Visualization And Social Anxiety

Social anxiety disorder greatly reduces the quality of a person's life. People who suffer from social anxiety miss out on so much that life has to offer. Opportunities are greatly limited, because the person who suffers from social anxiety cannot take advantage of any opportunity that might require social interaction - and most opportunities in life do require some sort of social interaction.

Visualization has been proven to be a very effective tool for dealing with social anxiety. Visualization is used to treat many disorders, and it is even used for pain management. Visualization can work in two ways: You can visualize yourself somewhere else, doing something else when you are in a social situation that is causing you anxiety, or you can visualize how a social interaction or event will play out before it occurs to prepare your mind for it.

The first method of visualization, where you visualize yourself in a different place from the one you are currently in is often used for pain management, or to calm down during anxious or stressful situations. The second method of visualization, where you visualize how a situation or event will play out, is the best visualization method for treating social anxiety disorder.

Using the second method of visualization, the concept is fairly simple. The theory is that if you visualize the situation or event in a positive way, over and over, before the event occurs, not only are you more prepared to handle it mentally, but it has been proven that if you think in a positive way, and visualize in a positive way, you will get positive results.

The second method prepares you for the event, but the first method is used during the event, in case you are feeling totally overwhelmed with the social situation that is going on around you. You simply remove yourself from the situation - mentally. People who suffer from social anxiety often use this method, but it should be considered a back-up plan, in case the first method fails to work once you are in the situation.

Visualization can be done with or without the aid of visualization tapes. There are tapes that can be purchased, but in the case of social anxiety, it is better to make your own tapes, since each tape will need to pertain to a specific social situation or event that is coming up in the future.

Visualization begins with some deep breathing exercises. Then, you close your eyes and begin to visualize the event. It is important that you visualize the event completely, starting from where you leave your house to go to the event. Make sure that you use all five senses to make it as real as possible in your mind. Be able to feel the clothes you are wearing, the smells that will be around you, the taste of the food that will be served, and the sound of people talking or music playing. Whatever the social situation will be, imagine it as clearly and realistically as possible.

Do not allow negative images to come into your mind. In your visualization, you should be handling the social situation very well. There is no fear. Nobody is staring at you or judging you. You are saying all the right things at the right times, and it is all going very well. Keep it positive!

Visualize a successful social interaction as many times as possible before the event, and make sure you do the visualization again right before the event. Also, prepare your backup visualization - the first method of visualization. You will need to practice the first method of visualization, where you can mentally remove yourself from an anxious situation, over and over again, until you are able to visualize yourself somewhere else that you consider safe and stress-free, without the use of visualization tapes.

If both methods fail you, first realize that it may take quite a bit of practice until it stops failing you. Then, just tell yourself that the event will end soon, and picture yourself arriving back at your home, where it is safe and comfortable. See yourself kicking your shoes off and fixing a bowl of ice cream. The event will be over soon, and then you can practice for the next event.

The important thing is to not stop trying. You will get it down eventually, and visualization will start to work for you, allowing you to do things that you never dreamed were possible!

Gary Miller is the author of "Prisoners of Our Thoughts: How to break free from the grips of Social Anxiety and Fear."

Envision a Better Future

Visualization can be a powerful tool to help you improve your current circumstances, but it can also help you to be more purposeful about moving toward a brighter future. This can be especially effective if you often feel nervous, anxious or doubtful about your ability to improve your life.

To begin, find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed and take a few minutes to quiet your mind and relax your body. If you like, you can put on some soothing music or simply enjoy the silence.

Take a few slow, deep breaths and imagine that you are releasing all tension, stress and worry from your body. As you inhale, envision soft golden light flowing into your lungs and spreading throughout your body, warming and relaxing you. As you exhale, imagine that you’re purging feelings of fear, anxiety and disharmony from your body. Stay with this deep breathing technique for as long as it takes to feel fully relaxed and calm.

Then, call to mind an image of the type of future you’d like to have. Include as much detail as you can, and focus on all of the important aspects of your life such as your career, financial situation, family situation, and so on.

Imagine yourself living in this future time, waking up first thing in the morning and going through your daily experiences. Focus especially on how you look and feel in this better future. Do you appear happy, productive, inspired, purposeful, confident? Are you living the life you truly want to lead? How does it feel?

Take your time with this exercise, going through each experience and enjoying it as much as you can. By the time you finish, you should be feeling very inspired and positive about your life!

Not only does this exercise make you feel more hopeful and positive about your future, it can also inspire you to take the actions that will eventually usher in those future circumstances!

