Affirmations and How to Use Them
Affirmations: Why They Work & How to Use Them
To
“affirm” something, by dictionary definition, means that you are
declaring it to be true. So, when I affirm that I am fit when I am not,
wealthy when I am financially struggling, or loved when I am lonely, how
exactly does that work in the guise of living authentically—and who the
heck am I kidding?
An affirmation
is usually a sentence or phrase that you repeat regularly to make a
formal declaration to yourself and the universe of your intention for it
to be the truth. While some may say it is akin to “fake it until you
make it,” I see it a bit more like holding the vision of what I know can
be true.
Here is my experience of how they work. We
all have a thing called a Reticular Activating System (RAS) in our
brains, which is like a filter that lets in information that we need and
filters out information that we don’t. If we didn’t have this system,
we would be bombarded with so much information that our senses would
overload, and we would go into massive overwhelm. Instead, our brain
registers what matters to us based on our goals, needs, interests, and
desires.
For example, if you and your friend were
driving down the street, and you were hungry and your friend was looking
for a date, you would see all the restaurants (and none of the hot guys
or gals) while your friend would see all the potential sweethearts (and
none of the restaurants). Most of us have had the kind of experience
when a friend shows us their new car and it’s a make and model we have
never seen before. And, now that it is important to us, we suddenly
begin to see that particular make and model everywhere we look. I used
to date a guy who drove a cement truck and would have sworn to you prior
to dating him that there were no cement trucks on the public roads and
highways where I lived. Once I started dating him, I saw cement trucks
everywhere! My reticular activating system recognized what was important
to me and allowed the information in.
When you
say an affirmation over and over again, a couple of things happen. One
is that it sends a very clear message to your RAS that this is important
to you. When you do that, it gets busy noticing ways to help you
achieve your goals. If ideal weight is your emphasis, you will suddenly
begin to see every gym and weight loss product. If money is your goal,
investment and earning opportunities will move to the forefront of your
awareness. In essence, the affirmation can kick your creativity into high gear.
The
other way affirmations work is that they create a dynamic tension in
our beings. If what I am saying is at a higher vibration than what I
perceive the truth to be, the dynamic tension is uncomfortable. For
instance, if I am saying, “I am joyfully and healthfully at my ideal
weight,” when in actuality I am 10, 20, 30 pounds above my ideal
weight, a painful incongruence is felt between what I perceive the truth
to be and what I am saying. Since this is uncomfortable, we want to rid
ourselves of the tension. There are only two ways to do that: one is to
stop saying the affirmation; the other is to raise the bar on reality
by making the affirmation and reality match.
So, what makes an effective affirmation? First,
determine what kind of transformation you want to bring about in
yourself—a goal or intention. Or, determine what quality, attitude,
value, or characteristic you want to remind yourself of or develop in
yourself. Second, if it fits, add an emotion to the mix or a word that
quantifies the statement. For instance, “I am joyfully at my ideal
weight of 125.” Or, “I’m happily living in my own home.” I personally
like affirmations that strum my heartstrings: “I offer gratitude for
every step and every breath.” Third, make it positive versus negative:
“I am healthy and fit” rather than “I am no longer fat.”
Some
say it takes 21 days of repetition for an affirmation to make its mark
on your psyche, so aim to keep your affirmation going for at least a
month. In the beginning, you will have to consciously choose to repeat
your affirmations. If you repeat them at every opportunity, they will
begin to replace the negative mind banter that takes over when we are
not monitoring our thoughts. See if you can make the dynamic tension go
away by making your words and reality match.
Here are a few positive affirmations to get you started. Please feel free to share your own in the comments below!
- I am peaceful in my body, heart, and soul.
- I easily see the lesson or the blessing in all that is.
- Every day, I offer gratitude, trust, and faith for everything that happens in my life.
- I am authentic and present.
- I am successful in everything I attempt.
- I am a magnet for money and abundance.
- Love, wisdom, and discernment coexist in my heart.
- Deep love is my birthright.
- When faced with two choices, I always take the higher path.
- I am guided by a higher power.
- I am energetic and strong.
- I see the best in everyone and they in me
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