Things to Know about Guided Meditation

What is Guided Meditation?

Guided meditation is when you are guided by a narrator to create change, overcome obstacles and challenges, change behaviors, or find success in multiple areas of one's life. The narrator uses relaxation suggestions, positive affirmations, visual imagery, and other tools to elicit these desired changes. As the meditation begins you'll be guided to relax your body and mind. You are then invited to take a journey in your mind with the narrator as your guide. 

Because your mind does not distinguish between a real or imagined event the experience you have with the meditation is like having a real experience. This can have an amazing effect on your life. 

There are many studies that have shown that practicing something in your mind is like practicing it in real life. Check out this wonderful interview with Emily Cook, of the United States Freestyle Ski Team as she discusses how visual imagery helps her sports performance here. This interview from the New York Times reinforces the value of visual imagery and many guided meditations use visual imagery to help the mental journey along. 

How it works:

When you experience something in life your brain makes changes to it's neural pathways. This information gets passed on to the subconscious mind where it is stored for future use or used to make new programming for the conscious mind. Following with the same logic that your mind does not distinguish between real and imagined, guided meditation can have an amazing impact on the way your mind receives the messages and makes changes. 

It it also important to note that you can't be made to do something through meditation or hypnosis that you would not do on your own. Which means, if you're doing guided meditation or self hypnosis for help with losing weight, it will only work if you're willing to make the changes necessary to make it happen. If you need to increase your exercise, listen to a guided meditation tape on increasing meditation, but aren't willing to do the exercise then it won't work. You must be willing to make changes in real life to match up with the changes in the imagined visual imagery. 

In guided meditation you're invited to relax and allow yourself to go into a much more clam, focused, and controlled state. It's a deep state of focused relaxation and concentration. As you listen to the words from the narrator you will find yourself relaxing deeply. The state is similar to the state where your mind zones out during a movie. The state between awake and asleep. A state almost everyone goes into multiple times in a day. It is a time when the conscious mind is taking a break and subconscious mind is waking up and taking note. 

This is why the below guidelines are good practices when listening to a self-hypnosis or guided meditation audio.

• It should never be listened to while in a car, operating heavy equipment, or doing anything that requires your full concentration.
• You should find a quiet place where you can relax (either sitting down or lying down) and close your eyes. 
• It is a time for peace and relaxation, You don't want to be interrupted. 
• Sometimes a person falls asleep during the meditation. I always recommend setting an alarm to wake you just in case unless you want to fall asleep for the night. Either way is fine. 
• If you do fall asleep your mind will still get benefit from the experience. 

These types of audios create amazing experiences and help to bring about change in your life. It all relates back to the amount of work you're willing to put into making those changes. If you're committed to changing things guided meditation and self hypnosis audios can help you create amazing results. 

I sell guided meditation or self hypnosis audios to clients on an as needed basis. Each one is personalized so you'll need to reach out to me if you're interested in getting one for a specific obstacle. Check out my website here, give me a call, or email me at spiritandmindconnection@live.com if you'd like more details. 

'Do It Yourself' Stress Reduction Tip (Do a Body Check)

I've been talking a lot about Time Management and how it impacts a person's life and why it is important to become an effective manager of time. You can check out all my Time Management articles here. This page is updated weekly with new articles.

Becoming an effective time manager can be overwhelming and stressful at first. Anytime there is a major change in a person's life (good or bad) it becomes a stressful situation, so I thought it would be a good companion series to talk about techniques one can use to reduce stress.

This tip/technique you can do yourself and reduce stress in five to fifteen minutes. It is very relaxing and a great way to connect your mind with your body. To be present in the moment and ease added tension as well. As a certified hypnotherapist, Master NLP Practitioner, and Life Coach I teach this technique to my clients as something they can do at home.

I like to call it the 'Body Check'. It uses a combination of visual imagery and relaxing breathing to help create a relaxed state. Believe me, when you do this technique correctly, stress is the last thing on your mind. Giving yourself a break from the stress is a great way to reduce it as a whole.

