What are Affirmations?

In my experience affirmations work, but only if they are done correctly. So what are affirmations? I generally think of them as messages that I’d want to tell myself from my future self saying, “Don’t do that! Do this!”

The messages can be very specific and are designed, I hope, to guide my actions toward my own personal improvement in all areas of my life. I have been using them for for about six years now and I find that they have had a tremendous impact.

I feel very strongly that affirmations need to be done in specific ways for them to be the most useful. First of all, I believe they should be said out loud so that the brain can hear them. The brain registers facts through audible perception much more efficiently than it does through silent thought. That’s why we can remember what someone said to us ten years ago but we can’t remember what we were thinking about on our way to work yesterday. Using your own voice to affirm your life and your direction is a surefire way to be assured that your brain is receiving the message.

I remember as a kid in the school playground singing out with my pals, ” I must, I must, I must increase my bust!” accompanied to hilarious laughter. Did we realise we were doing ‘affirmations’? Of course not! If we did so today, as adults, then that would be a different story.

The brain doesn’t register negatives. So, if you’re using an affirmation to stop smoking stating that you don’t want to smoke isn’t likely to work. Rather, affirming that you are a non—smoker is more apt to register in the brain as a fact. All affirmations need to be presented in the positive and the present. For instance, instead of affirming that someday you will be a caring and gentle person with your spouse you want to make the statement present. “I am a caring and gentle person with my spouse.” “I am good,” is a positive and present affirmation while “I am not bad,” is a negative affirmation.

Keeping your affirmations in the present and positive helps your thought process adjust to the facts that you are feeding your brain. Whatever your affirmation might be, as long as it is positive and present, you get to tailor your affirmation to your own needs at the time. During particularly rough times I have been known to affirm, “I am Okay.” During times that everything seems to be going my way I have been known to affirm, “Today is a gift and I am joyful to be in it.” These affirmations are simply methods of keeping me present throughout the day.

Additionally, affirmations work best when they are repeated three times in a row several times per day. Morning affirmations start your day off with a positive and present twist. A lunch time or early afternoon affirmation can refocus your energies during the usual slump of the day. An evening affirmation can help you focus your energy and your spirit toward your family or other activity rather than dragging work home in your mind.

So, what are affirmations? Affirmations are a fabulous tool to help you achieve not just your goals but your personal growth ideals. It’s not a shortcut, but it is a methodology that can help your brain (and therefore your actions and thoughts) redirect any negative energy that might be standing in your way. Affirmations have been used for many decades for a reason. They work.