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Positive affirmations, when done on a consistent basis can completely rewire your thought process. I know, for some, they seem silly, but the effect of doing them is rooted in science. When a person consistently hears something about themselves, they start to believe it. It is no different for the things we tell ourselves. The more negative things we tell ourselves, the worse we feel and the more we believe those things. Positive affirmations can help to change your thought patterns and instill in you a sense of confidence.
Affirmations Do Work
I can positively say that affirmations can really change your perspective and make you a thriving, happier person. A few years ago, I was going through a particularly rough time. I had been in L.A. for just a few months and, besides my husband, I didn’t know anyone and my self-confidence had a taken a major hit as can happen when working in the entertainment industry.
I had a few acting jobs in Orlando before moving and was hoping to do a little acting in L.A. I never had plans to “make it big”; I just enjoyed it as a hobby. But L.A. is a whole different world. It can be a magical place and is, to this day, one of my favorite places to have lived but when you are on the other side of the country from everyone you know and it doesn’t feel like you are going anywhere, it can also be lonely and isolating.
Remembering some training I had in Orlando in which we practiced affirmations, I began to try a few out, especially using my favorite one “I am enough”. I could feel my thought process start to change and my self-confidence start to increase. This led me to enrolling in a few acting classes and meeting a group of people who also had a strong belief in affirmations. I learned a few new ones in this group and continued to do them daily. I felt better than I had in years and, although I stopped pursuing the acting opportunities, I found other things through which to channel my energy. Occasionally, I’d stop doing them and things would be ok for a while but, inevitably, negative thoughts would creep in so I’d go right back to doing them again. I can confirm that, done consistently and done right, they do work.
How To Do Affirmations
While you can repeat affirmations to yourself throughout the day, it can be very effective to do some of them while looking at yourself in the mirror. I will tell you, the first time I did them in the mirror, I felt ridiculous. But the more I did them, the better I felt and the more sense they made. Further, some of my favorite affirmations have helped me overcome anger and obstacles throughout the day. Say, when someone sits behind you in a movie theater and proceeds to talk throughout the whole film. Or, more often, when someone cuts you off in traffic or refuses to at least go the speed limit. No one wants to go through life frustrated and angry all the time.
My top ten go-to affirmations are:
- I am enough.
- I handle my life with joy and ease.
- I easily find solutions to challenges and roadblocks and move past them quickly.
- I feel powerful, capable, confident, energetic, and on top of the world.
- I fully accept myself and know that I am worthy of great things in life.
- I make friends easily.
- I choose now to release all hurt and resentment.
- I deserve to be happy and successful.
- My day begins and ends with gratitude.
- I am healthy, whole, and complete.
Try them out. Get past the occasional feeling of silliness and do them consistently. See how it works out and, by all means, please let me know if they worked for you. I would love to hear how affirmations have helped change your life.
*For additional affirmations, please see louisehay.com. Louise was one of the biggest proponents of affirmations before passing away in 2017 and has a ton of them listed on her website.
