In this day and age more and more people spend a good proportion of their day feeling that they are "close to the edge" or near to "the end of their tether". Life in the modern day world seems to happen at a frenetic pace and although this may suit some personalities it does not suit the majority. It can leave one feeling that their head is spinning and that they just want to drop off of the edge of the World for a little while.

If you feel that you are on a tread mill which only gets faster, then it is important to get back in control of your world. You are after all the centre of your world and it is up to you to ensure that you are happy and relaxed from one moment to the next. If the way in which you are living your life at the moment is not making you happy then it is time for some radical thinking and a few changes.

The first thing to do is to stop. Just stop right now. Whatever you are doing, stop for a moment and take a few deep breaths. With each breath, notice how it feels. Picture in your mind's eye the air as it enters your lungs, picture your diaphragm and abdomen, and imagine the air as you exhale. Focus upon this simple task for a moment or two. Now become aware of your feet and how they feel. Place them firmly upon the ground and feel how solid the ground is beneath you. Notice how this helps you to feel centered and balanced.

Do you see how just by doing these very simple things you distracted yourself from those events which seemed to be spinning around and around, and that you also relaxed very quickly and easily? Whenever things get on top of you, the first thing to do is to take a step back and this in itself allows you to relax. It also does something else which is massively important; whenever you are anxious, tense or angry your logical mind simply does not function as it should because the emotion you are feeling bypasses the higher, cortical regions of your brain. Until you relax you will only be accessing the primitive areas of your brain and so you cannot see or think clearly. By relaxing, you can once again think clearly and logically.

Now you are in a position to plan to think about your situation. You might like to take a walk somewhere outdoors and beautiful. In doing this you will reap several benefits; communing with nature helps you to feel relaxed and grounded - you are surrounded by positive energy. The very act of walking stretches your muscles, and it will be easier to "stretch your mind" seeing as your mind and body are intrinsically linked and naturally reflect each other. As well as these two very positive benefits, you are also getting out of your regular environment which is likely to have associations with stress and tension.

Now you are in a far better position to prepare yourself for change. Most changes do not happen overnight. Rather people think for a long time about their situation and weigh up their options. Unfortunately most of this thinking happens with the emotional brain on "red alert" when the logical brain is not functioning to full capacity. Do not let this happen to you. Instead, prepare yourself by relaxing, flexing your muscles and thinking whilst in a positive and relaxing environment.

If you cannot get outside to relax and step away from daily tensions then you can use a hypnosis download to help you relax at home. Hypnosis is a state of relaxation and is totally normal and natural. In fact hypnosis provides an ideal state of mind for the task of conflict resolution. If you have unanswered questions you might like to relax in hypnosis and see what answers pop into your mind. This is the very best way to gain good answers to your questions as when you are in hypnosis you have access to your subconscious mind as well as your conscious mind, and you also benefit from the natural creativity of your subconscious mind.

Hypnosis is the most powerful tool you could use in relaxing and preparing yourself for change.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis for change.