Even when you return to your normal activities, be sure to keep calling those positive mental images to mind as often as you can, and focus on being the person who was living in that better future. Rather than feeling pessimistic about your current circumstances, affirm that you are creating something better with your visualization exercises.

Since visualization works better if you’re consistent with it, try to make this a daily practice if you can. Even just 10 minutes a day of focusing on these positive images and experiencing the corresponding feelings they invoke can help you bring forth great changes in your life

Boost Your Mood with Visualization

Have you ever felt stuck in a bad mood and couldn’t seem to let it go no matter what you did? At times like this it seems like everything around you just keeps going wrong, exacerbating your negative focus and keeping you stuck.

There are many ways to improve your mood in this type of situation, but one of the quickest and easiest is through the use of creative visualization. Below are three simple visualization techniques you can use to boost your mood and change a negative mind-set into a positive one:

1) Mentally change your current situation.

When you’re feeling stuck in unpleasant circumstances, obsessing about them only makes them seem stronger and more difficult, which keeps you feeling stuck. However, with visualization you can change the situation in your own mind so that it has a completely different outcome!

Think about the way your current situation is, and ask yourself how you’d like it to be. Then, close your eyes and make it happen! Start at the beginning (you can even start at the very beginning of your day if you want), and mentally work through the situation(s) until you reach the present moment, but make everything go the way YOU want it to go.

For example, if you’re having a bad day at work, imagine having a better day where you’re smiling, feeling productive and enjoying your work. It may take several minutes to shift your feelings to match your new mental image, but it’s well worth the effort!

2) Think about something wonderful from your past.

If you’re having trouble imagining a better outcome in your current situation, you can fall back on a previous experience that made you feel happy and carry those feelings into the present moment. Think about the day you got married, your first kiss, or the time you received a heartwarming gift. Whatever memory you choose, make sure it’s wonderful and exciting and brings back a warm glow of joy and gratitude! Relive it in your mind and allow yourself to feel those good feelings again.

3) Imagine a better future.

You can also use this same process to transport yourself to a better time in the future. Think about something wonderful you want to have happen at a future time and imagine that it’s happening now! Fantasize about the day when you finally achieve your long-term goals, win the lottery, or meet your soul mate. The specifics don’t matter except that they leave you feeling excited and happy.

The trick with all of these visualization exercises is to really allow yourself to feel the feelings that the visions inspire! Just seeing the images in your mind is only the beginning part of the process. When you fully immerse yourself in these positive emotions, you’ll carry them into your present situation and end up feeling much lighter and calmer.

It’s important to note that you’ll probably have to use a bit of determination to shift your mood, even with the use of visualization. Ultimately, it’s up to you if you choose to stay stuck in negative feelings or find a way to let them go. While these techniques won’t change anything in your outer circumstances, you’ll be changing the way you PERCEIVE your circumstances – which makes you feel more positive . . . and that’s the whole point!

Attract Prosperity with Visualization

Visualization can be used for a wide range of purposes, but one of the most beneficial is making yourself feel prosperous and attract more money into your life. You may wonder how seeing simple images in your mind can help attract anything – but when you think about it, a consistent focus on lack causes you to expect the worst and think and act in ways that emphasize lack – which simply creates more lack in your life!

On the other hand, when you change your perception of lack into a stronger focus on abundance, you find yourself thinking and acting in ways that can be more prosperous. Not only will you better appreciate the abundance you have in your life now, you’ll also be in a better mind-set to recognize great opportunities and act on them when they appear.

For best results, use visualization on a daily basis because changing your mental outlook requires consistent reinforcement. You can perform your visualization exercises first thing in the morning, right before bed in the evening, or any time during the day when you have a few minutes to spare.

What types of things should you visualize? For one, see yourself having plenty of money. Imagine that you’re able to pay your bills with ease and have plenty left over for fun, helping others and saving for a brighter future. Make these visualizations as detailed as possible, even down to the clothing you’re wearing, the home you live in, the vehicle you drive, and the way you carry yourself in your daily activities.

The details are important because they’ll trigger your emotions and make you feel like you’re really experiencing these visions – which your subconscious mind will then accept! How would you feel if you had all the money you needed? What type of mind-set would you have if money was no longer a concern for you? Infuse these thoughts and feelings into your visualization exercises, making them as strong and real as you can.

Then, the next important step is to be sure you’re not undoing all the great energy you put out during your visualization exercises by thinking and acting in ways that contradict what you’re trying to attract into your life.

Avoid spending time worrying about not having enough money, stressing about bills or feeling anxious about your income. The moment you start doing these things, you immediately shift your focus back to a lack mind-set, which keeps the cycle of lack going strong.

