What Are Affirmations?
While affirmations may seem like just a bunch of words (and essentially, they are) there is so much more to them than meets the eye. How we speak to ourself has a lasting impact on both our mental and even physical health.
Affirmations are positive phrases that we say to ourselves that are designed to empower, protect and heal us. When using affirmations you are essentially speaking them as your truth, even if you may not believe it yet. But with a little consistency, our thoughts and words can shape our reality for the better and reprogram our subconscious mind.
The Power of Affirmations
Affirmations can help rewire our brain. Did you know that research has shown that around 80% of our thoughts each day are negative? By consciously choosing to use powerful positive statements you can learn to change this statistic. So why should we?
Using affirmations can:
- Improve mood and mental wellbeing
- Help you gain confidence
- Assist in healing past trauma
- Improve your self image
- Provide motivation
- Decrease stress
- Help bring in manifestations
The list goes on!
How Do I Use Affirmations?
There are a number of ways affirmations can be used, and it really comes down to personal preference. Some options are saying them aloud to yourself in the mirror, writing them down in a journal or even just saying them to yourself in your head. Seems simple enough right? However, there is a bit more than just saying something positive to yourself once and it magically changing your life (but that doesn’t mean it has to be complicated).
To help you start we’ve added some basic rules below.
- Try using “I am” statements, e.g., “I am enough”. Saying the statement as a current truth helps your subconscious to believe that it is.
- Focus on the positive, not the negative. Using an affirmation like “I do not have any negative thoughts” means your mind is still focussing on the negative, which we do not want. Instead try “I only think positive thoughts”.
- Always speak in present tense, e.g., “I am confident” rather than “I will become confident”.
- Make it meaningful to you. Everyone is different and different affirmations will resonate differently to each person. Don’t use an affirmation just because someone else is, make sure that it evokes emotion within yourself. If it doesn’t mean anything to you, there’s not much point.
Still stuck? Our Affirmation Deck is a great place to start! Get it here.