Required items: 

• a quiet place you can close your eyes and relax
• openness to the technique
• alarm on phone or clock (optional)

When you need a break from the stress simply find a quiet place where you can relax and close your eyes. Begin with focusing on your breathing. Deep, steady breaths. You can imagine yourself somewhere in nature or simply focus on the breathing and the process. Some people enjoy the added relaxation from the nature visualization and others don't. Try it and see which you prefer.

Then start at your feet and work your way up or the top of your head and work your way down. Either way works, it really is simply dependent on preference.

Go through every body part one by one, focusing on how each part feels, notice the tension or lack of it, take stock of this the first time through. All the while focusing on your breathing. Then start the process over again and relax the areas that are tense. You'll feel yourself relax even more every time you work through the Body Check process.

Please note visual imagery is only as powerful as you allow it to be. What you put in is what you get out of it. You might notice a sensation of sinking into the surface you're lying on or sitting on, you might also feel additional lightness during the process. These are signs of relaxation.

I've had clients relax so deeply during this process that they fall asleep so setting an alarm on your phone or clock the first few times you try it is a good way to feel comfortable with the process and allow yourself to give into the feelings and sensations.

For more tips, techniques, helpful self improvement, personal development articles please subscribe to this blog by email and subscribe to Spirit and Mind Connection's newsletter here. One newsletter subscriber every month gets chosen to receive a free online coaching.

Check out my website for coaching packages and invest in your success. First online coaching is free. Try it out and see if coaching is right for you.

I also sell personalized guided meditation audios for those that are interested contact me at spiritandmindconnection@live.com

Reasons Why People Fail at Time Management

I've found one of the biggest areas of focus with clients is Time Management. There are others that rank up there; stress management, confidence, leadership skills, and relationships to name a few but Time Management is a huge area of opportunity for many and it's often a point of discussion with clients because it impacts every area of a person's life.

In today's fast paced world it seems that more and more is put on our plates but we don't get additional time. There are only so many hours in a day and until that changes, time management is going to be a challenge for many people. The closest thing a person can get to in regards to having more time in a day is effective time management.

But time management is not something we come by easily. There are a lot of ways a person can fail at managing time and many of those are listed below. The simple truth is that effective time management is a learned skill and for those that have put the time in to develop the right behaviors and habits to support good management of time the rewards are plenty. 

• There is a reason why time management and organization are usually grouped together in the same conversation. Lack of organization makes effective time management difficult. One must be able to organize daily, weekly, and monthly tasks in order to create an effective schedule complete with deadlines to find effective time management.
• Lack of follow through is a huge deterrent to being able to effectively manage time. Sometimes people get through many of the steps of time management (future visualization, long/short term goals, prioritizing and setting deadlines, and plugging everything into the daily schedule only to fail at the follow through or follow up.
• Procrastination is a word very few people like to be associated with but, in truth, everyone has the capability to procrastinate. Many do this without even recognizing they are until it is too late. 
• Finding a system/process that works for you. One size does not fit all. I've had clients that easily adhere to scheduling hour by hour and others need to chunk time and assign tasks. Some need a hard binder/planner to carry with them while others prefer online or apps. The key to find success here is to find a system that works for you.
• Recognize time management impacts all areas of one's life. Time management is most effective when people manage both their personal and professional lives. Only focusing on one area will make it more difficult in the other areas. 
• Putting time in the beginning for a smoother ending. I hear this all the time when I start working with clients on time management. "You're asking me to spend more time on this when I don't have enough." In this case, putting time in the beginning, developing a process that works for you in regards to time management will actually help you find more time on the back end of the project. It will also reduce stress. 
• To do lists are imperative. If you don't have a 'to do' list with tasks and goals effectively prioritize how do you know what to plug into your schedule and when it needs to be completed. 
• Setting goals. Setting short and long term goals to help you reach the intended outcome helps you to organize what needs to be done, how much time you should spend on it, and helps you to avoid procrastination.
• Distractions take you away from your scheduled day. This is going to happen. Understanding this and preparing for this will help to keep you on track. 
• Priorities are super important and often forgotten in the midst of planning or the wrong priorities are put on the wrong task. Be realistic about how long it is going to take to get a job done and prioritize accordingly. 
• Overloading/overwhelming workload. People with poor time management skills have a hard time saying no, being honest about whether or not they can take on another task, being organized enough to make it happen and find themselves, often, overloaded and overwhelmed. This can happen to even the best planners but they also feel comfortable with saying no and delegating which helps to make this manageable. 
• Thriving in chaos and multitasking. Believe it or not, thriving in chaos is not a good time management trait and multitasking can be helpful but it can also stretch a person thin and like juggling, balls get dropped. I used to say I thrived in chaos and was known for my multitasking but that didn't make me a good manager of time it made me a manager who ran around all day putting out fires, living in chaos mode stressed me out and made life and my job more difficult. A good manager of time understands this, they understand their limitations, they live in a world where stress happens but doesn't take over their lives because they have the skills to make things better.  
• Delegation is imperative. This is not an understatement. Ever hear the saying, 'it takes a village'?  Being able to delegate and knowing your limitations will make or break your time management planning.
• Breaks. Someone with poor time management takes too many or not enough breaks. It's like swinging the pendulum and remaining in the overcompensating realm instead of finding your way back to center. Schedule in breaks, know how much time you need to spend on tasks, and plan accordingly. Your life will be much happier. 
• Rewards. I've been a coach for over ten years and this is one area many people struggle in. I'm amazed at how many people laugh at me or refuse to consider this when they plan.

