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
Who doesn’t love a beautiful sunset. Today’s affirmation is a little different than the ones we usually have, but I hope you resonate with it:
Sunsets remind me to be thankful for life.
The end of each day signals the close of a chapter. As I reflect while watching the sun set, I am reminded to be grateful for my daily blessings.
Making it successfully through a rough day means that I have strengths. I acknowledge my abilities as things to be thankful for.
Having a difficult job means having a chance to persevere and overcome. Looking back at the professional road blocks and my ability to pass them fills me with pride. As the sun sets on my victories, I commit to pushing even harder tomorrow.
The closing of one day signals the potential for a new one. I believe that being thankful at the end of each day prepares me for whatever comes my way later on.
When I look at the setting sun, I see a promise for a new day that is even brighter than the current one. I await what life has in store for me in happy anticipation. Experiencing the rotation of the sun reminds me to live my life to the fullest.
Today, the sun sets on my accomplishments of the day and prepares me for even greater opportunities in the future. I commit to making the most of my days and expressing gratitude for even the smallest blessings.
Answer the Self-Reflection Questions:
1. In what other situations do I find myself expressing gratitude for life?
2. In what other ways do I interact with nature to find personal inspiration?
3. What are some things that I always take the time to give thanks for?
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!
Would you like copy of Improve Your Mindset? Just click on the link – it’s my gift to you.
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.
You can also connect with me via –
Email: info@SerenitiesNow.com
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