People either love or hate affirmations. They are also known as positive self-talk. The act of engaging in daily affirmations, or positive statements, can be challenging at first. Knowing how to properly use them can lead to a positive change in behaviour and more importantly your mindset. If you haven’t added this tool into your self care toolkit, it’s time to look at them a little closer.
Why does it work?
Affirmations take our negative self-talk and spins it into a positive. They have the power to motivate you to act on certain things that you need to work on, but it requires an active effort on your part. The reason affirmations work is because of the repetition factor, and the conscious intake of positive statements into your thoughts. By turning a negative into a positive, you regain some control. By focusing on it, you further add to that control, and no longer need to be at the whim of the world around you.
Additionally, stating the affirmations out loud in front of a mirror can really help in changing the narrative you hold of yourself. I find this particularly hard. I see all my faults when I look in the mirror. But by pushing beyond my discomfort, I now believe I am capable of anything I set my mind to.
Positive statements have been shown to change how your brain thinks. This is in part due to neuroplasticity. When learning new things, our brains feel good. By changing how we perceive ourselves, our feel good hormones can help decrease stress, and improve our ability to be active and productive. They also help us be more positive, lessening the frequency and intensity of negative self-talk.
When & What?
To get the full benefit of affirmations, daily practice is recommended. There are differing opinions about how to approach them. Some say use different affirmations and others recommend repeating the same ones once you select a few that focus on the things you want to work on. Timing is another area where you will find differing opinions. Some say first thing in the morning, others say right before bed. Some also say that you should repeat them throughout the day.
Only you can determine the best approach for your journey. I personally found that by doing it in the morning, it prepares me for the day ahead. On particularly challenging days, I repeat the exercise but with different affirmations to give myself the compassion I need. This allows my unconscious mind to process the content overnight while I sleep. I struggle to do affirmations during work hours as my days are filled with meetings, and my alone time is limited to bio-breaks. I also find doing them at home is a more sacred exercise. At home I can control the environment, but you are the best to decide what you need.
Affirmations, like any other tool, requires practice. Aim for at least a month of daily affirmation practice before you can expect to see the start of change. Keep it up for a couple of months for more noticeable impacts. But why stop there? Continue as part of your regular self care routine, and review as circumstances change.
How do I write an affirmation?
Start by thinking of the areas in your life that you would like to change. If you are not sure, take a moment to listen to that inner critique, what is it saying to you? Similar to goal setting, you will be more successful if you choose positive statements that are in the present, achievable and believable. The believable part may be a stretch at first, but if your desire is to believe it, you will in time.
You can find a myriad of affirmations online. Many with images you can print at home or items with quotes that you can purchase. What they all have in common is that they are positive statements that can support your change. Such as “I choose peace and calm”, “I have the power to choose what I think about”, and I love and accept my body”. When writing your own affirmations, some of the most powerful statements start with “I am”. Add a descriptor for what you seek to achieve. “I am worthy of being loved” or “I am beautiful inside and out”, or “I am safe” are all good optoins. This really helps to personalize the process, and makes you identify areas that may require active work.
Handwrite Your Affirmation
Even if you use online sources to get you started and primed, handwrite your affirmation on a piece of paper. You can also keep an affirmation journal. This may sound ridiculous, but the act of handwriting boosts cognitive processes. It improves our ability to learn and to memorize facts and concepts. So when you handwrite your affirmation(s), you are boosting your mind’s ability to internalize the words. This ties back to the aforementioned neuroplasticity, forming new pathways in our brains that become stronger than our old, negative habits.
Listen To Your Affirmation
Once your affirmation(s) are written, you can take it one step further. Record yourself reading them. Listening to yourself state these positive statements can further reinforce your mind to accept and pursue these actions, resulting in greater success long-term. If this sounds too difficult or simply not what you want to do, you can also find apps that can guide you through exercises. Although they tend to be more generic. If looking internally is proving too hard at the start, this is a great way to get started with affirmation exercises. When you get more comfortable and familiar with the language of positive self-talk, you can move on to writing your own.
What affirmations help you?
Start with a few affirmations and add as needed based on your circumstances and what your negative self-talk is telling you. Are you struggling with self-esteem? Do you feel you don’t deserve love? Feeling ugly? Do you think you deserve to be punished for your mistakes? These are real messages we hear from ourselves from time to time, and we need to put a stop to it. By engaging in positive self-talk, we can focus our attention on the areas that need help. By repeating them at regular intervals, we reinforce the positive messaging, and eventually overcome self-doubt and the hang-ups that keep us from living our lives to the fullest.
IMAGE CREDIT: Unsplash | Forsaken Films.