Whatever you do, be sure you don’t limit the ways that money can come to you! For example, don’t focus all of your efforts on winning the lottery because you’ll be blocking all other possibilities. Remember that money can come to you in limitless ways – most of which you’d never expect! Simply focus on being open to any and all possibilities and allow your positive focus to attract bigger and better things than you can even imagine right now.

Strengthen Your Intuition with Visualization

Your intuition can be a powerful guide in any situation, helping you to avoid dangerous and detrimental experiences – or even leading you to the best opportunities to improve your life.

However, as with any skill, the strength and intensity of your intuition will fade with disuse. If you are not accustomed to consulting your intuition, you’ll need to work on strengthening it before you can use it as a reliable guide.

Intuition can be defined in different ways, but for the purposes of this article we’ll refer to it as the ability to perceive subtle clues from your environment that help you determine the best course of action in any situation.

Visualization is the process of seeing specific images in your mind – or in other words, imagination. That may not seem to have anything to do with your intuition, but a regular visualization practice can help you strengthen your mental focus, which will help you to more easily tune into your intuitive insights.

When you first get started, you’ll want to set aside a minimum of 15 minutes a day to visualize. It’s best if you can stick with the same time each day because you’ll train your mind to quiet down at that time.

When you’re ready to begin your first session, take a few minutes to first get very relaxed and calm. You might do some deep breathing to let go of tension and scattered thoughts, then turn your attention inward and focus on how your body feels. Pay particular attention to your solar plexus area, your chest, shoulders, and the center of your forehead. Do you feel any sensations of tightness or tension in these places?

At first you probably won’t feel anything at all; it will just feel neutral. Make a mental note about that feeling of neutrality because it’s the “default” state that you’ll experience when your intuition is not sending signals.

Then, call up a mental image of yourself feeling confident, centered, and completely in tune with your inner guidance. There are various ways you can picture this; you can see yourself in a turbulent situation feeling very connected and stable within; you can imagine that you’re a sponge, soaking up clues and insights from your surrounding environment; or you can even see yourself connected by a rope of light to the universe and imagine that intuitive insights travel down this rope and into your consciousness. Any way you choose to imagine it, be sure your mental vision includes an image of yourself feeling balanced, connected and tuned in.

Once you’ve got that image firmly embedded in your mind, be sure to carry it with you when you return to your normal routine. When you need to make a decision about something or find yourself in an uncertain situation, simply close your eyes and recall that mental image again. Focus on it until you once again feel in tune with your inner guidance, and pay attention to the areas mentioned earlier: solar plexus, chest, shoulders and the center of your forehead. How do these areas feel? When you’re receiving an intuitive insight, you’ll usually experience sensations such as tension, tightness, queasiness, tingling, or even temperature changes. Along with these physical sensations you’ll usually experience a hunch that lets you know whether a certain decision or situation would be beneficial or detrimental and you can act on that insight.

It will likely take time and practice to get used to listening to your intuition and learning to trust it, but it can be such a powerful tool that you’ll never want to be without it once you learn how to work effectively with it.

Top Benefits Of Visualization

Creative visualization techniques help intensify clarity and focus to help you bring into your life that which is desirable. This is called deliberate creation.

As one of the most important tenets of the Law of Attraction, positive visualization is simple yet not as easy to implement on a consistent basis.

Some of the benefits of visualization that you will begin to encounter as you make this practice an integral part of your life are:

1. Increased great health

The Law of Mind Action will work in your favor if you fill yourself with images of a happy, healthy self. Surrounding yourself with energetic, vibrant images fills you with that same kind of energy. If you are depressed and unmotivated to exercise, you do not help yourself by filling yourself with gloomy thoughts of how hard it is to exercise. Cut out a picture of a vibrant healthy person that you feel happy to see. Put it where you can see it often throughout the day. Visualize yourself in that manner. Feel it as if already happened. Take one simple action, like going for a walk. Continue to image yourself as that energetic, heathful person. Never relent -- that is the mistake most people make, then say it doesn't work.

2. Money increase

Most people want more money. Whether people want to publicly admit that or not, it seems to be the case anyway, if you are a keen observer of humans. Few people believe they have enough, even though they might pay lip service to that statement. The truth is that your financial abundance is determined your beliefs. There are many people making six figure incomes that are even more broke than those on welfare. Why? Because lack is a state of mind. When you spend more than you have, you are exhibiting a lack mentality. Visualizing yourself financially heatlhy will surprise you how you will start to get incredibly creative to attract more money. Feel the sense of being abundantly blessed.

