflamed as your body gets upset and breaths shallowly you get caught in cycle. Guided imagery is a wonderful way to target relaxation because you become conscious of your breathing. You relaxed into it and images are used that resonate for you to get you into your body. For me, it might be a garden. And often guided imagery uses steps and numbers, so you can count your steps to relaxation. Like, it will take me 10 steps to get to the waterfall and then I will feel it cooling the inflammation in my body or in my pains. Experiment with different tapes so that you can enjoy. The five points you should remember about guided imagery to reduce stress are: number one, get comfortable sitting or lying down; number two, become conscious of your breathing, inhaling and exhaling to your rhythm; number three, listen to a guided imagery tape which takes you into your body, this is important; number four, you can combine an image like a garden or a waterfall or a beach with counting the steps to getting there; number five, experiment with specific tapes that have music and imagery and put you into deep relaxation based on your type of stress.