All of the above are reasons why time management fails. They all have a couple things in common. These skills can be learned/adjusted and they all depend on you being able to do them/or not do them in some cases. Bottom line you can make the changes necessary in your life to impact your personal and professional life and you can create a solid time management plan that works for you.

A coach can help if you're struggling in these areas. They will help you identify the behaviors that are corrupting your success at effective time management and they will help you design a plan of attack to readjust/change that behavior that is sabotaging your potential success. A great coach will help you drill down from an outside perspective what you're missing. It is easy to get lost in a forest when all you can see are the trees. Imagine having a guide to help you navigate the forest and find a way out. 

A life coach is not just a luxury, they are a necessity for people who want to be successful. This holiday season give the gift that keeps giving and consider adding a life coach to your list of helpers like the landscaper/gardener, the cook, or the maid. You will be surprised what changes you can make that will move you further down that path of success. 

For the month of December and January I'm offering my packages and individual coaching sessions at a 30% for those looking for help with Time Management. When you call or set up your first appointment (which is free) just use the coupon code MANAGEROFTIME for the discount. Check out all my packages here.

Want more on Time Management? Sign up for my newsletter here for more news on this topic and a chance to win a free online coaching session (I give one away a month to my newsletter subscribers). Subscribe to this blog by entering your email at the top right hand of this page.

Ready to read more? Check out Signs and Symptoms of  poor Time Management here.

Have questions you can email me at spiritandmindconnection@live.com

Have a wonderful day!

Signs and Symptoms of Poor Time Management

Time Management is a learned skill, necessary to find success in most areas of one's life. If you effectively manage your time things get done in a timely manner, you are less stressed, you find more time in your day, week, month for important things, and you're mind is clear and open to opportunities that the universe presents to you. It allows you to create goals, dreams, visions of the future. It ensures you have the ability and time to work toward those dreams. People find they have more time for the people in their lives, to nourish their relationships, and build stronger connections. It allows people to rest, relax, and helps people sleep better at night. The list goes on and on at how effective time management impacts a person's life in the positive.

Ineffective time management has a negative effect on people. How effective is your time management? Do the positives above fit you or are they what you're striving to achieve? Do you show signs of poor time management? Recognizing how effective you are in managing your time can help you to learn the skills necessary to improve your time management. Below is a list of signs that indicate poor time management.

