You can use affirmations to change your life along with other valuable methods of holistic healing and spiritual growth. They are an easy, accessible way to rewire your brain and transform your reality. Most importantly, a number of research and studies have explored their scientific bases and functioning, so you know you’re in good hands.
Table of Contents
Why use affirmations to change your life?
Science backs up the use of affirmations to change your life.
Use affirmations to change your life vs make it worse.
-1) Start with general affirmations.
-2) Use affirmations in combination
-3) If an affirmation feels forced in your body and mind
25 examples of positive affirmations for the spiritual soul.
Conclusion.
Why use affirmations to change your life?
“Expand, discover, and thrive with your heart wide open to wonder.”
Cyndie Spiegel, A Year of Positive Thinking: Daily Inspiration, Wisdom, and Courage
Affirmations are short statements you aim at your mind to shift from existing thinking and behavioural patterns to new and better ones, in order to improve your life.
The term ‘affirmation’ comes from the Latin affirmare, originally meaning “to make steady, strengthen.”
Are mantras and affirmations the same thing?
An affirmation differs from a mantra in that an affirmation is a short sentence whereas the latter is “a sacred word, sound or phrase, often in Sanskrit, recited within a wide variety of religious and spiritual traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Yoga.” Yogapedia
The power of using affirmations to change your life is proven by research and psychological studies. It’s considered a method of self-growth thanks to affirmations’ ability to rewire your brains “in the same way as undertaking physical exercise. They can increase the level of feel-good hormones, such as dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin and can motivate your brain to form new clusters of ‘positive thought’ neurons.” Counselling Directory.
Short, positive self affirmations are considered an inspiring tool to motivate you to change your mindset & focus on a more positive mindset.
Indeed, they are an interesting motivational tool to keep you focused on your goals and general well-being.
Over time, they will positively impact your behaviours as well: starting from patterns of negative thoughts and limiting beliefs, they will spread to negative speech and, progressively, negative actions.
They can be applied to very specific goals, for instance getting your dream job, finding true love, attaining your dream body… but I like to keep them a little bit higher level, at least at the beginning.
In order for positive affirmations to change your life — or set the foundation for it — you should practise them consistently enough to consolidate this new habit (vs a lifetime of thoughts, opinions, unconscious behaviours).
How long is consistently? I don’t feel comfortable suggesting a fixed amount of days or week because everybody is different. Besides, we will see that while you can use affirmations to change your life within holistic healing, you should use them in a way that aligns with your personal history and goals.
Science backs up the use of affirmations to change your life.
I am worthy of feeling good
Gabrielle Bernstein
The practice of self-affirmations is based on widely accepted psychological theory. David Hamilton even shares the history of when and how affirmations originated as a practice to improve one’s life.
“An affirmation can work because it has the ability to program your mind into believing the stated concept. This is because the mind doesn’t know the difference between what is real or what is fantasy. When you watch a movie, and you start to laugh or cry, your mind is empathizing with the characters on the screen.” Psychology Today
According to Positive Psychology, there are empirical studies behind positive affirmations. They’re “based on the idea that we can maintain our sense of self-integrity by telling ourselves (or affirming) what we believe in positive ways”.
The Reticular Activating System (RAS) represents another interesting aspect to take into account when discussing the science behind the use of affirmations to change your life. It is an information processing system that filters what we do and don’t notice. You can learn more about RAS at the following two links:
Blissful Ways
Arlene Taylor
As mentioned before, for (positive) affirmations to change your life, you’re required to repeat them often and regularly. So that the brain will pick up on this new information and, in turn, notice things related to it. For example, when you repeat “I choose happiness” the brain will notice more things that make you happy. Such process ensures lasting changes to your thinking and emotional patterns.” (Everyday Power)
Use affirmations to change your life vs make it worse.
Some people don’t seem to get remarkable results out of them. Perhaps you’re one of them and you doubt that affirmations can change your life for real. Why is it so? Science has, again, some precious answers for us.
