is absolutely no limit to how much self-confidence you can have or how good
you can feel about yourself.
IMAGINE YOURSELF SUCCEEDING
This next little group of exercises is both physical and mental. It’s a natural
follow-up to what you’ve just accomplished with your lists.
First, get yourself into a comfortable sitting position in a quiet setting. Wear
loose clothes. If you wear glasses, take them off. Then, close your eyes and
breathe in a deep, satisfying breath of air. Really fill your lungs until your rib
cage is fully expanded and you can’t take in any more. Then, exhale the air
completely. Imagine you’re blowing out a candle with your last little puff of
air. Do this two or three more times, filling your lungs to their maximum and
emptying them totally. Keep your eyes closed, comfortably but not tightly. Let
your body sink deeper into the chair as you become even more comfortable.
With your eyes shut, you can notice something very interesting. You’re no
longer dealing with the worrisome stuff going on in the world outside of you.
Now you can concentrate on what happens inside you. The more you
recognize your own physical reactions to stress and anxiety, the more you can
do about them. You might not realize it, but you’ve begun to regain a sense of
being in control.
Let images begin to form on the “viewing screens” on the back of your eyelids.
You’re experiencing visualizations from the place in your mind that makes
pictures. Allow the images to come easily and naturally; don’t force them.
Imagine yourself in a relaxing situation. It might be in a special place you’ve
visited before or one you’ve read about. It can be a fictional location that you