• Missed appointments. This is an obvious one. Are you a person who is constantly missing appointments, late for dates, known to be late to a party? This isn't a fashionably late, I planned this kind of impression but a consistently late, I've got a time management problem. Being late has a deeper impact then how people perceive you but it also hurts the individual that is consistently late because they are stressed.
• Forget tasks. This one can be a little more subtle. Perhaps you think you're just forgetful. It happens. But 'forgetting tasks' is a sign of poor time management. Good organization is an indication of good time management and if a person is organized they probably have a system in place to remember what needs to be done (usually in the form of a schedule or to do list). 
• Missed deadlines, don't make deadlines, and paying late fees or penalties are more signs of poor time management. One of the essential learned skills in effective time management requires a person to create a schedule and adhere to that schedule. This makes missing deadlines and paying late fees a thing of the past. This also requires a person to make deadlines for goals.
• Lack of goals, vision, and/or dreams. This is perhaps one of the most damaging impacts of poor time management, second only to stress (which I like to call the silent killer). Imagine a world where the future looked bleak, one of the main causes of this bleak outlook on the future is not having goals, dreams, a vision or success plan to get to the desired future. These are important factors to keep a person moving forward. It is so important that when I meet with a client for a consultation it is one of the first things we look at. First, the potential client analyzes the balance of the most important areas in their life and then they talk about their goals, dreams, visions of the future, specifically for the low rated areas in their lives. It is a starting point. If you can dream it, you can make it happen... but there are steps that need to happen to get there and that is where the goal planning comes into place.
• Chaos is common place in your life. This can range anywhere from always putting out fires, messy home/car/work area, can't find things or things are misplaced, inbox is overflowing with messages, you're constantly trying new apps or systems to get things under control which spread you thin and creates larger messes because things are all over the place... sound familiar? Lack of organization plays a role in this area of time management. Organization is another essential part of managing time. 
• Constantly feeling stressed and overwhelmed. This stems from many things. Perhaps tasks keep piling up and you're not getting anything done, procrastination comes out to play or worse you feel so stressed and overwhelmed you just throw your hands up in the air and do nothing. This is very real and very damaging. 
• Unable to relax or sleep. I've often found a connection between relaxation/sleep and poor time management, especially in the case where a client can't turn their mind off at night to allow them to sink into the regenerative abyss of sleep. Having good time management skills can often times help in this area because you're mind is able to relax, confident that the things on the mental 'to do' list will get done.
• Making promises you can't keep, can't say no, task overload to the point you're working during meeting, having to work late, and living in the 'head down' mode. Sound familiar? An individual with good time management skills knows what they can handle and what they can't. They rarely get caught up in a position where their back is to the wall and they can't perform and if they are heading down that path they are able to identify this and delegate tasks to others or ask for help in order to get back on track. A person with good time management generally knows their limitations and has the clear mind that is necessary to fix most traps they fall into.
• Poor performance, indecisiveness, and perfectionism which often leads to missed opportunities are other signs of ineffective time management. 
• Lack of energy, feeling impatient, stressed relationships at home and in one's professional lives also often stem from poor time management. Sometimes these come from other areas but one root cause to problems in these areas is time management.
• Doing everything yourself is also a sign of poor time management. A good time manager understands how to effectively delegate. 

There are other signs but these are the big red flags. If you find yourself fitting into one or more of these categories a look at your time management skills is very important. You may be stressing yourself, your work and home relationships needlessly. Let's face it. We all would like life to go smoothly. If you had the ability to make small changes now that could impact your life on so many fronts wouldn't you want to do so?

I have designed a series of posts on this topic that will be released over the month of December and January. If you are struggling in these areas subscribe to this blog via email at the top right hand side of this page so you don't miss out on any of the upcoming posts. Also please take a moment to pop over to my Facebook page, check out the posts and give it a like here. I do a monthly giveaway with my newsletter subscribers, sign up here.

If you think you need help right away check out my website here, send me a request for a free consultation at the right hand side of this blog and lets see if personalized coaching is a good fit for you. Through the month of December and January, while this series of Time Management posts are happening I'm offering my coaching sessions and packages at 30% off for any clients seeking Time Management help. Check out my packages here. The coupon code for the discount is MANAGEROFTIME

Some future posts on this topic will include:

• Why Time Management Fails
• How to self analyze your time management skills
• Time Management Case studies
• Common steps to get on track with Time Management

As I mentioned above, effective time management is a learned skill, it's not something a person is born with. It takes time to cultivate but the rewards are far greater than the pain of changing the behaviors that are obstacles to achieving your goals in this area. I believe it's also a foundational skill to building a successful life plan. It's why I choose this one to focus on first. I hope you found this post valuable. Thank you for subscribing and taking the first step to making a change in this area of your life. Have a wonderful day.