3. Attract and keep love

One of the greatest benefits of visualization is that you feel a sense of being powerful. You can create what you desire. Many people have wondered if unscrupulous people can use visualization to create evil, for example attract a person that "belongs" to someone else. The fact is, you can. That is, if that other person is not strongly rooted in their relationship. The universe however will give you what your energy level truly matches. There is no fooling around. So if you wanted one thing and got another, examine how you really, truly felt about your desire. Did you have guilt? Worry? Did you secretly dread having that desire come to fruition?


4. Attract your dream man/woman

What does your dream partner look like? It has been said that "we attract who we are". In other words, who we end up with will match our thoughts and our feelings. Sometimes this is tough to swallow, but the same people who complain about it are the same ones who wonder why they are not happy with who they have attracted. Yet the very idea of choosing to remain unconcious does nothing but bring more of the same unwanted results.

Have a clear mental image of your desired partner. Use the different visualization techniques to imprint it in your mind. Always remember, hardly will you attract a partner that does not match up to your vibrational energy of your thoughts and feelings.

5. Get your desired body weight

Writing a movie script of the day you wake up at your desired body weight is a great visualization technique for this one.

6. Attract the right job

Never be stuck doing work that does not inspire you, pay you what you know you are worth, or one that puts unnecessary stress on your body. Remember, stress is a major cause of increased ill health. Therefore, see yourself in your perfect job. There are always people who will enjoy doing what you dislike. So visualize yourself daily in your desired perfect job.

7. Manifest your material desires

For some reason, many people seem ashamed to publicly admit that they desire material stuff. There is nothing wrong with wanting to attract a big beautiful home, if that is what you truly desire. The key thing is to make sure you are free of guilt and judgement. Always remember that material things are a representation of universal abundance. It is up to you to decide when a desired thing does not serve your higher purpose.

8. Behavioral change, such as to stop smoking

You can use a vision board as a visualization tool very effectively to help you stop undesirable behaviour, such as smoking, chewing your nails etc. What seems to work best though is putting up pictures that represent a positive outcome, rather than a "stop doing this" message. For example, a picture of fresh clean environment denoting clean air would be great.

Bottom line, benefits of visualization far outweigh doing nothing. A key thing to remember when visualizing:
Always be aware of how you feel. This is key. It is also the reason many people get frustrated and claim it doesn't work. How you feel will determine your results. If you aren't feeling good (and all the feelings that can be closely associated with good), then find something to visualize that will cause you to feel good.

creative visualization

5 Powerful Creative Visualization Tips For Transforming Your Life

Creative visualization activates the law of attraction. By imagining things or circumstances as you would like them to be, and making them real in your mind, you're actually planting a seed that is sure to sprout.

The recent movie "The Secret" introduced the law of attraction to millions of people all over the world. But the law of attraction and the concept of visualization are nothing new. In fact, this great law has always been available. Early self-help authors exposed visualization as the tool to get the law of attraction working for you. Norman Vincent Peale, for example, called it "Positive Imaging". In fact, that was the title of one of his numerous books.

Visualization is a precious tool. It's something that is available to all at any time, in any location. And it doesn't cost a dime. Perhaps that's why so few value it and use this powerful tool of creation consciously and on a regular basis.

Below are 15 creative visualization tips to help you to recognize and capitalize on your own unlimited powers to create.

1. Choose your goals carefully. Whatever you want can be yours through your thinking, feelings and actions. Decide on something you will commit to having, being or doing in your life. Manifestation doesn't usually happen overnight. It takes persistence. If what you're shooting for doesn't turn you on, chances are you won't stay with it long enough.

2. Create an image of your desire. Stick to a single target and expand, refine and enlarge the mental picture. It's the details that help bring your desire to life.

3. Keep it to yourself. Don't tell anyone else about what you want or how you're going about creating it. Letting it leak out weakens the energy and leaves you open to negative questions and comments. Get what you want first and then you can tell whoever you want about it.

4. Add emotion to your visualization. Make it so real you can taste it. Put yourself in the picture, fully enjoying the rewards you envision. Lock in those positive feelings so you can relive them again and again.

5. Combine creative visualization with positive affirmations. Affirmations help recondition your old way of thinking, freeing yourself from limitations and allowing you to soar like an eagle. When used together, they provide an explosive combination.

These five creative visualization tips will help you make the most of any visualization session. They'll add fuel to the burning desire deep inside you. And they'll help you manifest all you can imagine in life.

The simple process of visualization works. I've seen it firsthand and I live it daily. Use these simple creative visualization tips and they will help you get wherever you want to go that much sooner.