This article is about some of the down sides to the winter months and how using a few mental tools you can not only survive but thrive through the dark, cold winter months.

Research shows that there is a general increase in stress levels amongst the western population on the run up to the end of the year and through the first couple of months into the next. This time of year is also associated with increases in financial instability, increases in domestic disputes and mental health problems.

There are many factors involved in this including the burden on time and money for the festive season, dark, cold winter months and being the time of year that people re-evaluate there lives.

There are several ways a few simple ‘mind tools’ can help to ease this burden.

The issue of stress is a complex one and I don’t intend this to be a complete answer all for the issues. I do know that by taking a few minutes a day to clear out the tension and relax can have a significant impact on stress levels. A simple self hypnosis trance induction that takes twenty minutes or less every day will significantly help. Just Google Self Hypnosis scripts and you will find hundreds of good ones along with instructions on how to use them.

The net result of spending this time will mean more focus, more energy and drive to get everything you need done. Of course the clever thing here is to use the induction to train the unconscious element of your mind to be more effective. But more of that below.

We are significantly impacted by sunlight and shorter daylight hours along with spending more time indoors. Again issues such as SAD and medical conditions are beyond the scope of this article, but by using creative visualization techniques you can have an impact on how you feel. A simple idea like visualizing yourself relaxing on a warm beach somewhere can take a lot of tension out of the day and bring you back to something like normality…but obviously there are some things we can do to increase the benefits still further.

One issue that seems to come up regularly at the end of a year is that people re-evaluate what they have achieved and their goals for the coming year. The impact of this for many people is dissatisfaction over the last year and a feeling of nothing changing for the year ahead. Here self hypnosis and NLP techniques can really help.

Your unconscious mind is the store house for all of your memories, emotions and habitual behavior. It is also where you keep your beliefs, values and identity. Using self hypnosis and NLP techniques you can draw a lot of these things into your conscious awareness and change them. The implications of this can be huge for example:

Changing habits from nail biting, smoking or getting to the gym. Letting go of negative emotions like social anxiety, fear of failure and depressive states. Installing empowering ideas, beliefs and values such as self confidence, abundance thinking, the ability to grow your business / role / relationships

By being able to let go of negative emotions around what you don’t want and increasing your motivation for what you do want you are creating a self propelling unconscious guided missile that is always driving you towards a better life.

Imagine being able to do this in twenty minutes a day and taking as much effort on it as you would a cat nap. Now for the bad news, generally getting this level of proficiency takes training. Any good self hypnosis course will give you the tools, process and practice to be able to do this quickly and easily. These sorts of courses only take a couple of days and are a great investment of time and money.

Think for a moment about all the stress and strain of life generally and consider the implications of not only surviving but thriving, growing and developing a better future just through a daily twenty minute cat nap…

Everyone has had a day where the world just did not seem to be on their side and that black cloud was persistently over their head. If you are simply having one of those days where your self confidence seems to be dragging you down, instead of wallowing in self pity, take steps to boost yourself up! Maybe you just woke up not quite feeling your best or made a significant mistake in front of someone important. Perhaps you did not do as well as you thought on your test or did not excel at your interview.

Whatever the reason, learning a few tricks to quickly boost your self confidence will have a bounce in your step and your head in the clouds in no time!

Find a physical activity you enjoy doing. Whether it is jogging, aerobics, or yoga, exercise is a sure-fire way to boost your self confidence. If you are starting to feel low, take 15 minutes out of your day to exercise your worries away.

In addition to producing endorphins that raise your spirits, you will have lessened your chances for disease, heart attack, and stroke in one fell swoop. If that capability is not enough to boost your self confidence, then think about the physical effects of exercise.

Even a brief amount of exercise is enough to trim and shape up your body. The old saying, when you look good, you feel good is in full effect.

Take a second to be silly whether you need a hearty belly laugh or a moment to dance by yourself. A second is enough time to feel good about yourself again. Many websites will send jokes to your inbox on a daily or weekly basis. Sign up for this free service and open the e-mail when you are feeling low. There is nothing like a good laugh to remind yourself what a great person you are.

Put on your favorite song and dance like there is no tomorrow. In addition to easing your stress, your self confidence will shoot through the roof as the music brings back favorite memories.

