The past three weeks I’ve been visiting family and friends in Florida, but I’m back in Michigan for the first day of spring and it’s great outside! I loved my time away, but it’s always good to be home. I hope you enjoy this week’s affirmations:
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 am a positive person. I detach myself from negativity.
I remove negative thoughts and ideas from my mind. I let go of unhelpful suggestions and harmful experiences. I focus on the light and positive inspiration. I see how optimism makes my life better.
I avoid dwelling on negativity that can hurt me.
I quickly analyze the feelings and the root causes of the negative emotion or thought. This allows me to make a fast judgment call on how to turn the situation from a negative to a positive.
I have the emotional and mental freedom to manage my thoughts and decide for myself what I think. I choose to fight negativity and eliminate it from my life. I avoid creating bonds to negative things, experiences, or emotions.
I am able to stay positive no matter what comes my way. My defenses against negativity stay strong. 
I realize that negativity has no place in my life. I eliminate all the stress, anxiety, and worries that come with negativity. I throw away and forget harmful things. I get rid of the pain that can damage my soul.
I focus on my Creator, my values, and my support network. I turn to them for help during negative circumstances. I seek out the type of help that best serves me and my purpose in life. I have multiple choices that assist me on this journey.
I surround myself with positive people and distance myself from negative people because they hurt my mind and spirit. I acknowledge that I am influenced the most by the people I associate with the most. I choose positivity.
Today, I detach from the negative things in my life to focus on the positive. I appreciate my life and all that is in it through an optimistic lens.
Answer the Self-Reflection Questions:
1. How do I detach from negativity when it seems it is all around me?
2. Who can help me fight negative thoughts and ideas each day?
3. What can I do to avoid negative influences from affecting my life?
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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sue.pine.92 or on Instagram: @sue.pine.serenities.now