In Step 25: I gave you some pointers about how to think like a kid. Kids take life as it comes. Most importantly they live in the moment. If I could give you only ONE bit of advice on how to be happy, it would be: Learn to live in the present moment.
So here is a simple self-hypnosis session to learn to think like a kid again. I am repeating the steps for inducing self-hypnosis from Step 48 below.
You can record yourself saying the steps to yourself for a deeper session.
- Get in a comfortable position, preferably sitting up or reclining. If possible have only one or two places where you do this, so your subconscious begins to associate them with relaxation.
- Close your eyes and start out by focusing on your breathing.
- If you like, use soothing music or the sound of ocean waves or white noise to aid your relaxation.
- Take a deep breath and as you exhale, imagine that healing energy, in a color of your choice, is coming in through the top of your head and then pushing any negative thoughts, beliefs, feelings or experiences out through the bottoms of your feet.
- Repeat step #4 three more times or until you can imagine yourself filled up with the healing color from your brain cells to your toes.
- It may also help you to count down from 10 to 1 while you are doing this. (Use the same routine every time you practice self-hypnosis and you will notice it taking less time for you to go to deeper levels of relaxation.
- Once you get down from 10 to 1 or see your body filled up with color, ask yourself one or more of the following questions and listen or watch for the answer. The answer may come to you as a feeling, a little movie in your mind, a person’s face, a smell, a color or even music or other sounds.
- What is my happiest childhood memory?
- What was I doing on my fifth birthday?
- Who made me feel the happiest when I was 8 years old?
- What was my favorite thing to do when I was 6 years old?
- If you have trouble doing step 7, use happy photos of yourself as a child to get you started.
- Do this exercise for at least a week and journal about your experiences.