June 15, 2020Wellness

THE POWER OF AFFIRMATIONS

Research shows that the average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts daily. Of these, thousands of thoughts, about 80% are negative, and interestingly enough around 95% of these thoughts are the same as the day before. This research gives important insight into our brains innate ability to look for negative information and grasp onto it once we find it, a phenomenon also known as negativity bias. And, although negativity bias has become visceral for most of us research also shows that with significant effort anyone can reverse their negative mindset! Therefore, in this journal entry we will be exploring the power of daily affirmations as a method to uproot negativity bias to ultimately promote a mindset full of positivity, self-love, and the motivation to achieve your goals.

What Are Affirmations?

Affirmations are phrases, statements, or sentences aimed at challenging negative emotions present in the conscious and unconscious mind, in an effort to positively affect our mood, behavior, habits, and environment. In an affirmation, the words utilized instinctively generate images in our conscious mind, that inspire, encourage, uplift and motivate. These affirmations, when fused with positive mental images, are subsequently internalized by the unconscious mind, which ultimately changes our actions, reactions, and mood according to the words being repeated.

What Are The Benefits of Affirmations?

Affirmations are incredibly beneficial as simply spending five minutes daily to reflect on your best qualities can help reduce the effects of stress. For instance, according to researchers, before a stressful event affirmations can calm your nerves, reduce physical tension, and boost your confidence, ultimately improving your chances of success (1). Additionally, affirmations motivate and keep both the conscious and unconscious mind concentrated on your goals. Furthermore, through activating your unconscious, affirmations can alter your thoughts and behaviors, therefore; boosting your vibrational frequency which in turn brings you into contact with new people who can help you achieve your goals. Moreover, positive affirming statements make you feel optimistic and energetic, thus; placing you in a better position to transform your life.

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When Should You Use Affirmations?

The best time to begin to incorporate affirmations into your life is in any situation where you aspire for a positive change to take place. A positive change in your life might include times when you want to:

Raise your self esteem
Improve your confidence before interviews, important meetings, presentations, and/or public speaking engagements
Reduce your tendency to procrastinate and finish projects you’ve started
Increase your productivity
Learn a new skill
Form deeper relationships with individuals in your life or form genuine relationships with new people

How Do You Use Affirmations?

The key to utilizing affirmations to manifest the life you want begins with being descriptive and specific about your goal. Ask yourself, what do I really want? What is the one thing that would bring me joy? And, how would achieving this goal change my life for the better? These simple questions are vital when goal setting for your affirmation journey and it is incredibly important not to necessarily focus on how you're going to achieve this goal but more so on how accomplishing this goal will make you feel.

Once you decide what you want and how this goal will change your life you can create your own affirmation with these eight steps:

Begin your affirmation with the words “I am.” These two words are incredibly powerful and promote the law of attraction.
Always use present tense.
Keep your affirmations positive. Affirm that the cup you have is half full, not half empty.
Keep it brief.
Make it specific and descriptive.
Include an action verb ending with –ing.
Incorporate at least one dynamic emotion or word to describe how this goal makes you feel.
Make affirmations for yourself, not others.

The following formula is also a great place to start: begin with “I am so happy and grateful that I am now …” and then fill in the blank.

Tips for Success

Be consistent and repeat your affirmations twice daily.
Carve out five minutes every morning for affirmations, as soon as you can after waking up. This practice will guarantee you have a positive start to the day.
Say your second set of affirmations just before going to bed. This ensures that you have positive thoughts on your mind as you go to sleep, seeping into your unconscious to solidify overnight.
Make a commitment to affirm yourself for 30 days, no matter what. It takes 30 days to form a habit so while on this journey think long term, and don’t give up.
Affirmations can be even more effective when you pair them with other relaxing positive thinking rituals, such as journaling, meditation, or drinking a warm cup of tea.
Be patient and remember to smile