What Are Affirmations? (And How To Use Them Properly)
Did you know that your mind is one of the most powerful and complex tools ever studied and that you have the power to alter your subconscious mind simply by the way you think and the words you use?
Affirmations are a great example of thinking and acting in a way that attracts positive change and builds your confidence, by using positive thoughts in positive ways.
If you’re here, you’re likely asking ‘what are affirmations?’ and chances are, you’re curious about if they work, and how you can use them properly.
I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical at first, but once you understand what affirmations are and that they’re not simply woo-woo magic, then you start to see how truly powerful they can be.
Affirmations come in many shapes and forms, but all affirmations have one thing in common: they’re intentionally designed to work like self-fulfilling prophecies (self-fulfilling means it helps bring about the desired result) to target your thoughts and beliefs about yourself, others, and the world around you.
What you may not have realized is it’s highly likely that at some point in your life, you’ve used positive affirmations without even realizing that’s what you were doing.
Have you ever given yourself a little pep talk where you’ve used positive phrases (“you can do this…”) or even tried to calm down racing thoughts (“I am fine, everything is fine…”)? Then you’ve used affirmations.
But… there’s a whole lot more to them and there are some little tweaks you can make to ensure you’re using affirmations properly and effectively to get the most benefit from them possible.
Affirmations are a widely used tool in the law of attraction and positive thinking. Affirmations can help to retrain our subconscious mind, which is usually largely affected by negative thoughts and negative beliefs about ourselves.
Affirmations work because they provide a better way for the brain to receive the information that we feed it.
Most of us go through our days repeating negative thoughts and phrases to ourselves.
Affirmations teach us to replace them with positive statements which act as a form of self-support.
Affirmations can also help people who suffer from low self-esteem, the fear of failure, and can be used as a technique in psychology practices like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to overcome negative self-talk.
What Are Positive Affirmations?
You may find yourself wondering what are affirmations, and whether or not they work, which is totally understandable.
Positive affirmations are statements that you make to yourself, which reinforce a positive aspect of your life.
These affirmations can be used in both direct and indirect ways.
Used directly, an affirmation is said out loud repetitively until the idea of it becomes ingrained within the mind.
Used indirectly, an affirmation is written down or repeated silently to oneself, in order to reinforce the idea of it within the mind.
Affirmations can be used to focus on improving aspects of your life that you feel need improvements, such as self-confidence and self-esteem.
Using daily affirmations can also help when attempting to manifest a specific thought or object in your life, in accordance with the Law of Attraction (read more about that below).
When it comes to creating your own affirmations, they can be of any length, however, more than three or four sentences may be difficult to recite or memorize, so keep them simple and concise for the best effect.
Affirmations should also never contradict themselves, and should always focus on the positive aspects of a situation.
Do Positive Affirmations Work?
Positive affirmations, and more specifically, self-affirmations, absolutely work and there are many studies that back up this claim.
While some people simply brush off affirmations as wishful thinking, research shows there’s much more to positive self-talk and positive affirmations than simply making you feel good.
But it’s not just those of us who are a little woo woo (hands up… it’s me too) that are seeing the benefits of affirmations.
Professional athletes have used powerful affirmations and related mental images to enhance their performance and drive, playing on the neuroplasticity of the brain to adapt to different circumstances and achieve their goals.
MRI scans of the brain even show the effect positive affirmations have in contrast to neutral statements, and negative affirmations.
The science is clear, positive affirmations do work.
You might also like – Do Affirmations Work? Science Says Yes… But…
Positive Affirmations + Law of Attraction (What Is The Law of Attraction?)
The Law of Attraction is the idea that everything in the world is made up of energy and that putting out positive energy, ensures positive energy comes back in return. This being that like attracts like, thus attracting or bringing similar thoughts and objects into your life.
When used with positive affirmations, the premise is that whatever you say in your positive affirmation is what you attract back to you, therefore making it so.
While it may sound far-fetched, the concept of the Law of Attraction (or infinite consciousness as it has previously been referred) is not new and has been studied for many years. What we know of the scientific evidence of positive affirmations can in ways support the existence and effectiveness of the Law of Attraction.
By delegating yourself to build and recite positive affirmations, these negative aspects can be limited and thus increasing the amount of positivity that you experience in your life.
It is important to focus on the positive aspects of these affirmations, and then letting them go out into the universe- allowing it to handle the rest on its own.
Think of it as you planting a seed. You may have done all the work of preparing the soil, watering it consistently, and making sure it gets sunlight, but eventually, the sun will do its job on its own.
Affirmations are similar- once they are planted within your mind or written down on paper, you let them go and allow the Law of Attraction to do the rest.
Why Should You Use Positive Affirmations?
Positive affirmations can be used to further your goals in life, improve the way you think about yourself, help create positive changes, and have even been shown to have a positive effect on mental health.
They can also be used as coping skills and a tool to use when faced with negative situations or even regular challenges you face in daily life.
For example, if someone is feeling anxious or stressed about an impending event, positive affirmations can be used to calm them down and shift their mindset.
Rather than focusing on the negative aspects of an event that they are anticipating, Affirmations can help focus on the positive outcomes- allowing them to feel more prepared and secure leading up to it.
This mindset shift can be used in so many different areas of your life as well.
