This can be very useful for helping you to get a good night's sleep before a stressful day...you can greatly improve your sleep the night before an important event by simply focusing your attention on any stress or anxiety you may be feeling, and counting backward from 8 until you no longer feel any stress remaining.

What happened today that made me feel upset
or worried in any way?

People laughed at me today;

I got laughed at when _______;

My bus ran over a squirrel on the road today;

I heard this bad news about _______;

I forgot to get ______ on the way home today;

I dropped my _______ in the bathtub today;

Our puppy tinkled on my pillow;

I spilled _______ on my favorite silk blouse today;

I tore my favorite skirt today;

My pen leaked ink all over my new _______ today;

I got a _______ stuck inside _______ today;

I messed up my favorite shoes when I stepped in a pile of _______;

I tore my favorite _______ today;

I broke the zipper on my _______;

I forgot where I put my phone, again;

I left my phone on the bus today;

I got picked on today in the mall by ________,

I got followed around the mall today by the security guard;

My hat fell off while I was ________ today;

My favorite show was just bumped for _______ instead;

I forgot to charge my phone last night;

I think I may have caught a cold / flu today;

My teacher yelled at me today, because ________;

I got a detention today, because I ________;

I really hurt my _________ today;

I am worried about ________ for tomorrow;

I could not get my _______ to work right;

I left my cell phone _______ today;

I was bullied / harassed again by ________ today;

I was late for my _______ today;

I failed my _______ today;

I got laughed at while _______ today;

My ______ looked so bad today;

My hair looked so dreadful after getting caught in the rain;

I felt so embarrassed when I dropped my ________ down the stairs;

My _______ yelled at me for ________;

I caught _______ spreading rumors about me behind my back;

________ said a nasty comment to me / about me;

I still feel some of this remaining stress from ________,

Please add more of your own stressful issues to this list.

Pay very close attention to your tongue for a minute. You want to let your tongue relax completely on the bottom of your mouth. Let go of any tension that you might feel in your tongue. Just let it relax!

Then count backwards from 8 while you concentrate on each of those upsetting events...until you no longer feel any emotional intensity from them. It can be very helpful for you to repeat a reminder phrase while you're counting.

Keep repeating this process over, and over...until you can no longer FEEL any stress from that situation.
Remember to take a deep breath, and BLOW IT OUT slowly after you complete each round.

This can be very useful for helping you to get a good night's sleep before a stressful day...you can greatly improve your sleep the night before an important event by simply focusing your attention on any stress or anxiety you may be feeling, and counting backward from 8 until you no longer feel any stress remaining. Doing this before you go to sleep will also help you to sleep more relaxed, and with pleasant dreams. You will awaken feeling considerably rested and refreshed!



                                        Don't Forget To Do This:
In the morning, if you expect to have a stressful day ahead, count your stress away early -- before you get your day started. Focus your attention on whatever it is that's causing your stress, and count backward from 8 until you no longer feel any stress remaining!


                                                                                    Also helpful:
If you've had a bad dream during the night, be sure to count out any stress and anxiety you may still be feeling from that dream. You'll be surprised at how much of a difference this can make in your day! Counting several times a day will help you feel far more calm and confident in everything you do. You can even do the counting during your lunch break, to feel more relaxed and stress-free all day.


                                                                          EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
After you've counted out any stressful issues that may arise, be sure to visualize (while counting) for ONE FULL MINUTE that you are having a fantastic day. You are happy. Other people are accepting you for who you are. You are laughing with your friends. And your life is improving more and more everyday!


It is this consistent counting, while concentrating on the negative thought, that gradually weakens and reduces your stress and anxiety levels down to zero:
Repeated counting effectively acts to reduce the amount of emotional intensity you're feeling from your negative thoughts down to zero feeling. Each round of counting whittles away more and more of the negative emotional connection between your brain and your body, so that the negative thoughts will no longer have much of an affect on you. It's highly effective!