Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life: This Is Why You Need Positive Affirmations

The person you talk to most in your life is Y.O.U.

Think about it – from the second we open our eyes to the time we go to sleep, thoughts are constantly running through our minds.

Some are positive, some are Ariana Grande lyrics you can’t get out of your brain (are we wrong?) . . . but many are negative, Debbie Downer thoughts.
 

We’re in control of what we feed our brains.

 
If you’ve ever caught yourself being your own worst enemy, you’re not alone. Many of us go through our day-to-day worrying about unpaid bills, how we look, how we’re going to get through our to-do list, or even more damaging thoughts.

The good news is that we’re in control of what we feed our brains. Enough bad floods the news and fills our social feeds. Your brain doesn’t have to be overrun with bad too.

Enter: positive affirmations – a powerful way to shift your energy and shift your life.
 
 

What Exactly Are Positive Affirmations?

You’ve likely heard of mantras – repeated words or sounds like “OM” used to elevate focus for meditation.

Positive affirmations and mantras are both used for meditation, mindfulness, and self-care, so it’s easy to get them confused or refer to them interchangeably. However, they actually play slightly different roles and work into self-care differently.

While mantras are generally brief, and used repetitively or chanted, positive affirmations are full sentences or longer phrases. They can also be repeated in our minds or out loud. But instead of a simple sound such as “OM,” they describe what we wish to usher into our lives.

These repeated phrases or thoughts are a basic tenant of the law of attraction – the concept of what you think/focus on is what you attract. We can choose to flood our minds with positive affirmations to shift our energy and attract what we want into our lives.
 

The Power of Positive Affirmations

Positive affirmations work in both the conscious and subconscious mind, and over time, help us to change our thoughts. Much like tending to a plant, these thoughts then develop roots and flower into reality.

The real magic with affirmations happens in the mystical and hardly-understood subconscious part of our minds.

Our subconscious doesn’t know what’s true or false – it simply believes what you tell it. In other words, imagined or real emotions are all the same in our brains. This is why you might cry when you see a sad movie even though you know it’s “just” a movie.

Positive affirmations work because they help us take advantage of this fact. The fact that the subconscious can’t determine between what is real and what is not yet real. If our subconscious mind “hears” us constantly saying “I am surrounded by wealth,” it’s going to work overtime to make this statement true.
 

Image: youarebeautiful.com

How to Use Positive Affirmations in Your Life

Convinced that positive affirmations are something you need in your life? There are many ways to start working them into your routine.

One of the more exciting parts of affirmations is that they don’t – in fact shouldn’t – be true or accurate to where you are right now. For example, are you constantly stressed about money? Worried about an issue with your health?
 

Don’t let the negative thoughts win.

 
Create positive affirmations that speak to this in the present tense. “Wealth flows freely to me” or “I am becoming healthier everyday” are two good examples. Notice that both are in the present tense and phrased positively. (As opposed to “I wish to be wealthy/healthy.”)

If you’re struggling to pay bills or far from your goal body, repeating “wealth flows freely to me” or “I am my healthiest self” may feel hokey or even fraudulent. Don’t stress, that’s normal.

If our brains are used to downer thoughts or self-deprecation, suddenly flipping the tone into the positive can feel downright uncomfortable. Keep going. Don’t let the negative thoughts win.
 

The Takeaway on Positive Affirmations

The beauty of positive affirmations is that once your brain hears this “I am” thought on the regular, it’s going to move mountains to make that statement true.

Of course, affirmations alone aren’t going to get you your dream life – you still have to put in the work. However, whether you ask celebs, regular people, or abundance experts, too many people have credited positive affirmations as an invaluable tool in changing their lives for the better.

The mind is an incredibly powerful instrument. So, here’s to putting that power to use to live your best life!

Need a few more great ideas of positive affirmations to work into your daily routine? These 5 Morning Mantras Will Transform Your Day

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