Affirmations help us to affirm the way that we want to see our lives. When I was first introduced to affirmations I was not yet a therapist and I was very skeptical about them actually working for me.
So lets explore the science behind positive psychology and the use of affirmations. The thought behind affirmations is that you are stating things so that you can build your personal resources to think more positively.
It takes work for our brains to not to default to the negative since we have stayed alive thanks to our alarm centers in the brain, the amydala which produces fear in us. It is so helpful for keeping us safe as I discussed last week about our inner critic. Affirmations use our prefrontal cortex (our reasoning center) and train it to challenge our fear center with instilling hope and positivity into it. Here are six ways to use affirmations to help you to be more positive and invite abundance into your life:
“Affirmations are our mental vitamins, providing the supplementary positive thoughts we need to balance the barrage of negative events and thoughts we experience daily.”
~ Tia Walker
1) Find or design an affirmation that speaks to you
When using affirmations it is very important to find one that really speaks to you and produces a connected feeling or deep response in you. So if you do not resonate with the wording or it is not almost making you tear up when you say it, then you need to make some alterations. If it is almost right, try altering the words to language that you use or is more geared towards what you are working on. If you don’t find one that resonates with you, then you can always write your own affirmation.
“I am alive. I am healthy. I am exactly where I am supposed to be in this moment. I am surrendering to the will of the Divine and of the Universe. I have faith. I am at peace. I am sending love to my fears. I am enough.”~Karen A. Baquiran
2) How to write your own affirmation
Affirmations need to be positive and be worded for the present time. When you write an affirmation there should not be any words that have negative adverbs. Meaning do not add “not” to your affirmations or anything that has a negative connotation or wording. Here is an example for an incorrect one: ” I am not afraid of my future, I move forward.” A better way to word it would be: ” I step forward into my glorious future with determination and power.”
3) When you say your affirmations your subconscious mind or inner critic says yeah right after you state your affirmation.
If you notice it is hard for you to believe your affirmation try to reword it.
So if you are saying,” I deeply love and accept myself.” And this is too difficult, try adding the phrase, “may I be willing to”, to the beginning of it. So it would look like, “May I be willing to deeply love and accept myself.” This may allow your subconscious mind to accept this more easily and have it be more effective.
“Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; unbelief, in denying them.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
4) Make sure to do your affirmations for 66 Days
Studies show that if you do a new behavior for 21 days it creates a new mental image in your brain and you begin to get used to this idea. You have now planted seeds to build a new neural pathway in the brain after 21 days, but it needs more watering. To actually make the habit stick you really need to do it for 66 Days according to the University College London. If you miss a day or so that is okay it is the first days of stating the affirmation that really help. So be persistent for at least the first week.
5) Make sure to not only do them in your head but also out loud.
To get your affirmations to work it is suggested you say them out loud so that your subconscious can hear the words. This helps in reinforcing new thought patterns which will help with you changing how you feel next over 66 days. Also when you do them in front of a mirror ,this further emphasize the learning because you are experiencing auditory and visual reinforcement of the new belief.
6) If you really want to make your affirmations work use EFT with them.
EFT uses acupressure and psychological affirmations to help to transform your thoughts and improve your physical, mental and spiritual health. EFT is based on the same meridians that have been used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments for over five thousand years. With EFT your own fingers are used to tap onto the specific meridians on the head, chest and hands while you address a specific problem and voice affirmations.
Check out this video to learn how to do it: https://youtu.be/okridQnrhQ
What affirmations work for you? What are you currently struggling with? Please feel free to comment below.
Need More Help with affirmations or using EFT? Celine is a EFT master practitioner and can help you to learn how to transform your negative beliefs. If you are interested in scheduling a free 15 minute consultation or an appointment with Celine, please feel free to contact her at celine@innergrowththerapy.com or 323.515.2278.
Have a Blessed Week,
Comments
I love this blog . It is very helpful. I finally understand affirmations and why and how they work.