THE ART OF AFFIRMATIONS
Affirmations are all about being aware of your emotions.
Take a moment to check in with yourself and determine how you’re feeling right now.
An affirmation is a positive statement used to challenge negative or unwanted thoughts.
“Affirmation” as a word in and of itself refers to an act of saying or showing that something is true.
Self-affirmation takes that one step further.
The official definition from Merriam Webster reads, “The act of affirming one’s worthiness and value as an individual for beneficial effect (such as increasing one’s confidence or raising self-esteem).”
Do you feel that self-affirmations benefit you? How would you currently rate your self-esteem?
In general, we’re pretty harsh on ourselves. Many of us are more critical of ourselves than anyone else, even people we actively dislike!
Why? Because we’ve created negative core beliefs throughout our lives. These core beliefs are based on personal experiences and the lessons we take away from them. These beliefs can also come from observing others. For example, if you had a parent who was highly self-critical, you’re more likely to be that way as well.
These patterns of negative thinking develop early in life and become paths that our brains turn to when it needs an answer. For example, if something bad happens at work, you will try to figure out what went wrong, and your brain will begin running through old patterns and beliefs that say, ‘you’re not smart enough,’ or ‘you’re not good enough.’
You can change those patterns—it just takes some practice.
If the words you speak don’t have any personal meaning to you, they probably won’t work. That’s why it’s important to create affirmations for yourself based on your values and beliefs.
A good rule of thumb for creating affirmations is to begin your sentence with the phrase, “I am.” Keep it in the present tense and be as specific as possible.
The subconscious mind cannot differentiate between negative and positive. So if you want to be successful, don’t use an affirmation such as “I don’t want to be a failure.” The subconscious will dwell on the word failure, and skip out on the intention behind it, so be careful in how you word your affirmations.
If you’re finding it difficult to remember to practice your affirmations, consider incorporating them into your morning routine—while you make your coffee, while you drive to work, while you brush your teeth.
What time of day might work best for you?