by Jamie Smart
Most days, I go for a long walk in the woods. As I look around the quiet forest and breathe in the cool, clean air, the combination of nature and the movements in my body seem to have a very positive influence on my state of mind.
Get Moving!
1) Do something that you enjoy that involves moving your body – walking, running, swimming, martial arts, yoga – just allow yourself to start moving. If you don’t know what you like, find out. Just make sure it’s something you enjoy and can do regularly.
Mind and body are one system, and you’ll be amazed at the mental and emotional benefits of activating your physiology through movement.
When I worked in London as a programme manager, I would sometimes get stuck trying to solve a problem. My typical approach was to go for a walk in the fresh(ish) air while talking a colleague through the problem. Usually, by the time the walk was over, we’d arrived at a solution. This approach started back when I used to smoke cigarettes, and so had to go outside for a break, but the approach was so successful that I have continued it to this day (the walking, not the smoking).
Change Your Physiology – Change Your State
Have you ever noticed that when you think about being tense you become tense? It works the other way, too. Adopt a tense physiology and your mind will follow. So…
2) Adopt the physiology (posture, gesture, head position, breathing rate, muscle tension) that you exhibit when you are in a great state – the zone, flow, relaxation, creativity etc.
One of the quickest and easiest ways to change your state of mind is to change your physiology. I get people to jump up and down, shake their hands or beat their chest as a way to break out of undesired states. By the same token, adopting the postures and stances that you take when you are performing at a high level can bring up those high-performance states.
NLP Tip: More Advanced
To change someone else’s physiology covertly, get into rapport with them, then start changing your physiology. If you’re in rapport, they will follow you (Warning: if they are in a ‘bad’ state, use your rapport skills carefully (Eg. cross-over matching) and make the physiological change as quickly as possible.)
NLP Tip – Summary
Mind and body are one system. Physiology has a tremendous impact on state and performance, so…
1) Do something that you enjoy that involves moving your body – walking, running, swimming, martial arts, yoga – just allow yourself to start moving. If you don’t know what you like, find out. Just make sure it’s something you enjoy and can do regularly.
2) Adopt the physiology (posture, gesture, head position, breathing rate, muscle tension) that you exhibit when you are in a great state – the zone, flow, relaxation, creativity etc.
Use these simple NLP tips and techniques to get control of your life.
