What I Learned About The Power of Positive Affirmation
“Embrace the glorious mess that you are.” — Elizabeth Gilbert
Photo of the author taken in Mumbai
Affirmations (meaning statements said with confidence about a perceived truth) have helped thousands of people make significant changes in their lives. But they don't always work for everyone. How can one person have great success using this tool, while another sees no results at all?
I’ve learned that an affirmation works because it has the ability to program your mind into believing the stated concept. Did you know that your 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 even though it is only Hollywood magic.
There are both positive and negative types of affirmations. I'm sure many of us can remember being told as a child by a teacher, parent, or coach that we didn't have the ability to do something (we were fat, clumsy, etc.). These unwholesome statements can stay with us in the conscious or unconscious mind, which we then reinforce throughout our lives.
For example, the fear of failure, according to Heinz Kohut, the grandfather of psychology of the self, is often intimately connected to a childhood fear of being abandoned, either physically or emotionally. When we fear failure, we tend to overestimate the risk we're taking and imagine the worst possible scenario—the emotional equivalent of our primary caretakers deserting us. What we picture is so dreadful that we convince ourselves we shouldn't even try to change. We avoid opportunities for success, and then when we fail, the unwholesome affirmation we unwittingly re-confirm is "Success just isn't written in my stars," or "It's just not in my karma!"
Painting by the Trishna Patnaik.
If an unwholesome 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. This is why, for many people, affirmations don't seem to work: Their afflicted thought patterns are so strong that they knock out the effect of the positive statement. So how can we add more muscle to an affirmation, so that it has the power to triumph over our negative thinking?
I found the following tools help me make the affirmations “work”:
Emotional connection. I found an affirmation that sticks the cord emotionally. I learned to feel comfortable saying it out loud.
Habit-forming. I kept a daily journal to develop a habit of repeating the affirmation twice a day, once in the morning when I woke up and once before going to bed. Give it a try! You have nothing to lose and it will be worth it in the end.
Practice. After months of practice, I found that affirmations are one of the most effective ways to rewire the subconscious mind. It didn’t take long for them to start having a positive effect on the way I thought about myself and, consequently, the way I lived my life. It helped me refocus and get that annoying, insistent negativity out the way so that I could get back on track with achieving goals.
Self-love. Through practising affirmations you develop an increase in self-love and positivity that helps to recover from any emotional wobbles more quickly. There is something much more grounding when you validate yourself through personal affirmations. So please stick with it!
Here are 20 uplifting affirmations that will help you manifest self-love in your life:
I love and appreciate myself.
I am accepting of myself and my abilities.
I will always create a way for me.
I emit love and respect to others and in return I get love and respect.
I will let go of any negative thoughts about myself and replace them with positive ones.
I am a well educated and talented and yet, a humble person.
I have the ability to create a positive change in the world.
I acknowledge my worthiness. I am confident and courageous.
I am uniquely created and worthy of respect from others.
My high self-esteem allows me to be receiving and giving of compliments.
I encourage others to be themselves and they in return encourage me to by myself.
It does not matter what people say. What matters is what I believe and how I respond.
Positive things are taking place in the world and the universe is radiating love & acceptance.
I have high self-esteem as I appreciate myself.
I deserve all that is good in the world and will let go of any need for negativity and suffering.
I do not have to prove myself to anyone. I know my self-worth and I love me.
I am at peace with my past. Everything that is happening is happening for a good reason.
I am not alone. The universe is guiding me and encouraging me every step of the way.
My mind and heart are filled with only loving, positive, joyous, and fulfilling thoughts that will manifest into my life experiences.
My mind and heart are grateful for a happy and fulfilling life.
Painting by Trishna Patnaik.
How Affirming Phrases Can Keep You Focused
Affirmations are reminders to your unconscious mind to stay focused on your goals and to come up with solutions to challenges and obstacles that might get in the way.
They can also create higher vibrations for happiness, joy, appreciation, and gratitude that then, through the law of attraction, magnetize people, resources, and opportunities to come to you to help you achieve your goals.
Whether you know it or not, you are always using affirmations… but usually not ones that will bring you what you want.
How Do Affirmations Work?
When you engage in positive affirmations over a period of time, you make new and stronger neural connections and chemical pathways. Many scientists refer to these changes in the brain as neuroplasticity. In brief, we have realized that ‘neuroplasticity,' the ongoing remodelling of brain structure and function, occurs throughout life. It can be affected by life experiences, genes, biological agents, and by behavior, as well as by thought patterns.”
Why Are Positive Affirmations so Important During Childhood
A lot of research shows that we create our belief systems in childhood. This is the power of the belief that functions as our base for our whole life. This means we go through our adult life trying to experience situations which coincide with the beliefs gained in our childhood. This also means that we are often tied to the limitations of our beliefs, depending on what we have experienced in our childhood. These negative thoughts are often with us, even when we don’t realize and we call them negative beliefs.
This is why it is so important to be supportive and help children build a strong belief system with a positive attitude towards life. This way we can help our children gain strong, healthy values and positive beliefs which would allow them to gain confidence and a healthy dose of self-respect.
Painting by the Trishna Patnaik.
Benefits of positive affirmations
We all have long-term goals in life we want to achieve that may seem out of reach, and sometimes we may be reluctant to take even that first step. Certainly, affirmations can be helpful in those situations. They can improve our self-confidence and ability to overcome obstacles. But positive self-talk also allows us to deal with even more immediate mental and physical health concerns.
For instance, affirmations are helpful for depression and anxiety, which often come with repeated, negative thoughts that reinforce the difficult emotions. Adding a positive mantra to your routine can work for anyone because you don’t have to feel that it’s true at first. Simply say it, and the brain and emotional benefits will follow.
And you know what's even more powerful?
When you combine the power of affirmations with personal growth tools to amplify your manifestations! Because then you have two tools working to reprogram your subconscious mind at the same time!
“What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create. “- Buddha
“It’s a road less traveled, but a journey I look forward to every day.” — Trishna Patnaik
Trishna Patnaik is an art therapist and healer who works with clients on a one-on one-basis in Mumbai and conducts painting workshops across India. After receiving her Bachelors in Life Sciences and MBA in Marketing), Trishna worked professionally in various well-known corporations, but realized she wanted to do something more meaningful, finding her true calling in painting. Trishna fancies the art of creative writing as a way to engage with readers, wanderers and thinkers.