Affirmations

Affirmations are a mindset hygiene tool. Affirmations are defined as positive statements that can help you challenge and overcome self-sabotaging and negative thoughts or beliefs. When you repeat them often and believe in them, you can start to make positive changes in your life. 

Affirmations are not an instant fix-all for your problems and insecurities. Think of them as one tool for managing your emotions in a healthy way over time. Also, if you're navigating a big mental health concern like depression, where your self-esteem and motivation may be at their lowest, you already know it can be hard to believe whatever positive words you’re repeating. So, give yourself some grace and keep in mind that affirmations aren't a substitute for mental health care. Just breathe deeply, then be boundless, limitless, and mighty in your empathy, concern, and defense of others and yourself.

Regardless of the circumstances, all of us find ourselves battling currents we underestimated at different times. Our journeys can be long and uncertain. Gayan, Boulas once said “The service of God means that we each work for all.” So, as you extend grace to yourself, extend grace to others also so that when others see it, grace is unforgettable, and ferociously comprehensible.

With all that said, affirmations are a worthy addition to your mental health toolkit when used properly, so here are some tips to help get you started.    

1. Start by picking an area of your life you want to focus on. 

The first step to creating your own affirmations is thinking about one specific area of your life that could use a little extra love and attention.

To make them highly effective, craft 1-2 sentence phrases (e.g., "I am capable and prepared") and say them aloud, ideally in front of a mirror, for 3-5 minutes daily.

2. Write Meaningful Statements

Identify what you want: Pinpoint your goals or areas for personal growth. Use the present tense: Phrase them as if they are already true (e.g., "I attract abundant opportunities"). 

Focus on the positive: State what you do want rather than what you want to avoid. 

Keep it natural: Use your own name or first-person pronouns, ensuring it sounds like something you would genuinely say to a friend.

3. Establish a Routine 

Create anchors: Practice during consistent, relaxing times of the day, such as right after you wake up, during lunch, or right before going to bed.

Visualize and emote: Don't just recite the words; truly imagine your statements coming to fruition and tap into the feelings associated with them. 

Place them visibly: Write your affirmations on sticky notes and place them in high-visibility areas like your bathroom mirror, refrigerator, or computer monitor.

4. Track and Adjust 

Be patient and consistent: Building a new, positive mindset takes repetition and time.

Record your voice: A helpful, highly specific trick often used by productivity and wellness enthusiasts is to record your affirmations in your own voice and listen to them on the go.

Adjust as you grow: Swap out affirmations as your needs change and you achieve your goals.

Let’s say you’re struggling in your toxic workplace, feeling overworked and underappreciated. Still, you’re finding it hard to leave because you’re not sure if you can hack it somewhere else. Your ideal future self, who is more content with their life and has a healthier work-life balance, would probably tell you that you’re worthy of much more. In this case, a great affirmation would be: I deserve a workplace that treats me with respect because my contributions are valuable and lead to the success of the company.

The development of self-affirmation theory has led to neuroscientific research aimed at investigating whether we can see any changes in the brain when we self-affirm in positive ways. There is MRI evidence suggesting that certain neural pathways are increased when people practice self-affirmation tasks (Cascio et al., 2016).

For more information click here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4814782/

Adapted from Jessica Massey and Oludara Adeeyo, LCSW