How to get into a Resourceful State
18th June 2021
Years ago, one of my teachers said to me: “If you are in a bad state, you make bad decisions – so always get into a resourceful state before making a decision.”
But what is meant by a resourceful state? And how do we get into one?
When we talk about “state” in Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP, we are talking about the sum total of what is happening in our mind and body at any moment in time. It could be a negative state like “fearful” or “anxious” or it could be a state like “happy”, “confident” or “courageous”. These latter states can be described as “resourceful” because they enable us to express ourselves as we would truly like to be.
Many different factors have a bearing on the state of our mind and body. On a physical level, it could be whether we are tired or alert, ill or in good health. But there are many other factors which affect our state. Internally, there are the kinds of things we say to ourselves; the kinds of things we imagine (do we imagine success or failure?); and the kinds of things we believe about ourselves. Outside of ourselves, there are the kinds of things that other people say to us; or the way that other people behave towards us.
Most of the time we don’t consciously choose the state we are in: something happens and we respond unconsciously. For example, if a loved one is late home, we might imagine something is wrong and become stressed – or we might feel good about having a little extra time to ourselves! Needless to say, our state affects how we behave when our loved one walks in the door!
So how can we choose to be in a resourceful state? Well, a couple of things would be to ensure we get enough sleep and look after our health.
And if you find yourself feeling stressed, here is a very useful and simple technique to help you get into a resourceful state, developed by the Heartmath Institute.
Step one: take a moment to do a quick survey of how you are feeling, and any sensations in your body.
Step two: focus your attention in the area of your heart or your chest – putting your hand on your heart might help.
Step three: As you focus your attention on your heart or chest, imagine your breath is flowing in and out of your heart or chest. Breathe a little slower than usual – perhaps five seconds in and five seconds out, whatever is comfortable for you, but this works best if the in breath and the out breath are the same length.
Step four: As you breathe in and out, experience a positive feeling such as care or appreciation for someone or something in your life. It could be the feelings you have for someone you love, or a pet; the feelings you have when you think of a special place or achievement; or you could remember a time when you felt very comfortable or at ease.
Do this for two or three minutes, or as long as needed.
Step five: take a moment to notice the changes in how you are feeling.
Needless to say, the more often you do this, the easier it will become, and the more benefits you will gain from it.
To find out more about this and similar techniques, have a look at the Heartmath website at https://www.heartmath.org