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Photo by melolou

 

Remember the times when you could do no wrong?  Being confident and in the zone?  Wish you could feel like that as often as possible?  I’m here to tell you how - it’s called anchoring.

Anchoring is a way to recall a personal state or memory through unique stimuli.  For example, a song can invoke feelings of love and happiness to someone because it was played on their wedding day.  Or feelings of togetherness from a Thanksgiving dinner every time they have a slice of pumpkin pie.  I for one recall fond memories playing outside when I was a kid from the smell of the air right before it rains.  Nice right?  So how do you do it?

  • Step 1: Decide what state you want to anchor (confidence, charm, courage, etc..)
  • Step 2: Recall a time when you were in that state.  Remember the time but focus on the sensations!  Let the different sensations  wash over you.  What did you feel?  Did you feel a little flush?  Did the hairs on the back of your neck stand up?  Did you feel like electricity was going through your body?  Remember the feeling!
  • Step 3: At the peak of the sensation, perform an action you want to associate with that state.  You can tap your chin, tug on an earlobe, raise an eyebrow, stroke a finger, etc..  Do this a for about 5 minutes for each state you want anchored. 
  • Step 4: Practice, practice, practice!  Consistency is key.  The more you practice, the more your mind will associate these feelings to the actions anchored to them.
  • Step 5: Build on it.  Once you’re able to go into a state easily you can start combining them (confidence + playfulness+assertiveness) for better results.

Does it work?  You bet your bottom dollar it does.  For example - I had a friend that was terrified of tests.  She’d study a lot of hours and do the practice questions over and over but said she felt very anxious come test time.  During a test one day I looked over where she was and saw that she was cradling her chin with her hand.  When asked about it afterwards she said she’d been doing this for as long as she could remember.  So I taught her the anchoring technique to summon calmness and clarity (she anchored these states by rubbing her lip).  I also told her to stop cradling her chin.  The next week we had another exam and wouldn’t you know it - she did A LOT better (Take that Sylvan learning Center!).  Not only was she able to get into a state of calmness and clarity by rubbing her lip, she also avoided firing off her anxiety anchor by not cradling her chin  Neat-O!

So to recap:

  1. Decide a state you want anchored.
  2. Recall the sensations you felt the last time you experienced it.
  3. At the peak of the feelings, “anchor” it by doing something to remember it by (chin tapping, finger snapping, etc..)
  4. Practice!
  5. Build on it.

I’m confident (anchored by tapping my forehead by the way) this will be helpful to you that I’ve included a money back guarantee with this article :)

Thanks for reading.