2.3 (A) Affirmations
Affirmations:
One method that has been a staple in my own healing has been the use of affirmations. An Affirmation is defined as: a statement intended to provide encouragement, emotional support, or motivation, especially when used for the purpose of autosuggestion.
Take a moment to think about the daily dialogue you may have with yourself, and how it can affect you, both physically and emotionally. We all have some sort of dialogue with ourselves, as it is the way our mind sorts out all the thoughts that enter it. What can get us into trouble, is when we think the thoughts we are having, define us in some way. This can’t be further from the truth.
What defines who we are, is NOT what we think about, but what we act upon. This is VERY important to realize. Sometimes we can get down on ourselves for having negative thoughts. To make matters worse, we can DWELL on those negative thoughts, as we continue to blame “who we are” for having such thoughts. This can take many down a rabbit hole of negativity that can build up to a point of anxiety and panic.
When you understand that the thoughts our mind conjures up are nothing more than a way to keep the mind active, you can realize you are NOT crazy, or out of control. It’s just a normal process for the mind.
Keep in mind that the mind always needs to be active, so the more time you keep the mind inactive, the more thoughts can be conjured. Keeping busy is another tool that we will discuss later. In the meantime, let’s focus on affirmations that could be helpful for your mind and body.
Our body speaks to us all the time, but we have become so distant from it, that a lot of the times, we don’t realize it’s trying to tell us something. This exercise helps you realize what you think about yourself. In the early stages of this process, it’s ok to not feel great about yourself, and is expected. It’s hard to feel good about yourself, when you are anxious all the time.
This is a way to get you to start to really listen to the words you say, and how they affect you. The more you practice this, the easier you can feel how your body reacts, which leads you to a greater understanding of yourself. Sentences you can say are:
“I am pretty / handsome!”
“I am tackling my goals!”
“I love my job!”
“I love my life!”
“I love my spouse / girl / boyfriend!”
“I enjoy meeting new people!”
“I look forward to spending time with family / friends!”
“I had an amazing childhood!”
With each statement, be that outside observer, and without judgment, jot down your physical and emotional reactions, to gather a deeper understanding of yourself, and your true feelings. Recognize any similarities or patterns to help you draw more conclusions about yourself.
Now that you understand how words can create specific physical and emotional reactions in the body, and that we can use those reactions to get to know ourselves a little more, let’s now look at other methods we can use to change negative feelings into positive ones.
**IMPORTANT ADVICE AS WE PUSH FURTHER: One of the things I’d like for you to work on is to try to be non-judgmental when questions come up about yourself. Try to look at yourself, as if you were an outside observer looking in. You aren’t here to judge; you are here to gather information.
One method that has been a staple in my own healing has been the use of affirmations. An Affirmation is defined as: a statement intended to provide encouragement, emotional support, or motivation, especially when used for the purpose of autosuggestion.
Take a moment to think about the daily dialogue you may have with yourself, and how it can affect you, both physically and emotionally. We all have some sort of dialogue with ourselves, as it is the way our mind sorts out all the thoughts that enter it. What can get us into trouble, is when we think the thoughts we are having, define us in some way. This can’t be further from the truth.
What defines who we are, is NOT what we think about, but what we act upon. This is VERY important to realize. Sometimes we can get down on ourselves for having negative thoughts. To make matters worse, we can DWELL on those negative thoughts, as we continue to blame “who we are” for having such thoughts. This can take many down a rabbit hole of negativity that can build up to a point of anxiety and panic.
When you understand that the thoughts our mind conjures up are nothing more than a way to keep the mind active, you can realize you are NOT crazy, or out of control. It’s just a normal process for the mind.
Keep in mind that the mind always needs to be active, so the more time you keep the mind inactive, the more thoughts can be conjured. Keeping busy is another tool that we will discuss later. In the meantime, let’s focus on affirmations that could be helpful for your mind and body.
Our body speaks to us all the time, but we have become so distant from it, that a lot of the times, we don’t realize it’s trying to tell us something. This exercise helps you realize what you think about yourself. In the early stages of this process, it’s ok to not feel great about yourself, and is expected. It’s hard to feel good about yourself, when you are anxious all the time.
This is a way to get you to start to really listen to the words you say, and how they affect you. The more you practice this, the easier you can feel how your body reacts, which leads you to a greater understanding of yourself. Sentences you can say are:
“I am pretty / handsome!”
“I am tackling my goals!”
“I love my job!”
“I love my life!”
“I love my spouse / girl / boyfriend!”
“I enjoy meeting new people!”
“I look forward to spending time with family / friends!”
“I had an amazing childhood!”
With each statement, be that outside observer, and without judgment, jot down your physical and emotional reactions, to gather a deeper understanding of yourself, and your true feelings. Recognize any similarities or patterns to help you draw more conclusions about yourself.
Now that you understand how words can create specific physical and emotional reactions in the body, and that we can use those reactions to get to know ourselves a little more, let’s now look at other methods we can use to change negative feelings into positive ones.
**IMPORTANT ADVICE AS WE PUSH FURTHER: One of the things I’d like for you to work on is to try to be non-judgmental when questions come up about yourself. Try to look at yourself, as if you were an outside observer looking in. You aren’t here to judge; you are here to gather information.