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 give out love and it is returned to me in even greater measures.
The way I act affects how others treat me. I choose to give out love. When I am loving, I receive love back.
Regardless of who I am with, I always do my best to be supportive and kind. I am strong enough to resist the temptation to act any other way. I am full of love and have the courage to let others see it.
When I am faced with challenging times, it might be easier to let negative emotions come out. But I am totally committed to focusing on the positive and setting a good example. I wait until I have control of my emotions and behave in a loving manner.
I give out love and it is returned to me multiplied. I understand that the universe works this way. I am in tune with the universe. I make others happy when I treat them well. I strive to have positive thoughts and say positive things.
Each day, I seek out opportunities to assist others and be a bright spot in their day.
Being loving is usually very easy for me. It is a part of who I am. Loving comes naturally for me.
Today, I choose to be loving to everyone I see. I am spreading kindness, hope, and compassion every place I go. I am open to receiving love from others. I give out love and it is returned to me multiplied.
Answer the Self-Reflection Questions
What could I do to be more supportive today?
Do I consistently act in a loving manner?
Am I open to receiving love from others?
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!
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Did you find a few more ideas of your own? If so, I’d love to hear about them in the comments, and as always please reach out with your thoughts.
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