Magnification is one of the most common thinking errors experienced by people who struggle with stress. Sometimes, when you experience a negative event, you can blow the event out of perspective and give it a significance which it does not deserve. The impact of the event may seem devastating, and at that moment in time, it probably is devastating. You may feel like it is the end of the world and you will never recover from this setback. With time, the pain and devastation of these setbacks dissipates but at the time, this can be hard to see. This is where time projection imagery comes in. Time projection imagery allows you to de-magnify the event and see things in their true perspective. It allows you to look into the future and see a realistic vision of where your life will be. You can then see that the present setback shall pass, and in due course you will no longer see it as significant.
Using time projection imagery
To use time projection imagery effectively you must first determine the event which you are getting stressed about. You must then, one step at a time, look forward to specific times in the future; visualise every aspect of your life (career, personal, health etc.); and determine whether the event will be as significant then as it is now. You can follow the 6 steps below to use time projection imagery:
- Picture yourself 3 months from now. Visualise every aspect of your life. Is this situation still as stressful as it is today?
- Picture yourself 6 months from now. Visualise every aspect of your life. Is this situation still as stressful as it is today?
- Picture yourself 1 year from now. Visualise every aspect of your life. Is this situation still as stressful as it is today?
- Picture yourself 3 years from now. Visualise every aspect of your life. Is this situation still as stressful as it is today?
- Picture yourself 5 years from now. Visualise every aspect of your life. Is this situation still as stressful as it is today?
- Picture yourself 10 years from now. Visualise every aspect of your life. Is this situation still as stressful as it is today?
Continue projecting forward until you reach a time where you no longer see the event as stressful. Time projection imagery will help you to see that, with time, the stress and perceived importance of the event will diminish.
When something bad happens in your life, it can take over your whole life. You may feel overwhelmed and unable to cope. As your life is overtaken by the event, it can be hard to see how things are going to improve for you. This inability to see a way forward can be a source of great stress. Time projection imagery allows you to look into your future and see that the event is not as bad as it may presently feel. You will see that you will get through it and your life will move forward. When you come to this realisation, your stress levels drop and your confidence starts to rise again. Your thinking becomes clearer, and in time, you will be able to find your way through the situation. When you have magnified the importance of a negative event, time projection imagery is a great tool for helping you to develop a clear perspective, allowing you to move forward with greater confidence.