How positive affirmations can improve your mindset

Are you tired of having negative thoughts all the time? Do you want more positive in your life? Then this is the blog post for you.

Positive affirmations seem to be all the rage right now. They seem to be creeping up on almost every social media site.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started last year, it looks to me like many people have struggled significantly with negative thoughts and trying to remain positive.

I’ve noticed this because I’m one of those people too. My negative outlook comes and goes in big waves and a few months ago, I knew I needed to find a way to change this.

Over two months later and using affirmations has transformed my life. In a short space of time, my mindset has shifted to a place that I didn’t think it could.

I want to share with you all how using affirmations can do the same for you.

What Are Affirmations?

Affirmations are positive, specific statements that define you as you want to be.

They are used to help you overcome and challenge self-sabotage, self-doubt, and negative thinking patterns. You learn to transform your mindset into a more positive one.

Affirmations are written in the present tense to give you the feeling that they are already true.

Ultimately, they are used to create the reality of what we want or what we would like to achieve. It is about making that change from within.

How to Choose and Create An Affirmation

Affirmations are brilliant in that they can be used for any situation. It is important before you practice any affirmation, however, that you choose one which fits with your needs.  

For example, you might want help with:  

• Your motivation.
• Improving personal/professional relationships.
• Boosting your confidence.
• Your patience levels.
• Achieving certain life goals.
• Increasing overall happiness.
• Opening up your beliefs with more empowering ones.
• Enhancing self-knowledge.

Think hard about the areas in your life that you want to change or behaviours that you want to improve.

Here are some guidelines to follow when choosing your affirmations:

1. Choose the thing that you would like to change.
2. Write it down, then find an opposite.

For example, If you often think ‘I am not as talented as everyone else’, your affirmation might be, ‘I possess abilities and talents that are unique to me’.

• Start your affirmations with ‘I’ or ‘My’.
• Use positive, uplifting words. The most common example is ‘I am…’.
• Write in the present tense.
• Make it specific.
• Make sure your affirmation is for you only.

How to Put them Into Practice

When you have chosen your affirmation, it’s time to decide how to incorporate it in your morning or evening routine.

These are the three ways that I recommend:

1. Journaling

As someone who loves writing, this works perfectly for me. I’m currently using ‘The Five Minute Journal’ which contains a space to write down a daily affirmation.

I try to choose affirmations that resonate with the three things I am grateful for that day so that there’s a sense of consistency.

Putting affirmations to paper is brilliant if you are not always confident in saying them out loud. I also find the privacy of writing in a journal more comforting. 

2. Visualisation

Visualisation is something I feel is incredibly underrated. Seeing your professional or personal goal in your mind as something that’s already been achieved is so inspiring.

It’s beneficial in helping to powerfully organise your thoughts and reduce the stress that goes alongside negative thinking.

3. Read them Aloud

I don’t do this as often but I should too because it is probably the most powerful way that affirmations can alter your mental state.

Whether it’s to yourself in the mirror or to someone else, repeating an affirmation out loud and with freedom is an excellent way to build your confidence. It allows us to process our thoughts differently.

A big part of affirmations is that your ears can hear it but if you feel self-conscious, try whispering the affirmation to begin and work your way up to speaking it louder.

10 Affirmations to Get You Started

1. I am the master of my own thoughts.
2. I can do anything that I set my mind to.
3. I am grateful for all that I have, all that I am, and all that is.
4. I am free to be myself.
5. I am limited by nothing and have unlimited potential.
6. I am in the process of positive change.
7. I am becoming closer to my true self every day.
8. I am just as good as everyone else.
9. I am proud of my body.
10. I am following the path that will help me achieve success.

Remember:

It’s important to note that for long-term change, affirmations require regular practice. You will not see a difference overnight.

Stick with it, make it a part of your routine, and be patient. The results will come eventually!