"I am beautiful."
"I am strong."
"I am powerful."
Affirmations do work... a little bit.
They're better than nothing - and infinitely better than negative talk, especially when spoken into a mirror and repeated at least 10 times.
But as it turns out, affirmations have their limits - and may even have an adverse effect.
Recent studies by Toronto's University of Waterloo discovered that for those with low self-esteem, affirmations have little benefit or can even make people feel worse. Which kind of defeats the purpose.
This is because that little "yes, but" voice cropped up, reminding participants all the reasons why they're are NOT beautiful, strong and powerful. The study found affirmations made people focus more on their failures, and ultimately left them in a bad mood.
In fact, people with high self-esteem were the only ones who had a marginally positive effect of repeating affirmations because the statements already affirmed and amplified what they believed to be true.
It doesn't mean we shouldn't DO affirmations, we just need to do them BETTER, to bypass the inner critic.
Here is what I suggest:
1. Begin with incremental change. Instead of saying, "I am wealthy", try stating, "Every day, in every way, I'm in the PROCESS of building my wealth with positive actions".
2. Accept reality. Don't plant roses on 'sh-t'. Get neutral first before you recite affirmations. "Yes, I am not working in the moment, and that is OK". "Yes I am feeling unwell at the moment, and that is OK". This will remove the resistance to then affirming something more positive.
3. Focus on affirming skills rather than results. Instead of saying, "I am now infinitely wealthy" (what does that even mean!?). You can say, "I am improving my saving muscle every day," and "Every day, in every way, I am becoming more financially astute".
4. Follow up affirmation with action. See affirmations as not just empty commands to the Universe but rather little ways to psych yourself up to do the right, often difficult thing. A great affirmation is "I am in the process of being an early riser"; "I am falling in love with rising with the sun".
5. Don't focus too much on your affirmations once you recite them. Let them go, let them percolate, and look for signs that your subconscious is adjusting to the change. Are you now saving $100 every week without thinking? Are you waking up more regularly without an alarm? You don't need to obsess on affirmations for them to work!
What are some of your favourite affirmations? How can you amend them based on the following formula?
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