De-stress with the Cloud Technique

This post is brought to you by my friend Kristy-Lea Tritz, a massage therapist and personal coach.  Being a mom can be stressful at times; the kids all want something at the same time, you’re running on little sleep, or the laundry and dishes seem overwhelming.  Kristy-Lea’s Cloud Technique can help you de-stress because it only takes a few minutes to do and you can do it anywhere.  

Why You Need the Cloud Technique

Stress can consume a person whether it takes over emotions or harms the body through physical ailments. While we often think of stress as a mental problem, and simply push whatever is stressing us out to the back of our minds, stress actually has huge physical effects on us. Stress can cause headaches, gut health issues, sleep problems, fatigue, and more. Long-term stress can create even bigger health problems.

Instead of brushing aside your stress, take a few moments to deal with it in a healthy manner using the cloud technique. The cloud technique was a technique I began to use in moments of deep emotion and stress. It allows you to feel, see, and let go of deep emotions as well as negative thoughts. This technique  has been extremely helpful in times of stress. In these five easy steps you can find and feel freedom!

What is the Cloud Technique?

Step one: close your eyes

Step two: take a deep breath in through your nose, count to four in your head, exhale through the mouth.

Step three: as you breathe deeply, feel the emotions, experiences, stresses, negative thoughts. Quietly pay attention to where in your body you feel these.

Step four: when you can feel where that emotion is, imagine it as a big fluffy cloud. As you see the cloud in your mind, imagine it floating off into the distance. When you no longer see the cloud take another deep breath and open your eyes.

Step five: just breathe in the peacefulness and let go…

How to Use the Cloud Technique

The cloud technique can be used in any situation, whether it be when you’re feeling anxiety in a crowd or having negative thoughts when alone. One good thing about this technique is it can be done without anyone knowing what you are doing. Since it doesn’t require any tools, you can take it with you anywhere.

Here is an example of how the cloud technique can be used with a negative thought pattern. You may think, “I am such a failure!” Breathe deeply, feel the emotion, visualize it as a cloud as big as you see your failures, watch as it drifts off out of your visual abilities, breathe and open your eyes, turning the negative to positive! Say aloud, “I am a success!”

Sometimes our negativity causes more stress than actual situations. Using this technique will help you overcome the stress caused by the emotions attached to the negativity.

This technique has become a valuable tool for my coaching clients and I invite you into the change that will come your way… floating on a cloud.

If you find yourself using this technique frequently, maybe it’s also time to think about how to keep life simple. Sometimes it’s good to say no, set boundaries, and plan to do less each day. Your stress may be a signal that things need to change in your life.

What helps you de-stress as a mom?