Affirmations can be truly life changing, but only if you know how to do them right. A lot of people, (and myself in the past) struggle with affirmations because they don't feel genuine. In this blog, we'll explore the science behind affirmations and share practical techniques to help you make them work for you. These are some of my favorite practices, from feeling the emotions behind your statements to habit stacking them with mirror work, these tips will help you transform your mindset and elevate your life!
“Affirmations don’t work for me, I always feel like I’m lying to myself.”
Ever felt like affirmations just don’t work for you? You’re not alone. Before learning about the science behind affirmations, I struggled too. I didn't believe the words I was saying at all, and it felt like a waste of time.
I would think, “The whole point of me doing affirmations in the first place is because I don’t feel positive about myself… How am I meant to believe these statements when they’re literally the opposite of how I feel?”
But once I looked into the research and began incorporating an emotional response and intentional mirror work, everything changed.
Neuroscience indicates that emotions can enhance neural pathways, reinforcing positive beliefs. So let’s explore how to master affirmations to transform your life.
The Science Behind Affirmations
Affirmations are so much more than wishy-washy positive statements. They are a heavily researched and evidence based practice to reprogram your subconscious mind by creating new neural pathways. Neuroscience tells us that repeating affirmations with emotional engagement helps override negative beliefs and reinforces a positive self-perception. This process, known as neuroplasticity, enables your brain to adapt and change, making it possible to align your thoughts with your desired reality.
Triggering neuroplasticity is a huge component of basically everything I share and all of my offerings.
How to Do Affirmations Properly:
Feel the Emotion
Sit in front of a mirror and repeat your affirmations, focusing on how it would feel if you truly believed them. Imagine the confidence, joy, or peace that comes with these beliefs. This emotional engagement is crucial for rewiring your brain.
Engage Your Senses
Make your affirmations more powerful by engaging your senses. If your affirmation is "I am beautiful just as I am," smile and feel a tingle of excitement or gratitude while looking at yourself in the mirror, allow yourself to plan an outfit for the day to match your natural beauty. This sensory engagement deepens the emotional impact of the affirmation.
Look with Love
As you repeat your affirmations, scan your reflection and look at yourself with love. Identify your beautiful features and show love to parts that have made you self-conscious in the past. Approach yourself with the kindness and compassion of a best friend or a loving parent.
Consistency is Key
At first, this practice might feel awkward, but over time, you'll start looking forward to these little self-dates. Consistency is crucial; soon, talking to yourself in the mirror will become a natural and empowering part of your routine.
For example, rather than trying to believe it when you say, "I am beautiful just as I am," (which will almost always instantly bring up limiting beliefs and negative self-talk) look at yourself in the mirror in the same way as a loving parent or a best friend would. Someone who loves you deeply for who you are. Once you’ve connected with that, ask yourself, “How would it feel if I did believe this statement to my core?” Then feel the emotions, amplifying them as much as you can, regardless of how foreign they feel.
As you repeat the statement, "I am beautiful just as I am," allow the happiness, gratitude and self-assurance that comes with truly believing it, before you actually do. This will make it much more likely that your brain will begin to form new neural pathways and over time you will believe the statement.
Enhancing the Effects of Affirmations
Targeted Intentional Affirmations are one of the practices I utilize all the time in my method, rooted in proven science and years of personal practice. By incorporating affirmations into your daily routine, especially with mirror work, you can reprogram your mind to focus on the positive and enhance your self-image.
Blend Affirmations with Mirror Work: Sit in front of a mirror and repeat your affirmations while doing your beauty routine. This helps divert your mind to positive thoughts and enhances your self-image.
Reach a Hypnotic State: Aim to deeply feel the affirmations, I love to do affirmations while I am performing a mundane task like, my morning beauty ritual, a walk or in the shower. It really helps to get out of your analytical mind, almost reaching a hypnotic state or waking visualization where the positive statements start to feel even more real.
Daily Routine Integration: Make affirmations a part of your daily routine. Consistency will lead to reinforce the new neural pathways and fast track huge changes in your self-perception.
