Creating a positive affirmation routine
Although there is an element of "fake-it-until-you-make-it" energy in daily affirmations, when used consciously and consistently, they can become a helpful resource on your path to success.
Herein, I shall elaborate on:
Taking stock of your destructive mental habits and thought processes
Positive affirmations have many advantages that should not be ignored.
Methods for composing one's own affirmations
Techniques for Implementing Affirmations
Ten encouraging statements to motivate you
Stay with me!
Taking stock of your destructive mental habits and thought processes
Meditation, journaling, and mindfulness practitioners are likely well-versed in the mind's propensity for negative thinking and self-criticism.
Your self-esteem can take a hit, and your life in general, if you're exposed to situations that trigger those negative patterns.
Studies show that we have anywhere from 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts daily, and that the vast majority of these are routine. Roughly 80% of them are unfavourable in tone.
These percentages may seem implausible at first glance, but anyone who has practised meditation or journaling regularly can attest to their accuracy.
Stress and anxiety can have detrimental effects on your physical, mental, and emotional health, and it is common for people to experience these symptoms when they are preoccupied with anxious or negative thoughts.
Affirmations like "I can't do this" are used subconsciously all the time.
Saying to oneself, "I am so stupid."
Saying, "I am such a bad cook."
There is no better job out there for me.
Those are all examples of affirmations that you might be letting permeate your mind, both consciously and unconsciously, on a daily basis. Since unchecked, one's mind will inevitably drift toward pessimism.
That's because your brain is trying to keep you safe, not because you're a negative person or a glass half empty kind of human.
Energy-moving exercises like yoga, meditation, and Qi Gong can help you become more in tune with your own mind and body and gain some perspective from that place of greater distance.
The value of daily positive affirmations practise
A positive affirmation is a statement that you tell yourself over and over again. To put it another way, they help you get out of your head and into the here and now.
Affirmations are a straightforward method of combating negative thought patterns and shifting one's mindset in a more positive direction. Creating room for improvement in your life is something you should do regularly.
Daily use of positive affirmations that are congruent with one's identity, one's intentions, and one's goals can help one form new connections in the brain. You are, in effect, rewiring your brain and writing the story that follows you around all day long.
Beginning a positive affirmation routine can be done in a variety of ways. To maximise your chances of success, however, you should create and stick to your own personal set of daily rituals.
It will take some extra thought and effort, but the results will be tailored to your specific needs and desires, making them more authentic and effective.
Affirmation Types
There are two kinds of positive affirmations you can use to better your life: affirmations that help you achieve a specific goal, and mantra affirmations.
Affirmations of Purpose
In fact, goal affirmations are more focused on the end result. Commonly, statements of this nature are framed in the present progressive tense, as though the event being affirmed is ongoing.
"Now that I prioritise self-care on a daily basis, my life is so much brighter and healthier."
Affirmative mantra recitation
Affirmations in mantras are written as though the idea or goal has already been realised. You can read them aloud or repeat them to yourself in the present tense to stay in touch with your goals and values as you go about your day.
Here's an illustration: "I am in good health and am very content. Everyday, I take time for myself.
If you feel like you need some extra persuading and encouragement to truly embody this energy, then goal affirmations may be just what the doctor ordered. But if you already feel at one with this thought or energy, mantra affirmations will serve you well.
Methods for composing one's own affirmations
In fact, if you let it, writing your own affirmations can be a lot of fun.
Self-examination is never easy, but you should extend compassion and understanding to yourself as you work through this.
When you feel the need, stop and tend to yourself.
1) Focus on what you hold most dear
Taking some time to sit with yourself, keep a journal, and recognise the direction you intend to take in your life right now by setting your core values is a great way to discover what you truly need in your life right now.
The author of Atomic Habits, James Clear, has compiled a helpful checklist that you can use as a starting point. As a first step, erase any phrases that don't ring true. From there, start putting together some of the word pairs that are most similar to one another. Pick the person you identify with most in each set.
You should narrow the list down to the top 5 or 6 values that truly resonate with you right now and that you wish to uphold.
As an illustration:
Balance
Peace
Kindness
Love
Joy
This list can be updated and revised as needed, giving you a snapshot of your current situation that can be used for planning and decision-making purposes.
2) Use the first person pronoun "I"
It's crucial that you feel a deep emotional connection to these affirmations if you want to alter your thought processes.
When you begin sentences with "I," you become the focus of attention and the protagonist of the story, thereby initiating a personal connection to the pattern and truth being presented.
I am sufficient as an example.
3) Use a confident, upbeat tone and the present tense when writing your affirmations
You should write your affirmations right now, whether they are related to goals for the future or to a fundamental part of your identity.
Focus on what you do want, rather than dwelling on what you no longer need, and frame your language and thoughts accordingly.
Try rephrasing your mantra to something more accurate, like "I confidently face and move through challenges," if you're going through a tough time.
4) Make good use of optimistic verbs, adverbs, and language
What you tell yourself at this point is crucial, so use positive language.
Select a vocabulary based on the pleasure you get from saying or hearing each word.
Identify the qualities you wish to internalise and use those as your adjectives.
An illustration would be: "I exude poise, beauty, and self-assurance."
5) Be practical
Writing positive affirmations is more effective if you remember to keep a firm foot in the present moment. Sure, it's good to have ambitious goals, but don't lose sight of reality. It would be more effective to say something like, "I am abundant beyond my wildest dreams" instead of "I have a million euros in my bank account."
Techniques for Implementing Affirmations
You can use affirmations in any way that works for you; the important thing is to be consistent and to repeat them regularly.
1) Put them down on paper.
Lots of folks find it helpful to put their uplifting thoughts on paper. Use post-it notes and stick them up where they'll see them frequently during the day. You can also jot them down on a scrap of paper and keep it in your purse or pocket to have these positive statements with you wherever you go.
2) Repeat them to yourself in the mirror.
You can put some of the post-it notes on your mirror so you'll see them every day, and you can recite them to yourself every morning or whenever you pass by.
3) Use them as a meditative mantra to repeat over and over
Reciting your affirmations aloud in meditation can have a profound effect on your mental state. For example, you could begin by repeating each affirmation 3–10 times before working up to the traditional japa mala meditation of reciting the mantra 108 times.
4) When keeping a journal
If keeping a journal is part of your daily or nightly routine, then you can use it to record your affirmations.
Although not every resource or method we encounter on our path to development and self-awareness will strike a chord with us personally, there is something thrilling and energising about venturing into the unknown in search of what might bring us closer to our true selves and to life.
Allow yourself the freedom to experiment with different approaches, keeping in mind that you might find it helpful to develop your own method for using affirmations.