Affirmations: A Powerful Tool for Self-Improvement

Affirmations are positive statements that you repeat to yourself, often in the form of a mantra. They can be used to change your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. There is a lot of scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of affirmations. Studies have shown that affirmations can:

• Improve your mood
• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Increase self-esteem
• Boost your confidence
• Help you achieve your goals

Even Jesus Christ emphasized the power of using affirmations when he said, “By thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned,”  and “death and life are in power of the tongue.”  If you are looking for a simple way to shift your mood and elevate your life then keep reading to learn how to effectively use affirmations.

Why Affirmations Work

When focusing on an affirmative statement you direct your FOCUS toward what you want. Doing so triggers your Reticular Activation System (RAS), which is a small section of your brain that tunes in your awareness to stimulus in your environment that is a match for what you’re focused on. We are exposed to a million bits of information at any moment and we are only consciously aware of 2,000 of them. If you’re thinking negatively, you notice negative things. If you’re thinking about red cars, you’re going to see them everywhere. If you’re thinking about how to get new contracts for your photography business, your ears will pick up the conversation in the adjacent aisle in the store where someone is talking about their upcoming wedding. If you want to start using affirmations, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Choose affirmations that are specific, believable and within your control.
• Affirmation must be present tense (happening now), personal (I), positive (no “not” or “don’t)
• Repeat your affirmations regularly, preferably several times a day.
• Believe in your affirmations and visualize them coming true.
• Be patient and consistent with your affirmations. It takes time to see results.

Affirmations are a powerful tool that can help you improve your life in many ways. If you are looking to make positive changes, give affirmations a try. If you need inspiration, here are some examples of affirmations you can try:

• I am confident and capable.
• I am worthy of love and success.
• I am grateful for all that I have.
• I am healthy and strong.
• I am living my best life.

3 Gratitude Affirmations That Can Help Improve Your Health

There is a definite link between having gratitude and being happy, having an increased sense of well-being, and having better health. While it’s easy to focus on the bad and get caught up in negative thoughts and emotions, it’s important to always remember to be grateful for everything that’s going right.

A simple way to begin focusing on gratitude each day is to make a conscious effort to openly express it at least once an hour. Setting an alarm on your phone will help! Use these three affirmations to get started.

“I give thanks now for my life of health, happiness, and self-expression.” 

It might be difficult to begin openly expressing your gratitude when you’re used to focusing on the negative. If that’s the case for you, start with something simple like giving thanks for your health and self-expression to get in the habit of expressing how thankful you are.

“All things are now working together for my highest good.”

This doesn’t have to mean that everything in your life is perfect – that’s likely not the case. However, it’s important to begin seeing those negative pieces of your life in a positive light. How are they working to change you? Are they pushing you in a direction you never thought you’d go before? How are they working to mold you into the person you want to be? Try to remember that everything in your life, whether it be good or bad, is molding you, changing you, and can work to better you if you let it!

“I experience gratitude for everything I have in my life.”

If it’s hard to start expressing your gratitude with a blanket expression like this, then begin focusing on individual items. Give thanks for a roof over your head, food on the table, and clothes on your back. Give thanks for the air you’re breathing, your family, or a good book. Start small, and work your way up!

There is an intuitive knowing that the more gratitude we have, the better we feel. Every individual is different and needs a personalized experience. If these affirmations don’t suit you, create your own! Simply find three things to give thanks for in your life, whatever they might be, and begin expressing gratitude. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel!

In some cases, you may find yourself using affirmations just to have the thing, or circumstance, you desire to manifest in a less than desirable way or not at all. If this is the case, then you may have subconscious beliefs that is keeping your affirmations from being effective.

Why Your Affirmations Aren’t Working

Although affirmations have become a popular healing tool for personal growth, many people, especially those who lack a strong solar plexus chakra, affirmations can do more harm than good.  Your most powerful and prominent mind is not your conscious mind, but your subconscious. So when you say a positive affirmation like “I am rich,”  that you don’t believe is true, your subconscious tends to negate it with comments like, “No you’re not,” or “Who are you kidding? You can’t even pay your bills!” 

If you tend to feel or hear resistance whenever you say an affirmation, then you may have subconscious beliefs that will make it difficult for your affirmations to manifest. If this is the case for you, then you will likely have more success using transformational power questions (TPQs) be they engage your subconscious mind in a positive way and make your RAS work for you instead of against you. You can create a TPQ in 4 simple steps:

1.  Think of something you want to change or create in your life (i.e., you want to be more patient)
2. Write a simple affirmation: I am patient
3. Now shift that affirmation into a  ‘why’ question: “Why am I so patient?”
4. Next make it progressive: “Why am I becoming more patient every day?”

It’s important to ask your TPQ several times throughout the day just as you would an affirmation. Stick to one TPQ for a little while until you feel a shift, and then start working on another one.

If you are struggling to come up with affirmations, or have them shift your life for the better, my Tap In coaching program can help you release any mental blocks, subconscious beliefs or past trauma that’s holding you back from manifesting your ideal health, relationships, career or life. If you’re interested to learn more about it, then click here for more details. I hope this helps.