As mothers, we can use affirmation cards to focus on the good things in our days, and use the power of affirmations to create more positive self-talk about ourselves, especially when it comes to the challenges of motherhood and the guilt of feeling like we aren’t good enough.
You might also like – 75+ Daily Affirmations For Moms To Reduce Stress And Overwhelm
They’re also a powerful tool for kids to use, learning at a young age that unhelpful thoughts can be reframed into positive beliefs about ourselves – which is incredibly important for kids to learn, especially as they are so vulnerable and susceptible to creating new neural pathways.
Positive affirmations give them powerful statements to empower and support them.
Affirmations like “I am accepting myself for who I am” or “Every day in every way I’m getting better and better” or simple “I am strong, I am powerful, I am loved” can help shift your mindset from focusing on the negative to the positive.
Do I Need To Use Affirmations On A Daily Basis?
The Law of Affirmation states that the more you repeat an affirmation, the faster it will manifest within your mind.
However, this does not mean that you need to be reciting affirmations on a daily basis in order for them to work or be effective.
In fact, it’s been suggested that saying affirmations just three times a day is enough to make a difference in your life and mindset.
It is important to recite the affirmations with full focus and attention, you can do this by saying them out loud or writing them down.
You should also be focusing on the positive aspects of these affirmations, reaffirming yourself that they are already working within your life.
Remember- repetition is key! Affirmations are more likely to work if you repeat them over and over again.
The best way I have found to include a regular practice of using affirmations is to include them in my daily routine, particularly when I’m journaling. Often times I’ll use an affirmation as a journaling prompt and it’s quite interesting to see what new thoughts come up with the same affirmations over time.
This also means I get a positive start to my day and really reinforce the affirmations in my mind.
How Do I Use Positive Affirmations Properly?
Positive affirmations can be used as a way to improve the way you think and feel about yourself and your life.
They can also be used to manifest things in your life, such as objects or money.
However, affirmations should never contradict themselves; thus it is always best to focus on positive aspects and situations.
It is also important to affirm these things before you go to sleep, first thing in the morning, and somewhere within the middle of your day.
For best results with Affirmations, always use them with conscious focus and attention on a regular basis. Affirmations are most effective when being repeated over and over again.
Examples of how you can include affirmations in your day include:
- journaling your affirmations each night, writing down the affirmations that are important to you and relevant to what mindset you’re working on at the present time
- standing in front of a mirror and repeating the affirmations to yourself
- recording yourself saying your affirmations and then listening back to them as you fall asleep
- reciting them out loud to yourself in your car when you’re stuck in traffic, or when you stop at stop signs
- affirming the affirmation to other people whenever they tell you about their day or ask how your own is going (for example, when someone asks how you are you can respond with ‘I am healthy and living my best life’)
- writing affirmations into a daily planner, repeating them throughout the day every time you open up that planner
- reading affirmations in a book, out loud in the mirror, to yourself in the car or while you’re walking
- writing affirmations on sticky notes and posting them around your house or office
- repeating affirmations in your head as you go to sleep, first thing when you wake up, and throughout the day
- sending affirmations to yourself through text or email on a daily basis
- setting reminders on your phone with your affirmations as the text so you see them throughout the day
How Can I Write My Own Effective Affirmations?
Writing affirmations is a great way to get started on your journey towards achieving goals or manifesting positive things into your life.
However, you should always write affirmations with conscious focus and attention, being sure that they are beneficial, positive, and can be easily applied to your life.
When writing affirmations, encourage yourself and give yourself positive affirmations until you feel inspired with things to write.
When you sit down and write affirmations, think about the goals or changes you want to achieve within your life and ask yourself: “What kind of affirmations would be most effective in allowing me to achieve these goals?”
Writing affirmations is a practice of reminding yourself what you want to do and how you will become successful at it. Affirmations can be written about anything, including small positive changes or larger goals you want to achieve over time.
When writing affirmations, always remember that repetition is key. Also ensure that affirmations are within the present tense, positive, and in the form of a statement.
Affirmations should be written within the positive and not the negative; for example:
“I am achieving goals” not “I am stopping myself from failing to achieve goals”.
Affirmations should always focus on what you want to do or accomplish, rather than focusing on what you do not want to happen or why something won’t work out.
They also should be written in the present tense and reflect on your current reality; affirmations such as “I am achieving my goals” are more effective than affirmations like “I will achieve my goals”.
Note: affirmations that can be applied in a variety of areas in your life are the most beneficial, such as affirmations about already being successful or affirmations encouraging positivity and happiness. Remember, affirmations should ALWAYS be positive!
What Are Some Examples Of Positive Affirmations?
Some affirmations to consider writing out and repeating:
- I am open and receptive to new opportunities.
- I am learning something new every day.
- Today I will focus on what I have, not on what I do not have.
- I am living my best life today.
- Life loves me.
- I have everything I need to succeed.
- Life is unfolding perfectly for me right now.
- I am successful in whatever I do.
- I am the best version of myself.
- I am thankful for all that I have and what is to come.
- People support me and care about me.
Affirmations are a great way to start your journey towards manifesting goals, achieving success, and having more positive feelings within your life. As with any new practice, repetition will lead to long-term results so don’t forget about writing affirmations every single day!
