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
Being true to myself makes me more successful..
The famous philosopher Socrates once said, “Know thyself.” Wise words! I consciously practice them in my life in order to progress further towards my goals and personal happiness.
Being true to myself means first knowing the values and the principles for which I stand. It also means being committed, unyielding, and uncompromising as I stay true to who I truly am inside.
I ask questions to be sure I am authentically me. Do I stand for fairness and equality? Am I a compassionate individual who chooses to include others, rather than exclude those who may be different than I am? What other ideals are important to me?
As I ponder the values and principles which make up who I am, I reflect upon how my ideals have propelled me to success, both personal and professional.
My honesty has nurtured strong relationships. My work ethic has attracted promotions and raises. My commitment to maintaining balance between work and play has contributed to both a fulfilling family life and respect from my peers.
Today, I resolve to stay true to myself in all areas of my life.
I pay attention to the areas in which I can do a better job of staying true to myself and I make note of the areas in which I am already doing just this.
Answer the Self-Reflection Questions:
1. What does “being true to myself” mean to me?
2. Do I know others who stay true to themselves? Who are they and how do they do this?
3. What obstacles make it difficult for me to stay true to myself? How do they interfere? What can I do to get past them?
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.
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Email: info@SerenitiesNow.com
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Serenities Now LLC is a holistic health practice that will help you find the tools you need to bring calm to your chaos, take back your control, and break through your barriers, so you can become your best self ever.