Self-Affirmations and How it Works

What does an affirmation mean? It is the action or process of affirming something or an emotional support or encouragement. So, self-affirmation is all about encouraging oneself to be good and feel good. A lot of self-affirmations have helped thousands of people make essential and positive changes in their own lives. Although, they don't always work for everyone. Some get positive results while others don't.

Self-affirmation can work because it has the ability to tell your mind to believe the stated concept. This is because the mind doesn't know the difference between what is real or fantasy.

Self-affirmation

Here are 5 Steps to Make Self-Affirmations More Effective and Powerful

1. Make a list of what you've always thought of as your negative qualities.

These can include any criticisms that other people may have told you that you've been holding onto, a thing your parents or siblings or even friends say about you when you were still young, or what your co-workers told you during your last meeting in the office.

2. Then, make an affirmation on the positive aspect of your self-judgment.

You may want to use a dictionary to find more powerful and more encouraging statements. Let's say, you've written, "I'm worthless," you could then say, "I'm important and loved."

3. Speak the affirmation out loud for about five minutes three times a day, morning, midday, and evening.

The best time to do this is when you are putting on your make up or when you are doing your morning or evening beauty ritual or when shaving for men. That way, you are looking at yourself in the mirror and repeat those positive affirmations to yourself. Notice over time as you write it if your style of writing changes. This could be a clue as to how your mind perceives the new concept.

4. Anchor the affirmation in your body as you are repeating it by placing your hand on the area that felt uncomfortable when you wrote out the negative belief in Step 1.

Also, "breathe" into the affirmation while you are saying or writing it. As you reprogram your mind, you want to move from the concept of the affirmation to a real, positive embodiment of the quality you seek.

5. Get a friend or coach to repeat your affirmation to you.

As they are saying, for example, "You are remarkable and cherished," identify this statement as "good mothering" or "good fathering" messages. If you don't have someone whom you feel comfortable asking, then use your reflection in the mirror as the person who is reinforcing the healthy message.

Affirmations can be a powerful tool to help you improve your mood, your state of mind, and manifest the change you want in your life.

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Source: 5 Steps to Make Affirmations Work for You | Psychology Today