You think with your eyes. Not literally, but when you think–or remember, or visualize–your eyes move. You’re having a conversation with a friend and she asks what you ate for lunch. You break eye contact, look away for a moment, so you can remember. Or when you dream at night. Even then your eyes keep moving. Your mind moves, and your eyes follow.
You can reverse engineer this process to your advantage. Next time you’re stressed or angry, pay attention to your eyes. Let your eyes “soft focus” or blur slightly. Notice any tension in the muscles surrounding your eyes, and allow it to dissolve. Feel how your “eye muscles” reach down into your jaw, back into your brain. Let your eyelids close, completely or half-way, whatever feels more relaxed. Notice the tiniest of movements in your eyeballs, a slight flicker here or there. Notice these things in the moment, make friends with these sensations, and they will gradually quiet down over the next few minutes.
When your eyes are deeply relaxed, you’ll notice your thoughts have slowed to a manageable crawl.
About the Author: James Robbins is a licensed professional counselor, published author and co-owner of Dallas Whole Life Counseling. He has over 15 years of experience helping people in various life stages that come from a wide variety of cultural, economic and family backgrounds. Learn more about his background by clicking here.