Affirmations are powerful, life changing tools – not only do I use them for myself on a daily basis, but I highly recommend them to many of my clients as a form of self-care. If you are new to energy work, unsure about how to incorporate energetic, high-vibe practices into your own day-to-day life, or are just looking for a daily, positive boost (who isn’t?!), affirmations could be the answer! In this post, I’m going to share with you three ways to up-level your use of affirmations and make them even more powerful than before and share with you my own personal daily affirmations.
According to the dictionary, to “affirm” something means to declare it to be true. When you use affirmations for yourself, you are doing exactly that – you are declaring to the universe and yourself your intention for something to be true. Affirmations are more than just a nice thing a bunch of woo hippies do to make themselves feel better. They’re more than just lying to yourself or saying nice things. See, there’s a part of our brains called the Reticular Activating System – you may not even have known it was there, but it has a very specific job. This system functions to filter out input, stimuli, and information that we don’t need. Without it, we would all be walking around in a state of perpetual overwhelm, unable to handle the sheer amount of external input we come into contact with each and every day. Our brain is designed to protect us from that problem by filtering out what isn’t important to us and allowing in what is, based on our desires, needs, and focus. Chances are, you’ve probably experienced this system as work without even realizing it – if you’ve ever shopped for a new car and immediately began noticing more of the particular make, model, or color you’d been searching for, that’s your RAS system at play. If you’re driving down the street after finding out you’re pregnant, you’ll probably notice every pregnant woman or woman with a stroller you pass, while someone who isn’t focused on pregnancy at that time in their life may not.
When you use affirmations, you’re sending a clear message to your brain that these things are important to you – in time, your mind will recognize the association between your affirmations and what’s important, allowing you to notice opportunities and information related to the things within your affirmations. Because of your RAS, that information will be able to move to the forefront of your attention, rather than being potentially filtered out.
Second, affirmations create tension. This may not sound like a good thing, but noticing the distance between where you are and where you want to be provides the energy and tension for creative potential. This creative potential is where motivation comes from -human beings are biologically designed to resolve and avoid discomfort. The tension created by affirmations can provide subconscious motivation to resolve the tension between our current state and our desired state. Of course, non of this happens instantaneously, but with consistent practice, affirmations can – and will – work to make changes in your life!
The Internet is chock full of affirmations, and you could easily search for or write your own, but I want to share with you three ways to make your affirmations REALLY work for you.
1. Custom Affirmations
To me, affirmations are a personal affair. Yes, there are some good ones out there that will probably work for anyone (I mean, who wouldn’t benefit from more love and light in their life?), but I have discovered that the most powerful affirmations for me were channeled directly from my guides, higher self, and source and written expressly for my being at this moment. If you think you might benefit from the same, you can grab your own set of custom, specific-to-you affirmations at a sweet discount. Just click here and use code AFFIRM ME at checkout!
2. Tap Away Resistance
Affirmations, and that accompanying tension, create a fantastic opportunity to incorporate more EFT Tapping into your routine, especially if you’re looking for some new, creative ways to tap, or generally have difficulty coming up with the right words to use.
- Make a list of your affirmation statements (or print your list if you had them channeled for you!)
- Read each statement out loud, one at a time. Pause after each statement and look for the “yes, but” statements that come to mind – the resistance your mind throws up in the face of your positive statements (for example – “My feelings are met with love and understanding…except for from my boss. She never really listens to me anyway.” Or, “I choose to release excess weight that I no longer need… but nothing ever works for me.“)
- Write down each resistance statement that comes up in relation to each affirmation. Assign each resistance statement an intensity level from 0-10, “0” representing not feeling true at all and “10” representing an absolute truth. Remember, it is important to consider how true your resistance statements FEEL – you may be able to consciously rationalize them away, but if part of you believes them, on any level, they’ll still sabotage your efforts!
- Use these 2 part statements to create tapping sequences – The first part of the setup phrase being your resistance statement, the second part being your affirmation. Then, tap through the points using a reminder phrase for your resistance statement. For example:Tapping on the side of the hand: “Even though my boss never listens to me, I choose to believe that my feelings are met with love and understanding, and I love and accept myself anyway.” (Repeat 3x)Tapping through the rest of the points: “My boss never listens to me.”After a few rounds, or when something feels like it shifts, check back in on your original intensity level to see if it’s changed. Easy, right?!
- Repeat as often as necessary, adjusting the language to reflect what’s most true for you.
3. Use the Gamut Point
The gamut point is an amazing little acupressure point that you can easily incorporate into your affirmation routine, even if you’re unfamiliar with tapping or any other point! Located in the groove between the knuckle of your pinky finger and the knuckle of your ring finger (either hand will do!), this point is a power-house for lowering resistance to change. In fact, I insist that all of my clients tap or press on their gamut point while the recite any affirmations – it sends a clear signal to your brain that the words being spoken are safe, helping to bypass any resistance your subconscious may have to the change you’re affirming. Next time you say your affirmations, try tapping this little point to give them a brain-boost – it seems really easy, but you’ll thank me later!
Last, but not least, I promised I’d give you a glimpse into my affirmation routine. I recite the following affirmations daily, while tapping or pressing on my gamut point. These affirmations were channeled specifically for me, but if you’re looking for somewhere to begin, you can use them as well!
“I have the clarity to choose the next steps aligned with my higher path.
There is a natural balance and harmony in my life. All of my emotions are met with understanding and love.
I trust all that I need is all around me. I am open to receive the gifts of my soul and the universe supporting me.
I am living my soul’s highest destiny and I am reminded of my eternal connection to the light.
I am clean and clear of all energy that is not mine. I am a light an expansive energy body. I now unite my mind and heart to guide me through my highest path in life.
I am attracting now more joy and creativity to express my soul’s desires in any way that inspires me.”
I’d love to hear your affirmations or affirmation stories!