What are affirmations & how can I use them ?

Affirmations are just thoughts

The dictionary defines an affirmation as a statement or sign that something is true. The use of affirmations in your daily life can be life-changing, which we will look at shortly.

Affirmations are just thoughts which we repeatedly tell ourselves over and over. The repetition of that thought, whether it be positive or negative will in turn become a belief if repeated enough times.

We can often be our own worse enemies, focusing on negative situations and events throughout the day. It is so easy to allow our thoughts to spiral out of control when we hit a tough time in our lives.

But fear not, the good news is that you can use your thoughts to your advantage and I’m going to tell you how.

this …

Why are we so hurtful to our own selves?

Are we critical so we can get in there first and deal the first blow? If we critique ourselves before someone beats us to it, will it hurt less?

If someone were to walk up to you and hurl abuse at you, you would be upset. Horrified that someone could think such negative thoughts about you. Am I right?

The truth is, how can we expect others to be kind to us, to believe in us and respect us when more often than not, we struggle to be kind to ourselves?

Reading online, it is said that the average human possibly has around 70,000 thoughts per day. That’s a lot of thoughts when you think about it.

Our daily thoughts can probably be broken down into memories, things we need to remember for the future, a conversation we had that morning etc. Looking closer though, I wonder just how many of those thoughts are actually positive or negative.

What are affirmations?

A positive statement or proposition, the assertion that something exists or is true

www.dictionary.com

As I mentioned earlier, affirmations are just thoughts. They are statements or phrases that are programmed into your mind through repetition.

You have been affirming your whole life, all day, every day. The repetition of these thoughts is how you have developed your core beliefs about what you consider true. And as I also previously stated, some of those thoughts or “affirmations” are negative beliefs which you have told yourself repeatedly and now see as truth.

These affirmations have shaped your outlook on the world, the way you view others and most importantly the way you view yourself.

If you were to break down your mind into sections such as finance, career, health and relationships you will have dominant thoughts in each of those areas. If those thoughts are not in line with where you want to be in life or if your thoughts about those topics have a negative undertone, it’s time to replace those thoughts.

So where do you go from here?

It all starts with you and it will take a lot of practice and repetition but I promise you it will be worth it.

It’s about talking positively to yourself. Reminding or even discovering how amazing you truly are. It’s about kicking your own arse and being your own best friend.

You need to start telling yourself a new story, the story you want your life to be. Now might be a great time to get the pen and paper out and really dig into those core beliefs you have. It would be best if you focused on replacing your old story with your new one.

But how do you do that?

How to use affirmations?

I’m not gonna lie here, it’s going to take time and effort to correct all that negative mental chatter you have going on upstairs. You want to replace the old story with the new desired one. Whether that be your views about money, how you feel others treat you or general thoughts that hold you back.

Now we have established what an affirmation is, a positive statement we believe to be true. You need to use positive affirmations in daily life, which I will explain in more detail.

There are many areas in that affirmations can help your daily life and give you a positive mental boost. It is possible to target affirmations to your career, confidence, health, and any area you want to change.

There are many ways you can try this, it’s all about trial and error. Find what works best for you and what you feel most comfortable doing.

The key to using affirmations is repetition

In order to replace a negative thought, which as I said earlier will no doubt be engrained in your mind, your going to have to repeat your new thought until it dominates.

By dominating your mind with your new thought or “affirmation” you will replace the old, outdated thought. Now from my experience, there is no set time frame for this. Some thoughts are easier to override than others so it’s all about persisting and repeating your new thought until it feels natural to you.

Let’s take money as an example. Your old thoughts may sound something like this;

“I’m always broke, I never seem to have enough money, money doesn’t grow on trees” etc.

Chances are you have heard these expressions in childhood and brought them forwards into your own adult life. Well, that’s a lot of time repeating the negative money mindset story you’ve been telling yourself. Therefore it’s time to tell a new story;

“I always have more than enough money, I am financially free, money comes to me easily” etc.

You need to be saying these affirmations to yourself as much as possible. In the shower, on your commute, whilst shopping and above all even when life throws you a big fat bill! Repeat, repeat and repeat your affirmations until you start to see your new story pushing out into your reality.

 

Affirmation Ideas

I am in control

I believe in myself

I can achieve anything I want to achieve

My life is full of joy and happiness

I am beautiful

I am successful in my job

I can do this

Money comes into my life easily

I love and value myself

I am confident in who I am

  

 

As well as saying them to yourself repeatedly, you may find writing them down helps. Record yourself saying them and play it on a loop. Talk to yourself in the mirror. Do whatever it takes to replace your old story.

You could write them down on flashcards as prompts throughout the day. Place the cards in places you will clearly see them. They will remind you to invest some time in repeating your chosen affirmations.

Remember, it’s all about repetition. It will take a bit of time to feel comfortable with affirmations, but once you have broken your self-consciousness you will start to see huge benefits.

Have you used affirmations before? Share some of your favourites below 👇🏼

Remember to subscribe for all your wellbeing FREEBIES!