Mindful Affirmations

Jul 2

The Magic of Affirmations

Affirmations are simple phrases you repeat to yourself to help shape your thinking. They can be about anything you want, but most people use them to build confidence, change habits, or improve self-esteem.

For example, an artist who wants to improve her creative confidence might use the following affirmation:

I am fiercely creative.

Is this artist already fiercely creative? Probably, but maybe she holds back at times because of the discomfort and vulnerability of sharing her art with others. In this way affirmations are like reminders from your higher self about your authentic path and potential. When we read and repeat affirmations, they become more believable because they become part of our inner dialogue — the voice in our heads that tells us whether something is possible or not.

The thing about the voice in our heads, though, is that its language comes from the thinking mind. The brain’s job is to keep us alive and safe. Therefore, it typically chooses a safe feeling of familiarity over growth. So when we encounter something unknown or are faced with going outside of our comfort zones, the brain will interpret that sensation as a warning and put the brakes on our forward momentum. How? By using our inner dialogue to slow us down.

The brain might replay negative judgements people have made about us in the past or remind us of times we’ve failed, or simply tell us we aren’t worthy of change. Moreover, if we are prone to worry or forecasting worst case scenarios, we want to be careful about dwelling in those fears:

Replaying fears over and over in our minds is essentially teaching the brain that these are true limitations.

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Affirmations can hack this wiring…

By saying something that counteracts the thinking mind’s fear, we can teach our minds and bodies to embrace that little bit of discomfort, maybe stepping outside of our comfort zone in the pursuit of a goal. When we repeat our affirmations enough we begin to internalize the affirmation so that it starts to feel embodied.

In addition, when we literally say something out loud (or write it by hand in a journal), it becomes part of our external dialogue—the voice we embody through speech, written language, and body language. As if by casting a spell, speech has a powerful way of bringing things into being for our minds, and the brain will follow your lead and begin to revise what is possible. The brain will start to believe you.