AFFIRMATIONS

RAZZ writer Ally Mannix discusses the positive effects of affirmations.

Do affirmations really help to change your attitude/outlook on life?

What would you do if I told you that you had the power to completely transform your life, if, every day, you spoke a repeated phrase or series of words to yourself? You’d probably dismiss it as slightly weird and a little too awkward right? Well, I hope this short blurb on affirmations will help to drastically change your mind.

Affirmations are positive statements that have the power to transform your self-esteem and outlook on life. They are an incredibly effective tool that everyone has access to at any moment in time, and really, they require very little effort in comparison to the number of positive changes that you will start to notice in your life once you practice them.

They are most effective through repetition, either out loud, in your head, or in writing. The power of repetition is undeniable. As with anything that you remain consistent with, if you repeat kind, esteem boosting words to yourself, they will help to ease the negative thoughts in your mind, replacing them with more optimistic,uplifting ones. Affirmations can also help you to manifest the life of your dreams (I know this might sound a bit hippie, but it really is the truth), by helping you to reframe your thoughts and beliefs.

Here are some of the things that affirmations have the power to impact in your life:

• They can help to reduce stress and anxiety

• They can boost your confidence and self-belief

• They can reduce your feelings of self-doubt and insecurity

• They can help you to focus on your goals and ambitions

• They can help to ease your depression

One of my favourtie ways to practice affirmations is by writing them down in the mornings, starting with the phrase “I am”, and sometimes re-writing them over and over again to really give myself time to take in their meaning. By starting with the phrase “I am” you are willing that thought to life by convincing your brain that you already believe it. When you hear such kind, encouraging words spoken to you, or you read them and repeat them in your head, you will eventually start to reprogram any selfdeprecating thoughts, replacing them with positive self-talk. Another really great way to help this is to stick a younger photo of yourself on your mirror and every time you are getting ready and feel yourself commenting negatively on your looks, or anything else, think about how you would feel if you were saying that to a younger you. It’s really heartbreaking at first but it makes you realise that you would never say that to a child, or a friend, so why is it acceptable to speak to yourself in that way?

If you’re still a bit unsure about them take a look at this fascinating study done on plants which suggested that those who were spoken to with kind, encouraging words thrived, whilst those that were yelled at and spoken badly to wilted and drooped in comparison. Whilst potentially to do with the vibrations of the sounds, the overall affect was astounding and demonstrated the power of affirming words. As soon as you start to believe that you are intelligent, confident, beautiful, capable, and the plethora of other incredible human qualities that you possess, you will vibrate at such a high level that you will start to attract similar people and situations into your life.

Affirmations go beyond just making you feel good about yourself, or helping you to accept certain ‘flaws’, they change the fundamental way that you live your life and allow you to truly be grateful for each day that you are living, and for yourself; your body, mind and looks. So, the next time you have a free moment, take some time out of your day to look in the mirror and say “I am”…