I thought I’d take some time to share below some of my favorite affirmations on various topics that I get requests for all the time. You can also watch my Affirmations for Clear Skin video that you can listen to while getting ready in the morning, doing your gua sha or makeup for the day.
Affirmations for Abundance
Affirmations can also help you attract abundance. Here are some powerful affirmations to integrate into your daily routine:
I’m a money magnet.
My income is constantly increasing.
It’s safe for me to make, have, and spend money.
I can afford the life I want.
I attract opportunities that create more wealth in my life.
The more I enjoy my life, the more money I will make.
I am worthy of a wealthy life.
I am abundant in time, energy, and money.
I don’t have to overwork to receive more money.
My life is rich in opportunities.
I am deserving of success and abundance.
Aligned opportunities flow to me effortlessly.
I am capable of achieving my financial goals.
Prosperity and abundance are all around me.
My work is rewarded with success.
Affirmations for Body and Self-Confidence
I love and accept myself just as I am.
My confidence grows stronger every day.
Self-care is a priority for me.
I am strong and healthy.
I am proud of who I am and who I am becoming.
I release all self-doubt and embrace what makes me, me.
I trust in my abilities and strengths.
Every day, I am becoming more confident and self-assured.
I trust the timing of my life.
I am beautiful.
Affirmations for Beauty and Self-Image
I am beautiful.
My body is healthy, strong, and radiant.
I honor my body and treat it with love and respect.
I radiate beauty, confidence, and grace.
I’m so grateful for all my body does for me.
My self-esteem is growing every day.
I am radiant and beautiful, inside and out.
My inner beauty shines through every day.
I celebrate my individuality and uniqueness.
I feel beautiful, confident, and empowered.
My natural beauty is perfect, there is no comparison.
Affirmations for Love and Relationships
I am open and receptive to love.
I attract loving and supportive relationships.
I deserve to be loved and cherished.
My relationships are built on trust and mutual respect.
I set healthy boundaries and demand respect.
I am worthy of love and affection.
My heart is open to giving and receiving love.
I am strong enough to handle anything.
I attract healthy, loving relationships and I don’t settle for anything less.
I am surrounded by love and positivity.
My relationships are filled with fun and laughter.
Affirmations for Personal Growth
Life is beautiful, and I have time.
I embrace new experiences with confidence.
I am constantly growing and evolving.
My path is unique, and I am proud of my progress.
I trust the process of life and embrace change.
Everything is always working out for me.
I am committed to becoming my Elevated Self.
I let go of the past, embrace the present and let the future come to me.
I am ready to design the life of my dreams.
I trust myself to make the best decisions for me.
My potential to succeed is infinite.
I am grateful for the opportunities that I have and I am attracting.
By understanding the science behind affirmations and practicing them with emotional engagement and mirror work, you can reprogram your mind for positive change.
Integrating affirmations into your daily routine can transform your self-perception and help you attract basically anything you are trying to manifest. I hope that this blog helped to inspire you to try them!
FAQs
What are affirmations? Affirmations are positive statements that help reprogram your subconscious mind by creating new neural pathways, reinforcing positive beliefs, and overriding negative thoughts.
Why do affirmations feel weird at first? Affirmations can feel silly because they often contradict long-held negative thought patterns or limiting beliefs. But with consistent practice and emotional engagement, they become more believable and effective.
How can I make affirmations more effective? To make affirmations more effective, engage your senses, feel the emotions behind the statements, use mirror work and practice consistently.
What is mirror work? Mirror work involves looking at yourself in the mirror with love and compassion while repeating affirmations. This practice enhances emotional engagement and helps reinforce a positive self-image.
Can affirmations help manifestation? Definitely. Affirmations can help attract abundance by reprogramming your subconscious mind to align with the energy of wealth and prosperity. Consistent practice can lead to transformational changes in your mindset and train your mind to start looking for and expecting abundance, success, love and anything you’re calling in.
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