You may have heard the word “affirmation” floating around. What’s the first thing you think of when that word comes to mind? Let’s take a second and just break it down real quick.
What are they?
Affirmations are when you repeat a positive statement multiple times, manifesting that statement in your mind in order to make it your reality. It becomes something you not only repeat often, but internalize as what you believe to be true. What you’re affirming already exists, it’s just a matter of bringing it to light. It’s an act of having a deeper understanding of what you need and then remediating that internally. If you practice saying them every day over an extended period of time, you begin to train yourself to believe what you are speaking. An example would be, “All that I seek is already within me.” This comes from Louise Hay’s website, who is the absolute queen of affirmations.
How does it help me?
One thing that I’ve seen prevalently in my generation is seeking approval elsewhere. Social media has played a huge part in this mindset, setting the expectation that the amount of likes you get on a post equates to how much you are liked amongst your peers. Affirmations are a great solution to that weird emptiness you feel every time you don’t get the external approval you’re seeking –– which you shouldn’t be looking for anyway! They push you to instead look inside yourself for that approval and manifest what you need internally. Once you fulfill that need, it makes it much harder for someone else to come along and disrupt the beliefs you have about yourself. Ever heard of fake it ‘til you make it? That’s exactly how affirmations work. You might not believe what you’re telling yourself at first, but if you speak it repeatedly, it will become true to you.
Exactly where do I find these?
The simple answer to this is Google. What I normally do is figure out what it is I need to work on most. For instance, I could type in “anxiety affirmations” or “affirmations self-love.” Now, every affirmation you find may not work for you, so the best way to go about it is to find a few that resonate the most with you and write them down. If you want to take a stab at writing your own, absolutely go for it. Always do what you feel works best for you.
And you say this works?
From my experience, I did see a change in the way I viewed myself and my outlook on life. A few months ago, I hit a point where I felt like I completely lost myself. A lot of change was occurring in my life and I had no idea how to handle it all. I hadn’t tried affirmations before but at that point I was open to trying anything that could help me change my outlook and just generally make me feel better. I looked online and found affirmations specific to what I needed and wrote them down. Each morning, the minute I opened my eyes, I would grab my journal with all my affirmations in it and repeat them to myself twice. The more I said them, the more I would feel a sense of relief wash over me. I was calm, I knew my truths, and now I was going to go out and tackle the day to the best of my ability. By manifesting what I needed internally, I was able to empower myself to believe what was true all along.
All the approval you seek can be found within. You just have to bring it to light. Happy Tuesday, everyone!
Check out Louise Hay’s website, which provides a comprehensive list of affirmations categorized specifically for your needs!