Using Guided Imagery to Create a Happier Family Life

Could guided imagery really create a happier family life?  Guided imagery is an amazing tool for creating the life we want. Research has proven again and again that our imagination can help us build our own realities. The question is, what is the life YOU want? What kind of family life do you want to have?  When you are old, wrinkly, and rocking in a rocking chair, what kind of life do you want to be able to reflect upon?

These techniques can really make a difference in your life.  Don't believe me? Chat with athletes that have won races, people who have overcome illnesses, or people who have lost a lot of weight and you will quickly learn that guided imagery is a powerful tool that many of these people use.  Whether these people realize it or not, they have used guided imagery (in some form or another) to attain the goals they have accomplished. In other words,

 

We become the person we WANT to be.

 

Here's an example.  Research has shown that when people focus on a diet or quitting smoking, they will most likely NOT succeed, but if they instead focus on creating a new image as a 'non smoker' or being a 'healthy person' they are much more likely to be successful.

 

Now I'd like to take it a step further and suggest that you are CREATING the problems you have.  If we worry (which is inadvertently focusing on the things we DON'T want)  then we are focusing on things that make us unhappy instead of things that make us happy.  Why would we do that to ourselves? 

 

The same philosophy can be applied when a parent wants to be more patient with their children or be more 'present' when spending time with children.  When we take a few moments before the kids wake up to picture ourselves being the kind of parent we want to be then we are much more likely to become that kind of parent.

 

Take the time to listen to your intuition, then visualize the life you want.  Gradually you will begin surrounding yourself with like minded people and you will start taking steps toward changing your behaviors and creating the life we want. 

 

It's SIMPLE. 

 

Are you ready to make it happen? Try these simple steps 1 or 2 times a day (or whenever you want!) and watch your dreams become a reality.

1. Picture your family doing the things that you wish would change (ex. fighting, sadness, or illness).

2. Next, picture yourself throwing that picture away.

3. Create a new family portrait in your imagination with the family that you wish to become.

4.  Begin focusing on that happy family image instead.
4. Finally, take baby steps to move toward that image and surround yourself with people who share these values.  Get together with other families who share your goals or have parent in a way that you admire.

Interested in learning more about guided imagery? Check our Holistic Online for more great ideas.