Sunday Serenities – A New Affirmation to Start Your Week

Each week we will be sharing a new affirmation. The introductory information will remain the same, but if you are new to affirmations, please check out the first two sections on “What is an Affirmation?” and “How to Practice Your Affirmation.” If you regularly read our weekly article or already do affirmations, feel free to skip to the section titled “Read Today’s Affirmation.”

What is an Affirmation

Many have heard of affirmations, but if you haven’t tried them yet, you are missing out! Simply put, an affirmation is a statement you use to affirm yourself – you know, to say something positive. There are many different types, and as long as they are positive, there really is no wrong way to do an affirmation.

Affirmations can be a simple phrase, a list of related statements, or a focused paragraph. All of these work well depending on the situation you are working on, the time you have, and your intention – your intention being the most important part of the equation.

Do Affirmations Work?

According to an article by Catherine Moore, Psychologist, MBA in PositivePsychology.com “There is MRI evidence suggesting that certain neural pathways are increased when people practice self-affirmation tasks (Cascio et al., 2016). If you want to be super specific, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex—involved in positive valuation and self-related information processing—becomes more active when we consider our personal values (Falk et al., 2015; Cascio et al., 2016).

The results of a study by Falk and colleagues suggest that when we choose to practice positive affirmations, we’re better able to view “otherwise-threatening information as more self-relevant and valuable” (2015: 1979).”

So the bottom line is yes – affirmations work. It’s not a magic bullet. You do have put in the time and effort to practice them regularly. Do some research and find the affirmations that resonate with you, then begin to put them into practice. You can begin your search with the affirmation for today.

How to Practice Your Affirmation

Here is how to practice today’s affirmation. It is not original – but it is so good, I had to share (with permission of course and the promise to keep the originator anonymous). If you are comfortable with the idea, I like to recommend that people do this in front of a mirror. Read the affirmation a phrase at a time, then pause after each phrase. Take time to look yourself in the eye and then repeat the phrase back to yourself aloud. When you are finished with the affirmation, take time to breathe and reflect.

Finish your time by answering the self-reflection questions below. You can answer them any way you like, but I prefer to have a journal where I can have both my affirmations and the answers to my questions together. You may be surprised when you look back at them one day and discover the answers may be totally different.

Read Today’s Affirmation

I appreciate new things in my life and express my gratitude.

When I look around at all of the people and resources in my life I am grateful. I feel blessed because I have special people in my life that care about me and whom I care for as well. The people in my life are treasures to me.

I have all the necessities in life including a safe space, food, and clothing. Beyond the necessities I enjoy extra things in my life including the gift of technology, books, and hobbies that bring me great enjoyment.

There will always be people who have more stuff than I, but stuff is just stuff. Instead of dwelling on what I might not have, I focus on the wonderful gifts I do have and I appreciate them even more.

I have a fulfilling life full of people and property that bring great value to me. By keeping my focus on the many gifts and joys in my life, I am able to appreciate new things at a much deeper level.

Today I look at all the people and all the things in my life and I individually appreciate each one. I cherish the good in my life and I am thankful. I am blessed with a beautiful life and, today, I show my gratitude.

Answer the Self-Reflection Questions:

Who are the people in my life I am appreciative of?
What special things in my life am I thankful for?
Have I focused more on what I have, instead of what others have?

I hope you enjoyed this issue of Sunday Serenities. It is my mission to help provide you with the tools you need to have a more peaceful life so you can:

Find your purpose – Find your joy!