Allow yourself a luxury. Remind yourself you are important and worthy of the world on a silver platter. When things are not going your way and you begin to question yourself, take time to reward yourself. Whether it is a chocolate kiss or a pat on the back, your spirits-and self esteem-will be lifted.

Write down your goals that you have achieved and look back at them when you are feeling low.

Maybe you were the first person to graduate from college in your family. Perhaps you just closed on a fantastic house. Maybe you made president of your organization.

Whatever your accomplishment, allow yourself a minute to remind yourself of your worth.
Keep of your family and friends to remind yourself all these people are rooting for you to succeed. Make yourself notes that congratulate yourself on handling a situation or completing a goal.

Learn from your mistakes as the old adage goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Acknowledge where you made your mistake and forgive yourself. That constant nagging guilt will ruin your self esteem.

Make the necessary means to rid the guilt, learn from your actions, and move on.

Think of mistakes as happy accidents or learning experiences.

How ever you choose to boost your self esteem, know that by doing so you approve of yourself as a person. Allowing issues to get you down will only lower your self esteem further.

By keeping a positive attitude, you will have the ability to turn around unsavory situations and make them positive ones. Keep in mind you are a worthy person who has a bright future.

New Year’s resolutions? Not again! Don’t you remember what happened last time?

I don’t know about you, but for me, New Year’s resolutions always come with a big bat: I resolve to do something, I stop doing it, and I beat myself up about it.

In fact, the vast majority of people deviate from their resolutions sooner or later, usually sooner. And most of the rest are probably lying or kidding themselves. Of course, there might be a FEW hardy souls out there somewhere who actually stick with their resolutions. Good for them!

For the rest of us, though, I would like to propose an alternative. And no, it’s not too late. See, that’s the beauty of alternatives: They don’t have to follow the same rules as resolutions. Which means that you don’t have to start (or make) them on the first day either!

Here’s what I’d like to propose: Instead of “resolving,” let’s visualize, project, envision, allow, and, yes, even dream.

I haven’t made New Year’s resolutions in years. Instead, I tend to sit down and spend some quality time dreaming up what I would like to happen in the coming year. I try to be somewhat within the realm of the possible, given ideal circumstances, but I make sure not to aim too low.

So let’s not make resolutions. Let’s not say “Next year I will ALWAYS blah blah blah and if I fail to do so, I’m a loser!”

Instead, let’s try this:

“Next year, I see myself meeting …. and creating ….. and….”

Put in the spaces whatever it is you would like to do or have happen for you.

Whom would you like to meet?

Is there a business you’re trying to get off the ground? Visualize it up, running, and thriving. Visualize your many happy customers or clients. Or readers, if you plan to write.

Is there a personal goal you would like to reach? Yes, the same kind we usually make resolutions for. Instead of the usual resolutions, though, say something like this:

“I see myself enjoying moving my body regularly and feeling full of energy. I love fresh and nutritious food, and I enjoy creating tasty meals and eating them.” And so on. You get the idea

Here’s one I need to envision for myself: “I really enjoy getting enough sleep and feeling well-rested!”

You can also envision specifics: “I see myself writing [X number of] pages most days, and as I add page after page after page, my [novel/book/other project] is getting closer and closer to completion. I see it completed before the year is over.”

Oh, and why not see it accepted by an appreciative agent and/or publisher too.

Now what happens if you don’t make it?

Well… there is always that little addendum to visualization and manifestation exercises: “This or something better…”

Imagine the oft-rejected “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book proposal had been accepted by a publisher right away who had bought all rights and printed just a few thousand copies, only to let it go out of print.

You know what happened instead.

Of course, knowing the authors, you also know that they would have made their book a success no matter what kind of conditions they would have had to work with. Still, an interesting thought to keep in mind.

We don’t always know what’s best for us in the long run. We may think we know. We may kick and scream as things don’t work the way we want them to.

But how many times have you failed to receive what you wanted and realized later that you were oh so much better off without it? Happened to me lots of times!

Or that because you didn’t get it, things developed in a way that brought something to you that was so much better than what you had wanted originally that the very thought of not having that in your life could make you weep?

So this year, let’s not make New Year’s resolutions. Let’s do something different. Let’s visualize. Let’s project. Let’s dream! And let’s have an absolutely amazing new year.