How to practice daily affirmations for self-love and a positive mindset
Why are daily affirmations important?
- If we want different results, we must do different things. Thinking the same thoughts may be doing more harm than good. It was in my case. So, to begin establishing personal growth + discipline it’s good to start with something as small as daily affirmations. By implementing this small habit into our routine we begin to shift away from thinking the same thoughts and reprogram the mind.
- • For a while, I had the expectation that because a positive mindset was the goal, I would wake up one day and have one. It occurred to me one day it was unrealistic to expect a change in my personal growth without effort. We can’t wake up and expect a positive mindset simply because it’s our desire. “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26). In the same way we would train daily to condition our body to run a marathon, we should train our minds (and bodies) to love ourselves.
- Building the momentum toward self-love starts with reframing our mindset. I view daily affirmations as my effortless way to show myself the compassion I deserve. In the beginning, the affirmations may seem to counter negative ones (which is a win by the way). Some days, the negative, intrusive thoughts may be louder than the thoughts that make us feel good. Honor your commitment to personal growth by sticking with it and over time, you’ll notice the negative thoughts are a mere whisper (or non-existent).
Ways to implement daily affirmations
⭐️ 1st thing in the morning + before bed at night
☀️Among the first things you look at when you wake up and reach for your phone should be affirmations. This is prime time and imperative for not only a positive mindset but to set the tone for the day ahead (rather than leaving it up to chance).
☀️If your subconscious were soil and daily affirmations are the seeds then, morning is best for planting as the soil is impressionable and pure, not yet tainted by external sources. Wake up an extra ten to fifteen minutes early. Once the demands of my day start, I find it more challenging to believe “I am at ease.”
🌙 The soil has been tainted by the time we start winding down for bed. If you’re like me, your brain may not be ready to wind down at all. Reeling with inspiration or ruminating about the person that said something slick, and brainstorming the next blog topic. Playing daily nightly affirmations signals to my body that it’s time to rest or prep our soil. While going thru the ebbs and flows of my self-care routine one of my favorite things to do is play an audio of daily affirmations. *Bonus points* if you say them out loud with some excitement. Again, we’re planting seeds in the richest soil to ensure a positive mindset.
🧠 👀 Out of sight, out of mind
I use the age-old saying “out of sight, out of mind” with things I want to have high priority in my life. For example, if I want to meditate more I’ll put the Calm app on the homepage of my phone. With daily affirmations, I may have gone overboard. It seemed necessary seeing as we roughly have about 6,000 thoughts a day. My version of overboard is having affirmations on the front of notebooks, folders, shirts, sticky notes, wallpapers, stickers, dry-erase boards, and chalkboards. Click this to view + download free phone wallpapers. I figure if I persevere through the monotony of saying things I may not believe, something will stick.
🪞 Mirror work
Looking at myself in the mirror and saying “I am beautiful” felt silly the first time. It really sinks in + hits home. If you don’t believe the affirmation, you’ll notice your reaction. That’s an indication to keep repeating it during your practice because it may conflict with what you believe at your core. If at your core, we don’t believe we’re beautiful anybody else saying it will never be enough. Mirror work puts us in control of giving ourselves validation and acceptance. It takes us off autopilot and keeps us in the driver's seat as we build self-love.
✍️ Write it out
Writing is my favorite way to maintain a positive mindset and self-love. I created journals solely for the purpose of writing daily . Writing things down increases the chances of it absorbing in the mind. While writing “I am wealthy” I begin to visualize what that looks like for me. Take about fifteen minutes to choose five affirmations that resonate or address your specific self-love goals and jot them down. If you’re especially short on time, try using the Notes app on your smartphone.
🔔Notifications
I’m particular about this one because I often find notifications to be annoying. I’d be lying if I said reading several daily affirmations that pop up throughout the day didn’t help with my self-love journey though. Most affirmation apps offer this for free. Ideally, you’d have at least two affirmations within a chosen category set to appear either at random or at a time that works best for your schedule.
By using all or one of these techniques to practice daily affirmations we are in control of the love for ourselves we seek. This small, actionable step will not only help us move toward a healthy, positive mindset but establish self-confidence. As you build confidence in your capabilities and recognize your worth, you’ll be more likely to take on new challenges and pursue your goals.
I’d love to hear about your favorite ways of incorporating daily affirmations into your routine.
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