Hi,
I'm Tracy Stein.
I'm a psychologist and I'm certified in clinical hypnosis.
I've created this guided imagery to help you become more conscious of when you should be washing your hands.
As you listen,
You can think of this as taking a brief vacation from your day to feel more relaxed and do something healthy for yourself.
Because this imagery has some elements of hypnotic suggestion,
You should not listen while driving.
But if you like,
You can even listen to this imagery right before bed and in that case then you can just drift off to sleep afterwards.
So for the next few minutes you can just find a place to get comfortable for the time being.
Settling in and you can begin by letting your awareness,
Just notice your breathing,
The natural inhalation and exhalation.
Your mind's natural gateway to relaxation and focus and feeling good.
Just like that.
Relaxing to the sounds of my voice and ocean waves.
Taking a vacation from the day so that you can feel a greater sense of well-being while you do something healthy for yourself,
Easily and naturally.
And even if your mind wanders a bit,
That's really okay.
Your wisest self can take in the information in the way that is most helpful and helpful for you.
Your mind is actually designed to do this.
Making the healthy changes you want to make very automatically.
Terrific.
And as you probably know,
Washing your hands is one of those things that can keep you healthy,
Especially now.
And some people just do this automatically and very easily.
They just know when to wash their hands in the way that is most effective.
In fact,
Many people really enjoy lathering up and smelling the scent of the soap and rinsing away any debris.
Whether it's noticeable or not,
Washing your hands is a wonderful time to reset and recenter.
But some people could use a reminder and that's really okay.
But now everyone needs to be more consciously aware of when to wash their hands.
So this imagery can help you to remember to do just that.
And you may notice now that as you are settling in and breathing,
That the screen of your mind becomes clearer and clearer.
And you can see things from a new perspective,
Making the switch really easily.
And so this behavior of washing your hands when you need to.
So simple,
And yet especially important now.
Something you perhaps did fairly automatically before can now be done more consciously and purposefully,
Thoroughly and effectively.
Just like that.
And I don't know exactly each and every situation when you'll want to wash your hands.
After you've been out and about,
Or after you've used the bathroom,
And before eating a meal.
And certainly if you've been sneezing or coughing or around someone else who has been.
These are just some common examples of when it's a good idea to wash your hands well,
Especially before touching your face,
Which you really want to do less of anyway.
But of course you'll know in your normal daily life those times when it's important to take a break and lather up,
Washing well,
And rinsing away the day.
And you may be surprised to know this,
But once you give your subconscious mind that part of your mind that is always working behind the scenes,
Always listening and ready to help you.
Once you give that part of your mind permission to help you,
All parts of you can work together to help keep you safe.
So you can be as healthy as you can.
And with this simple habit you help everyone else around you.
It's amazing but true.
You can protect people you may never even meet.
And what an incredible thing that is.
That something so simple and easy and fairly brief and possibly quite enjoyable can be so powerful and do so much good in the world.
Making you an everyday hero of sorts.
You and everyone else lending a helping hand.
And one of your greatest allies here is your attention.
You're becoming more aware now of when it's time to wash your hands and to do so thoroughly.
Being even more mindful than usual.
Your enjoyment increasing as you savor the sensation of lathering up and feeling the soap glide easily over the top of your hands and the palms of your hands and massaging the soap over your fingers in between each and every one.
Lathering under your fingernails and perhaps singing a song to yourself whether out loud or silently.
It's really up to you.
Just enjoying these moments at least 20 seconds or so to enjoy the sensations of this simple act of washing your hands and rinsing away any grit or grime.
Any bacteria or viruses swept up in the soap and washed away.
One of the most effective ways to help keep you healthy and to clear away what you need to.
That's really quite wonderful how this simple act can be so meditative and relaxing.
Perhaps even cleansing more than just the physical as you allow yourself to enjoy this ritual.
So ordinary but so powerful.
How comforting it is to cleanse and clear yourself of any tension or stress.
Because as you lather up you can let that stress go.
You can picture it in your mind and feel that release.
Rinsing whatever you want to right down the drain.
Just like that.
And it's even better when you like the scent of the soap and only you know what your favorite scent is.
Whether floral or herbal or simply fresh and clean.
But regardless even the most simple soap can help you lather away the day in only 20 seconds or so.
And your conscious mind will let you know when you need to wash up.
You can consciously make good choices easily and well.
And the more frequently you listen to this imagery the easier and more automatic it can be to know when it's time to lather up in the way that is healthiest for you.
And if you're listening to this imagery right before you go to sleep you can just allow yourself afterwards to drift off peacefully until it's time to awaken.
But if you'll need to return to the rest of your day with calm alertness and a very clear awake mind afterwards you can easily do so.
So if that's the case once again bring your focus now to the sound of my voice and your own breathing allowing your breath to wake up your mind so you feel refreshed and alert with each breath now feeling more invigorated and clear so alert aware of your body and of any sounds in the room.
Great.
Feeling calm but fully awake now shifting and stretching your body now fully back in the present moment feeling wonderful.
Terrific.
You can take a few sips of water to fully anchor your body and mind in the present and make sure you give yourself a few minutes before returning to your day.