If a (negative) “belief is deeply rooted in our unconscious mind, then it has the ability to override a positive affirmation, even if we aren’t aware of it”. (Psychology Today)
Therefore, before you use affirmations to change your life, you should make sure you’re not using them ‘against’ a belief that is firmly held, perhaps stemming from childhood conditioning.
In such a case, you’d better first identify the unwholesome belief in question. Or, in other terms, do some inner work first. As usual, I recommend you take conscious stock of where you’re at in terms of physical and emotional health. While you do so, rely on intuition to guide you towards your highest good.
Yes, you can use affirmations to change your life but what good are they if you’re not ready?
Here are a few suggestions to make them useful tools — instead of detrimental and frustrating.
1) Start with general affirmations.
Speak the affirmation out loud for about five minutes three times a day: morning, midday, and evening. Or write it out several times in a notebook.
Say it with intention, like you mean it, and breathe consciously while you do so;
If the affirmations sounds too generic, go online and look up some powerful synonyms until it feels just right for you.
2) Use affirmations in combination
… with other positive strategies for holistic healing and spiritual growth, such as meditation, gratitude exercises, journalling for manifestation.
3) If an affirmation feels forced in your body and mind:
Take a step back and stop repeating it;
Breathe deeply into the area that feels uncomfortable;
Grab a notepad and write it all out without judging or censoring what comes up;
Thank yourself for showing up through this inner work and only come back to that affirmation if and when it feels natural.
25 examples of positive affirmations for the spiritual soul.
Interspersing your day with some powerful, positive affirmations might feel weird at first but, over time, you might find it enjoyable. It will become an integral part of your holistic healing routine. Affirmations can change your life once you find the best ones and they feel right.
Choose the affirmations that resonate with you or use them as a guide to making your own.
- Everything that is happening now is happening for my ultimate good.
- I am the architect of my life; I build its foundation and choose its contents.
- I am safe
- I am guided in my every step by Spirit who leads me towards what I must know and do.
- Creative energy surges through me and leads me to new and brilliant ideas.
- Happiness is a choice. I base my happiness on my own accomplishments and the blessings I’ve been given.
- My future is an ideal projection of what I envision now.
- My efforts are being supported by the universe; my dreams manifest into reality before my eyes.
- I radiate beauty, charm, and grace.
- I wake up today with strength in my heart and clarity in my mind.
- I believe in myself, and trust my own wisdom;
- I am in charge of my thoughts, and I don’t judge myself;
- My goals and desires are as worthwhile as everybody else’s;
- Whenever I fall down, I get back up again.
- I am kind and good to the person I see in the mirror;
- Today, I am going to trust myself and my instincts;
- This is just one moment in my life, and it does not define who I am;
- I am on a journey, ever growing and developing;
- I am thankful for what I have, even if it is not perfect.
- I will have a positive impact on someone else’s day.
- My mind and my heart will remain open today.
- I will always remember that I only have control over myself, and my choices.
- I give myself permission to go after what I want.
- I’m in control of how I react to others.
- I am patient with myself and accept that positive change takes time. My best self is emerging every day.
Conclusion.
My nature is Divine; I am a spiritual being.
Huffpost
Which affirmations resonated with you? Which ones do you think you will be using right away?
Whenever I choose one, I repeat it while I’m working. I take a quick break, breathe in and out deeply about 5 times and repeat my affirmation with conviction. Some other times, I listen to meditations that include some powerful ones.
Whichever method you will opt for, you can use a number of additional, valuable methods along with affirmations to change your life in the context of holistic healing and spiritual growth.
So, affirmations can change your life. They are super easy to get, provided you’ve done your inner homework and don’t force them.
If you have done your inner work, then you’re ready to let them rewire your brain towards more ease and flow in your life.
What I find reassuring about them — as with many other tools in the realm of energy work — is that a number of studies have researched this topic, including its scientific basis and functionings, so we know we’re in good hands.