The Power of Positive Anchoring
How anchoring can shift your state in seconds?
6/27/20251 min read
Have you ever been caught off guard by a wave of emotion triggered by a sound, a scent or a place?
Recently, I took my daughter to play squash for the first time. As we stepped onto the court, the echo of the ball striking the walls instantly transported me back to my youth—a rush of energy, movement, and laughter flooded my senses. That familiar sound didn’t just signal a game; it ⚓️ anchored me in a joyful state I hadn’t realized I’d been missing.
Reflecting on this moment, I recognized a powerful principle from NLP coaching: the impact of anchors.
In NLP, an "anchor" is a stimulus that triggers a specific emotional state or memory. For me, the sound of the squash ball became an anchor, instantly reconnecting me with the joy and presence of my younger days.
This is exactly what we call an anchor in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). In everyday life, we’re anchored all the time without realizing it:
A smell that reminds you of childhood
A song that brings back a holiday
A place that instantly makes you feel calm
Once set, that ⚓️anchor can be used deliberately to “trigger” that emotion any time you need it. They can help you:
Boost confidence before a presentation
Shift from stress to calm in challenging conversations
Access joy or motivation when your energy dips
Here’s a simple anchoring technique I use with coaching clients:
Choose the emotional state you want to access (eg.confidence, calm, joy)
Recall a vivid memory when you felt that way. Really see it, hear it, feel it.
Intensify the feeling—let it build in your body. Smile, breathe.
Set the anchor—apply a unique gesture (like pressing two fingers together or touching your wrist) at the peak of the feeling.
Test the anchor—after a short break, trigger the gesture and notice if the feeling returns.
Repeat with different memories to strengthen the effect.
Want to explore how ⚓️ anchoring can work for you? 📆 Book a free discovery session or reach out directly.
Let’s build your inner toolkit—one ⚓️ anchor at a time