If you’ve noticed I didn’t write much the previous week, it’s because work has been crazy and I’ve been under a lot of stress.
I’m sure you’ve been there too, haven’t you?
So how do we thrive in the midst of stress? How do we transform stress into strength so that when the going gets tough, the tough get going?
While there are many methods to do so, this is a modified NLP visualization technique I used during the last week to keep me going through a couple of 20 hour workdays (and a crazy week).
9 Steps to Transform Stress into Strength
1) Where do you feel the stress in your body?
Take a moment and notice where you feel the stress most in your body. Is it in your head, shoulders, chest, stomach, arms, or legs? I felt mine most in my heart region.
2) What does the stress feel like?
Notice what it feels like. Is it heavy or light? What’s the texture like, rubbery or leathery, hard or soft, smooth or rough? Mine was very dense, hard and heavy.
3) Pluck the stress out using your hands
Without this key, most NLP techniques don’t work: using your body is vital. Use your hands to imagine physically taking the stress out from you and hold it in your hands.
4) What does the stress look, sound and feel like?
Now that it’s in your hands, notice what it looks like. What color is it? Does it make any sound? Use your hands to move around the shape, what does it feel like in your hands? Explore the stress feeling in your hands, and get curious about its details like it’s a real object.
Mine was a hard-edged box, black and heavy.
5) What does the stress say?
If there was a belief or a sentence associated with the stress, what would it be? Mine was saying; ‘I can’t do this, I can’t do this’ in a weary tone again and again.
6) Shift the colors, shape and sound around.
Using your hands, imagine yourself sculpting and changing the surface of the stress. Some people find it easier to change the colors first, some the sound, and some the texture. Imagine what the colors, sounds and feel of a neutral feeling would be like.
For me, I changed the color of my stress from black to a milky white, from being heavy to feeling lighter, softening the edges of the box to a roundish shape, without any sounds.
7) Change the colors, shape and sound to a powerful, empowering emotion.
What’s an alternative, empowering feeling you’d rather be feeling instead of stress? In my case I had to overcome challenges at work, so I chose to make mine strength. To me, red is the color of power and boldness, so I started to change the color of the stress from a neutral milky white to bright red.
Feeling light doesn’t make me feel powerful, so I made the shape of it denser, and I started to spin it. The more dramatic you can make it, the more impactful this exercise will be, so I made it bigger, brighter, with firetrails bursting out of the circle shape.
You should be feeling pretty differently by now! If not, make the empowering shape bigger, brighter, louder, up and up the intensity of it!
Slam it back into where you plucked it out from!
Take the new empowering shape/emotion and slam it right back from where you first plucked it out from, fast, and notice how differently you feel as it permeates your entire body. Then make a strong gesture with your body, make a fist, raise your hands, jump up and down, do anything that you feel is associated with this new feeling.
When my new spinning ball of fire entered my chest, I felt awash with strength as I imagined it rushing all over my body, and I breathed in and out deep as I clenched both my fists hard.
9) Say the new belief!
Now that your stress has been transformed into strength, notice the new belief or phrase that comes with this strength. From ‘I can’t do this’, the new phrase that came to me was ‘I’m stronger than this.’ This new phrase shall be your mantra for the day, that you’ll repeat to yourself whenever you need to transform stress into strength.
What You Need To Know About Stress
Your unconscious mind is a pretty smart thing, and there’s always a positive intention behind the feelings it’s sending you, even stress. There are either 2 major reasons why you feel stressed; either the environment or behaviour within that environment doesn’t support you or your ability to handle stress is low.
While this technique helps you to increase your ability to handle stress, if your environment or behaviour doesn’t support you long-term and you’re not changing it, the stress is going to come back.
Even though this technique worked for me in the short-term, I knew that I still had to make changes around my working environment or I would be the worst off in the long-term.
10) Bonus Step: Play with the company cat
I just did and it works great to relieve stress too 
August 16th, 2006 at 4:33 pm
Cool post, I have been in a lot of stress lately but and have been thinking of simplfying my life by just trimming down my focus on specific areas. Ironically, I just posted this up just a few hours ago http://miloriano.com/passion-and-focus-is-a-potent-combo-for-success.page and inspired by the fact that I need to re-structure my activities and keep close to what I really want to do in terms of passion trimming it down on specific interests as much as possible.
