Today’s Affirmation for a Peaceful Life
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 live my life with hope and joy.
I make the choice each day to live my life with positive expectations. Good things happen in my life, because I have optimism. I live with life with hope in my heart and in my mind.
Seeing the world through the eyes of hope allows me to approach each day with energy and a smile.
Joy is a regular part of my life. My friends and family are a source of joy for me. I am a source of joy for everyone in my life. When I combine hope and joy, a wonderful life is the result.
Life is sometimes challenging, and it can be difficult to maintain a perspective of hope and joy. However, I have come through many challenging experiences successfully. These experiences make me feel even more hopeful and joyful about life.
All negative experiences fade, and life becomes wonderful again.
I set the intention to be in a great mood every day. I wake up with a smile and a warm heart. I look forward to seeing what the day has to offer.
I know that good things are happening in my life. I am excited about the future.
Today, I choose to see the world optimistically and joyfully. I believe that today is going to be one of the best days of my life. I live my life with hope and joy.
Answer the Self-Reflection Questions:
1. What is the best thing in my life right now? Why?
2. What am I most looking forward to in my life? Why?
3. How can I spread more joy to those around me?
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!