Today, Monday 18th June 2018 is ‘Go fishing day’ – now, as someone who has never really gone fishing in their life, it got me thinking… about fishing.

When I was younger, I used to see people sat at the side of the River bank, casting their rod out, preparing to sit their for hours, and I used to think ‘what on earth do they get from that?’. I just couldn’t get my head around it.

In fact, being totally honest here, I used to be bored senseless when my Dad used to take me fishing (sorry Dad), and I am sure looking back now, that I really frustrated both he and my Grandad, who had gone to enjoy some relaxation time and there was me, a little tearaway, running up and down the riverbank.

As someone who is now a little bit older, I can totally appreciate the joy of fishing. Think about it – going fishing could be classed as the ideal ‘you time’, or if you are into practising mindfulness, what better way to just get to sit and relax, focus, and let your mind wander?

Whilst continuing to think about fishing (I can’t believe I am actually sharing this), I went on to think about possible therapeutic mind tools that you could use when going fishing. But I don’t want to go fishing you may well be saying, and hey, I totally get that.

Fishing is not for everyone… I am not a particular fan of it…

That is why I am turning this into a metaphorical exercise, rather than a real one. So just relax, no fishing rod is required.

What if a spot of mental fishing could be a way to handle your fears or phobias? Here is a quick exercise that I created, that will help you gently let go of your fears, and come back to a place of balance.

Chris’ ‘go fishing’ technique for fears, anxieties and phobias.

• Imagine that you are sat at the side of a river bank, or a nice calm pool of some description. It could be somewhere you have gone before, make it a place that feels really nice and comfortable for you.
• I want you to imagine taking a piece of paper with whatever it is that is a real worry for you, and hook it onto the rod.
• Next, I want you to give yourself permission to just let this go, go into the water. Perhaps use a phrase such as ‘Fear of flying be gone with you’ and cast your rod out, allowing that fear to leave your mind and body and sink down into the water.
• Notice the little air bubbles that may rise to the surface, and just let your mind wander. Whatever comes to mind, it’s okay, you can just leave it there.
• Then I want you to just take a moment to sit, and feel whatever comes up for you.
• If you find that you get a knot in your stomach, a tightening in your chest – like the feeling hasn’t quite gone for you, you can cast your rod out again, and let this feeling sink to the bottom of the water, as many times as YOU need to.

You can practise this exercise any time and anyplace, and as many times as you want or need to. Not only does it allow you to offload the mental and emotional baggage that you have been carrying, around with you, it can be really relaxing, bringing you back into the present moment. Do it on your lunch break, or on the train to work.

How did this work for you? As always, I love to hear your feedback so do be sure to drop me a line and let me know your experiences with this.

And whatever you do and wherever you are doing it – if anybody mentions fishing today, you can smile knowingly and say ‘yes, I do love to do a spot of that’. 🙂

Until the next time,

Chris.