As for now, I feel simplification is my best bet to release me of stress and coupled with playing the cat, though i prefer fishes in my aquarium, I think I can just release them just fine.
August 16th, 2006 at 5:39 pm
Hey Alvin
Good and useful for Steps 1-9. As for the last most critical one, if the cat’s gone missing, how about a puppy? Ask Eldhi, she’ll glady give you one hahah *wink**wink* (Pete, or any coaches who’s reading this will know what I mean haha ;p)
August 16th, 2006 at 10:37 pm
Nice post. I like #10…though I do enjoy reading about NLP…have a few books on the topic.
August 16th, 2006 at 11:33 pm
Excellent ideas, I’ve used several of those in the past. I play with my lil’ duck (toddler) instead tho
. Our list is up if you’d like to look – http://lilduckduck.com/ducky-moments-in-time/240
Have a great day!
August 16th, 2006 at 11:40 pm
Thanks guys! I’m glad you found it useful
I love puppies! Erm, we mean puppies as in the ‘woof woof’ type, right Kloudiia?
August 17th, 2006 at 2:29 am
Love this! I’m bookmarking the post until I get home and can print it out!
August 17th, 2006 at 8:57 am
“10) Bonus Step: Play with the company cat”
Gotta love the last one. I’ve learned that keeping cats around diffuses some of the tension of running a business.
At the moment I have the extra bonus of being able to play with a litter of 5 kittens. Light moments all around.
ps: thanks to Darren, I’ve found you, added you to my bloglines.
cat
August 17th, 2006 at 11:40 am
Wow! This listing on Problogger has gotten such a great response I’m overwhelmed! Thank you for all the kind words, guys
August 17th, 2006 at 8:58 pm
wow – I’ve never come across a stress reduction technique like this before. I can see it working. Have heard a lot about NLP but never read anything – sounds interesting though. And love #10.
August 18th, 2006 at 12:26 am
Yesh Yesh Alvin..the puppies are the woof woof, tail waggy waggy, eyes winky winky type..you’re right
August 18th, 2006 at 10:25 pm
Excellent NLP advice. Thanks a lot!
August 23rd, 2006 at 1:40 am
Thanks for leaving the comment on my blog, Back in Skinny Jeans, Alvin. I thought my readers would enjoy your post because it’s a great exercise to help people get in touch with their bodies. When we obsess too much about our looks, we become detached from our physical body, and no longer communicate with our body. It’s so important to know what’s going on inside of us. I learned this the hard way, but am greatful that I now have a library of tools to help me. Sites like yours are greatly appreciated!
September 11th, 2006 at 1:01 pm
I love this post. I really like it beacuse it’s physical and visual. Concrete suggestions. Thank you, Alvin.
This is one of my favorite lines that I’ve ever read by you: “Your unconscious mind is a pretty smart thing, and there’s always a positive intention behind the feelings it’s sending you, even stress.”
Exactamundo! Completely agree.
September 11th, 2006 at 9:17 pm
Senia, that’s a wonderful compliment, specific & thoughtful. Thank you
June 14th, 2007 at 4:29 am
Really nice article on stress, but can I ask you a question ?
Why didn’t you put “What You Need To Know About Stress” e.g. it’s roots at the beginning.
That would prevent a lot of fatal mistakes of overworking/overdoing/over… etc. Too me it looks like a car engine, where the engine starts to make noise (meaning there is a problem) and the driver pushing pedal instead…. what would happen?
I understand that NLP shows a power of the soul(it not new, especially in ancient arabian school), but soul and body work as a team.
They should understand each other and make the one.
Greetings
Shinobi Lin
August 20th, 2007 at 3:32 am
I really like what I am reading. Will have to subscribe and read more. Thanks.
August 21st, 2007 at 12:16 am
Thanks Patricia! I hope you find more of my posts of value.