It's very true that affirmations work not only by rewarding our self esteem, but also in changing our life for the better. There is a real science behind how the brain reacts to positive affirmation. That said, it doesn't work without action - just saying a costive affirmation is only one step in the process. You must consciously repeat your new mantra throughout the day with your actions in alignment. For example, if your goal is to lose weight and your affirmation is "losing body fast is easy and effortless for me", you can't follow by picking up dinner at a fast food joint. Your actions have to mirror your positive affirmations - consider them a team working together for your success. It is easy to say "Stop talking negatively about yourself." It can be harder to put in to action. It does come down to just that. Eliminating negative talk. When we smile from our heart, it's impossible not to smile from the face. many people who are on the phone for work know this trick. smile while talking and you'll sound cheerful. You don't need to be on the phone to put this concept in to practice.
Next, let's dive into the real gift of how positive affirmations work. The purpose of affirmations, similar to meditation, is to reprogram our self talk. The more you repeat an affirmation, the truer it becomes. According to John Peace, "The joining or wiring together of brain cells is often referred to as cells that fire together, wire together." Science shows us that when we learn, groups of cells activate together to grow a stronger connection. This bundling of cell groups is what turns into our learned behavior. Learned behavior is more than mere actions like walking and talking. It is also our personality. They human subconscious doesn't filter out negative self talk, it simply accepts it and thus it becomes part of our outlook. Feeding positives to the subconscious builds a healthier self. Just like ridding a bike, costive affirmations take practice, so don't give up!
Dr. Massaru Emote is currently studying how words energetically vibrate in our systems. Once experiment included saying both positive and hard words to water and then photographing the water molecules under a microscope. The results are stunning! Water that was spoken to with love had symmetrical and beautifully shaped molecules, like a perfect snowflake, little bits of art. The water put into an environment of negative words had misshapen, deformed molecules. This is a significant finding because the human body is mostly made of water. Over half of our body weight is water. Creating a positive environment helps to keep our molecules in tip-top shape. Words have vibrations, so speaking your positive affirmations out loud is essential.
My favorite way of incorporating positive affirmations requires only a few index cards, markers or any other craft supplies. Write personalized positive messages on the index cards and decorate. Place the cards where you will come across them through your day. There are even store bought affirmations cards by popular authors like Louis Hay and Dr. Wayne Dyer.
Starting each day with costive words promotes productive steps of action. Repeating positive messages helps rewire the self-talk, creating a positive shift in your life.
* Originally published in Pulse Magazine pg 54 Summer 2012 Issue. Updated Aug 2016