Why You Need Affirmations

If you find that you are having a hard time when it comes to establishing a self-care routine or a mediation routine, affirmations just might be a great way to ease into it. Or just a low maintenance routine that you can expand whenever you feel the need. And if you already have a meditation or mindfulness practice or a self-care routine, affirmations make a great addition.

What are Affirmations?
The simple answer is short positive thoughts. At your appointed affirmation time (or whenever you get the notion) you will say to yourself something like, “I am worthy of respect,” or “I am beautiful, and my scars do not define me.” Some people refer to affirmations as mantras.

Why Do You Need Affirmations?
Offering yourself regular affirmations is guaranteed to improve your relationship with yourself. For some people it only takes a a month or two, for others it may take longer. But one thing is certain, regular and daily affirmations will change your perspective of yourself.

Here’s the thing. If you open yourself to yourself, there are limitless possibilities. There are so many things that you can achieve and conquer. There are new, positive and exciting possibilities and habits to create. You don’t have to be stuck where you are. You have the power to change things. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a ‘pull yourself up by the bootstraps thing that I’m suggesting. It may not be easy. Most things that are worth it aren’t easy.

We tend to live busy lives. There’s always something that needs to be done, and it is easy to settle into a routine where we’re just doing what we always do. We’re not taking the time to experience moments and notice what we’re doing and how we feel. Adding affirmations to your daily happenings can break the cycles of negativity we have become accustomed to thinking.

Learning to take control of your thoughts and feelings will open up a new way of being. Of course, it’s easier to say than to do, but you are never too old to start something new, to create a new way of thinking about and relating to yourself. When you retrain your subconscious, you are able to attract different things into your life.

How Do Affirmations Work?
Affirmations work by changing your thought patterns. Have you ever heard it said that thoughts become word and words become actions and actions become character? Well, affirmations do the exact same thing. Try this. Hold your hands together, palm to palm, and interlace your fingers. Now, extend your index fingers upwards. Take two deep breaths and repeat to yourself (not aloud), “Fingers come together, fingers come together.” Did anything happen? Try it again, but this time repeat aloud, “Fingers come together, fingers come together.” What happened?

Most likely your index fingers came together and gave each other a little kiss. If it didn’t that means you were not open to the power of yourself. I’ll be honest with you. Sometimes I like to be contrary. The first time I tried this as a child, absolutely nothing happened. But I know that I began the exercise with the negative thought that this was some ridiculous trick and I was not going to fall for it. At the same time that I was telling my fingers to comet together, I was also saying, “I don’t want this to work. I want to be different. I’m going to be the proof that this is stupid.” I had made up my mind that I was going to be contrary, different.

Here’s how it works. It takes time and patience. After days, weeks, months, years of telling yourself great and positive powerful things, you are creating new patterns of brain behavior. Our brains are hard-wired for learning, adapting and repairing. Creating new habits and new ways of thinking truly can empower us to become our greatest selves. Regular affirmations lead us to believe in ourselves, to accept new challenges and opportunities, to love ourselves, to believe that we can and embolden us to try.

How to Use Affirmations
It is quite simple. Choose your affirmation. Make sure that it is positive and that you are using present tense. Here are some suggestions:

Once you know what you want to affirm, you can say it aloud if you feel comfortable. You can also say it to yourself or write it down. You can say your affirmations while you bathe, brush your teeth, while you’re driving to work, during your workouts, or whenever is good for you. Just make sure you do it everyday. Consistency is key.

Now that you know the power of affirmations, you can make the most out of them. Get started.