10 Brilliant Ways to Use Affirmations That Actually Work
We can’t just say I am happy, I am happy, I am happy until we are happy (unfortunately). Affirmations are just words until we make them something more. Learning how to use affirmations effectively is the most important step.
So there’s a catch? Great. Can’t we just say something again and again until it’s true? Yes and no. We can get the most out of this science-based practice by using methods supported by science.
Repetition is key, timing is key, and method is key. You’ve probably used affirmations without realizing it, like telling yourself I can do this, I am doing my best, I’m ok. Let’s take it up a notch.
10 Ways to Use Affirmations
Here are 10 amazing ways to use affirmations effectively! The tips vary in intensity and duration. Some are simple, and some take days. Try them out and pick the ones that best resonate with you.
Start to Use Affirmations as soon as You Wake
The way you wake up determines your entire day. Really, think about days you wake up on the wrong side of the bed and the entire day goes in the gutter. Maybe you had a bad dream, maybe you stubbed your toe, maybe a leggo to the foot took you out.
Starting the day with your affirmations helps to train the brain for success in that it sets you up for a better mindset. Priming yourself for positivity helps you notice it more in the day, helps center your mind, and calm the heart.
Check out a quick (seriously like 15 min) guide to a morning routine you can do.
Be Mindful of Language
The language used for affirmations should always be positive and focused on what you want. If I tell you not to think of an elephant, what’s the first thing that comes to mind (an…elephant maybe)?
Along the same vein, if you make an affirmation focused on something negative, chances are that is what you will think of. Turn a negative statement like I will not be a coward into a positive affirmation like I am confident in any setting.
Set Them in the Present Tense
Unlike goals, which are set in the future, affirmations work best if set in the present. This is because we are trying to change our current state of being, rewiring our minds in real-time. Neuroplasticity indicates that nerves that wire together fire together.
By using affirmation in the present tense, you are indicating that they are a reality now. It’s almost like a fake till you make it situation.
Be Specific When You Use Affirmations
A lot of us don’t really resonate with live laugh love cookie-cutter affirmations (if you do, in that case, more power to you!).
Be specific in your affirmations. Instead of stating I am successful, state I boldly go after success and speak my mind with confidence.
Turn a basic affirmation like I am happy into I am pure joy and I radiate that everywhere I go. By making affirmations more detailed, more specific, you are able to concentrate more and invoke more emotions from the phrases.
Repetition with Emotion Really is Key
As in, when you say them, again and again, and again, make sure to feel them. Take time to think about what confidence would be like, visualizing how you would feel by being confident in a situation. How would you feel if you embodied confidence, if you spoke up in a meeting if you gave your opinion?
Turn the affirmative phrase I am confident in social settings and give my opinion openly into a full body experience.
Do this with all your affirmations. Repeat them, feel them out, and enjoy the experience. This is a key step to using affirmations effectively.
Write Everything Down in One Place
Make a journal that is specific to your affirmations. Writing them out takes them out of your head and into the real world
Plus, having them all in one place allows you to have a place to go back to and read them through, particularly on more challenging days.
Use Affirmations at the End of Your Day
Ending your day with your affirmations can be a great way to set your subconscious up for a job well done. As someone who remembers my dreams, if I watch a horror movie before bed, chances are I’ll be running for my life in the sleepscape. On the other hand, if I take the time to concentrate on my goals, my affirmations, my dreams, I’ll dream of success, positive experiences, or beautiful, impossible landscapes.
While we do not fully understand the meaning of dreams, some scientists theorize it is a way for the mind to prepare and train for the real world. It may even be a way for the brain to process and store memory. Individuals who have a good night’s sleep after studying perform better than individuals who did not sleep well at all.
Use affirmations before bed to take advantage of this mental mind hack and watch how your dreams become reality!
Pick One or Two You Resound with
Try not to overload yourself with affirmations. Target one or two areas of concern and focus on changing and rewiring those. After they are set and made a habit, look for other areas of improvement to work on.
Take Small Actions to Fulfill Yourself
Affirmations are all about setting up a mental state that will enable you to take action. Practicing an action in your mind will help you do it in reality.
Sticking to the example related to confidence, if you use your confidence affirmation to feel and visualize success, chances are you will act.
Be conscious of this final step. Affirmations make it easier to act, but it is all your willpower, your emotions, and your mental state that allow you to act. They don’t have to be big actions at first. Maybe you write your boss an email, stating your opinion before speaking up in a meeting.
Small steps are still valid and should be celebrated!
Make it a 21-Day Process
The biggest, longest, yet most effective step is this: Make your affirmations, the one or two you picked, a 21-day challenge.
This means saying them in the morning, writing them down daily, taking time to feel them out, and using them at night. They say it takes 21 days to make a habit. Here’s your chance to cement the positive phrases into your mind forever.
Practice does not make perfect, practice makes habit.
The Takeaway
Affirmations are not as simple as saying something. Feelings are always gonna matter more than empty phrases with no emotion.
Use affirmations in the present tense, with positive language. Don’t overload with ten affirmations. Pick one or two specific affirmations that you want to concentrate on and start writing them down daily. Read them out loud in the morning to set your day up for success, and at night to set your subconscious up for success. Do this for 21 days to truly rewire the mind.
Remember that health starts from within! Taking small steps to improve mental wellbeing allows you to make better decisions to improve physical and emotional wellbeing. Tend to the dimensions of wellness, fuel your body with a treat of health, and remember the gut! Microbiota health relates to skin condition, physical strength, and even mental happiness.
Learn how to support gut health for free today! You’d be surprised at how big of an impact gut health is on overall wellness. I mean, you can eat the healthiest of foods or lift the biggest weights but without gut health, you can’t absorb the nutrients or bulk up if you want. Rant over, thanks for coming to my ted talk!
