Daily affirmations
“Affirmations are more powerful than requests, for they remind you that you already have what you seek.” — Alan Cohen
I did a series on my Instagram early 2019 about the daily affirmations I repeat to myself. To be honest, the practice of affirmations is fairly recent for me, and a practice I found awkward and ill-fitting in the beginning. I think this mostly stems from leftover religious legalism buried inside, the feeling that if it’s not prayer and scripture only, then it’s wrong and has no merit. Thankfully I moved to a much more generous understanding of affirmations, but the biggest strides toward this understanding came through practice.
Being a more cerebral person, I tend to be curious about practices like this and how they manifest themselves in measurable ways. I don’t think all things are measurable, but almost all things are. :) So I did my own quasi-science study, me as the lone subject, working through five affirmations a day. I wanted to see if I could discern any difference when I practice affirmations.
To my surprise, I found them to be incredibly effective. On more than one occasion a simple phrase has turned my mood around, slowed my breathing, brought a smile to my face, or caused me incredible joy and a sense of deep gratitude. I reflected on these results and thought, So this is why people push through the awkwardness!
There is, of course, more than my quasi-scientific study. This helpful article references a few studies from psychologists and neurologists that show real benefits of affirmation practice. Here’s a list of specific findings found in the article:
Self-affirmations have been shown to decrease health-deteriorating stress (Sherman et al., 2009; Critcher & Dunning, 2015);
Self-affirmations have been used effectively in interventions that led people to increase their physical behavior (Cooke et al., 2014);
They may help us to perceive otherwise “threatening” messages with less resistance, including interventions (Logel & Cohen, 2012);
They can make us less likely to dismiss harmful health messages, responding instead with the intention to change for the better (Harris et al., 2007) and to eat more fruit and vegetables (Epton & Harris, 2008);
They have been linked positively to academic achievement by mitigating GPA decline in students who feel left out at college (Layous et al., 2017);
Self-affirmation has been demonstrated to lower stress and rumination (Koole et al., 1999; Weisenfeld et al., 2001).
If you’ve been thinking of picking up the practice of daily affirmations, I encourage you to give it a shot. If you don’t feel ready to create your own, there are tons of resources to help you find some that feel most relevant to you. Just do a Google search and you’ll find endless options. And if you’re curious about my list, here’s my personal morning affirmation liturgy. :)
I am beloved.
I have everything I need.
Everything is always working out for me.
I can inspire and change the world.
I am enough.
So, tell me… how do you feel about affirmations? Do you practice them? Do you struggle to find the merit? Does it just feel awkward as hell? Sound off in the comments. I’d love to hear your successes and struggles with the practice of daily affirmations.
