Nowadays many people come to therapy because they are going through a difficult time or they have serious problems to solve. They also come to therapy to learn different ways to better the quality of their lives. If you want to learn how you can live a happy, fulfilled and stress-free life, check out these easy techniques that offer awesome results in no time!
1. Keeping track of your everyday activities
Let’s start with a very easy and efficient technique that consists in keeping track of your everyday activities. Write all your activities down in a diary or a notebook and for each of those activities give two grades: the first grade for your perceived quality of the activity and the second grade for the joy that activity gave you. This technique is extremely useful for banishing all those unwanted negative thoughts, such as ‘I do nothing today.’ You will see that you do much more and much better every day than you think.
2. Keeping diary of positive things
This efficient psychotherapeutic technique can be used with excellent results in a great variety of affective disorders, including depression, anxiety, and even eating disorders. You can also use this technique if you want to learn how to live a happier life. Keep a diary where you write only positive things that happen to you during the day. You will see that your life is not as bad as you think, and that there are many happy moments in your life.
3. Describing to the last detail the people or objects around you
This technique is often used with people who are suffering from panic attacks. It can also bring awesome results if you’re feeling restless sometimes and you want to learn how you can be stress-free and more relaxed. Every time you feel nervous, look around you and begin describing to the last detail the people or objects around you. You will instantly feel more relaxed because you shift your attention onto something else, rather than on your anxiety.
4. Counting from 1 to 100 or from 100 to 1
This is a technique that I use every time I feel anxious. This technique is very useful in treating panic attacks. Whenever you feel a little restless, nervous or anxious, try counting from 1 to 100 or from 100 to 1, especially in another language. You’ll focus on your task and forget about your anxiety.
5. The empty chair
This technique is usually used with people who are coping with the death of a loved one or with people who are going through a difficult breakup. Sit in front of an empty chair, imagine an absent person in that chair, and talk to him/her and say the things you did not have the time or the guts to say. This way you will feel much more relieved.
6. Confronting your negative thoughts
Imagine a situation that frightens you or that causes you to feel anxious or insecure. Now, imagine what’s the worst, the best and the most realistic thing that could happen in that particular situation. By doing this, you will stop avoiding your bad thoughts and start confronting them. You will see that they are not so scary anymore.
7. Doing a surprise
This technique is usually used in couples’ therapy. Within one week, each partner should do a surprise for her/his partner, but this surprise must stay a secret till the next session. Each partner should observe the behavior of her/his other half and they should guess what surprise their partner has done for them. This way, they’ll be focused on the good things than on the negative things that may cause fights and disagreements.
I hope these techniques will be very useful for you and you will use them when you will be in need. Have you ever used any of these techniques? Do you know any other techniques? Please comment below!