I am loving and peaceful. You are loving and peaceful. We are loving and peaceful.
An affirmation is simply a conscious thought that is stated in the form of a command. Ideally, they are positive, powerful and supportive. Using affirmations consistently over time can help you access your strengths, focus on gratitude for the good things in your life, improve your mood and cultivate a more positive day-to-day experience.
In contrast, mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you pay close attention to whatever you are sensing and feeling in the present moment, without interpretation or judgment. Mindfulness techniques generally involve breath awareness, guided imagery, and other practices designed to relax the body and mind and reduce stress. Mindfulness can be combined with other methods such as yoga asana, walking or even affirmations.
Today, let’s take a closer look at positive affirmations and how to combine them with the beneficial practice of mindfulness. Keep reading to learn how to formulate your own effective affirmations. By the end of this article, you’ll have a veritable toolkit of ways to use affirmations during meditation—and incorporate them into your everyday life!
Creating Personal Affirmations
Create affirmations for yourself that genuinely reflect the true you. Focus first on your strengths, and you can add more affirmations over time that address the areas you want to improve. Be honest with yourself and know which affirmations you genuinely feel are valuable.
When developing your affirmations, keep the following three basic guidelines in mind.
1. Focus on what you have or want
Identify what you want and create your affirmation based on that. Rather than focusing on what you don’t have or don’t want, put the emphasis on what you do desire.
Use an affirmation such as, “I feel compassion and kindness towards myself during difficult times,” instead of “I don’t engage in negative self-talk during difficult times.”
2. Create affirmations based on the present moment
Make your affirmations proactive. Say “I am loving,” rather than “I will be loving.” Say “Every day, I am finding new ways to be kinder,” rather than “One day, i will be kinder.”
3. Use the second person (“you”)
Remove blocks and resistance when creating your personal positive affirmations. If you have trouble coming up with them, try brainstorming some encouraging or comforting statements that you might really need to hear right now. Think along the lines of:
- You are doing a great job.
- You are safe and protected.
- You are a wonderful partner / parent / etc.
- You deserve to have what you want.
- You deserve to be loved and cared for.
- You radiate friendliness, sincerity and enthusiasm.
Make a Recording
Once you have generated your list, use your phone or tablet to make a simple recording of your affirmations that lasts 3 to 5 minutes. Say each affirmation and pause for several seconds before you go on to the next one.
When you get to the end of your list, start back at the top again. Make your tone of voice as kind, loving and supportive as you can (even if it feels a bit awkward at first). The more authentic and loving your voice sounds, the more effective the imprinting of the affirmations will be.
Practice Positive Affirmation Mindfulness Techniques
How can you use affirmations regularly to develop this way of thinking? Try using affirmations during your mindfulness practice and integrating them into your everyday life.
To ensure that your mind is in a tranquil, deeply relaxed state, meditate for at least five minutes before you start to repeat positive affirmations.
Get into a comfortable position either sitting or lying down. Take several deep breaths to ground and center yourself. Count eight slow breath cycles in your mind. Consciously relax your body using your favorite meditation technique. You might listen to soothing instrumental music to meditate or focus your gaze on a crystal, flower or candle flame.
Once you feel relaxed, grounded and present, you can choose from one of the following methods.
- Begin to repeat your positive affirmations silently in your mind, absorbing their positive messages like a sponge. At first, you will need to read them from the journal in which they are written. Eventually, you will memorize them and can even do this technique with your eyes closed.
- Explore how the words make you feel. Try to allow the meaning of the affirmation to truly sink in.
- Using your own voice for the affirmations also creates a powerful inner relationship between your own wise voice and your emotional body. Repeat your affirmations aloud. You can do this while looking at your face in the mirror for a deeper impact.
- Listen to your affirmation recording. During the pauses after each recorded affirmation, you can repeat it either in your mind or aloud.
Afterward, allow yourself to go deeper and remain in silent meditation for as long as you like. When you feel ready, take several deep, conscious breaths and stretch the body for a few minutes. Jot down any insights you had in your journal.
Ways to Incorporate Affirmations into Everyday Life
- Write your essential affirmations on note cards and post them somewhere in your house where you will see them regularly. The refrigerator, bathroom mirror, and bedside table are ideal spots.
- Use an encouraging affirmation during your workouts or before embarking on an undesirable task in order to help you keep going.
- Any time you look in the mirror, use a self-compassionate affirmation like “I love myself” or “I am a radiant child of god.”
- Save your current favorite affirmation as a wallpaper or background on your phone or laptop.
- Repeat your affirmation as you fall asleep at night; when your mind wanders, bring it back to your affirmation as you would a mantra.
- Cut back on mindless social media scrolling or TV watching; instead take some time to repeat your affirmations.
- Select one simple go-to affirmation to support you during challenging moments of upset, stress or overwhelm.
Conclusion
Repeating positive affirmations is a viable way to relieve anything from mild anxiety and stress to depression. Hopefully the tips and tools provided to you in this article can help you improve your wellbeing, one affirmation at a time.
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