I have always been a bit sceptical about using affirmations. I think even when we understand that our internal dialogue is important, it’s difficult to see how stating some phrases over and over is going to help.
Over the last few years affirmations that facilitated several major changes in my life. I have been able to travel more, meet people who are incredibly aligned, build a large community – all due to how I was talking to myself.
In this time I have learned what works and what doesn’t, that is what I want to share today!
Do affirmations really work?
So let’s get this question out of the way. Affirmations absolutely do work, but only if you do them in the ‘right’ way.
What I mean by that isn’t that you are saying the exact right words or following a set of rules, but that you are engaging with the affirmations seriously.
Don’t expect to recite a few affirmations once or twice and get a result. Even if you are reciting affirmations consistently, don’t expect a result if you are only doing so because you think you have to.
How to write your affirmations
I word affirmations in two different ways.
One for affirmations that I want to become part of my regular inner speech.
- I am supported by the Universe
- I am open to new insight
- I am abundant; abundance flows through me
With these affirmations, I recite them consistently whether I see a specific result or not.
This is because the goal isn’t a quick or direct physical outcome, but to build consistent energy over time.
The second way I word affirmations is more intuitively led. Those I affirm when the timing feels right.
- Tomorrow I am open to a surprise
- When I wake up tomorrow I will have an answer to…. (a problem you are facing)
I use these affirmations more sparingly because I am looking for something unexpected or to experience a breakthrough of sorts.
When we recite these affirmations too often, the ego can get overly involved, and the expectations you start to have can block things.
There is no hard and fast rule to using affirmations, because you aren’t trying to recite things habitually or force yourself, but to consciously bring intentions to life.
This means consulting your intuition constantly, and allowing yourself to be flexible.
Each spiritual practice inevitably moulds to the unique energy we bring to it. It will resonate with our energy body (aura) in a specific way.
How to practice affirmations
How you recite your affirmations is also important.
Consciously engage the emotional side of the brain/consciousness.
You can do this by reciting your affirmations out loud and/or in front of the mirror. I find that it’s quite easy to have affirmations repeating in the mind, but speaking them out loud I have more resistance. This is a good thing!
You want to feel resistance from time to time, because this means you’re becoming aware of it…and that means you can shift it.
If you face no resistance at all reciting affirmations, shift them up a little. Make them feel a little more out of reach. Challenge yourself. What is something you don’t want to state out loud due to fear, doubt or embarrassment? Those are exactly the ones you you want to work on.
When you are reciting affirmations that don’t feel quite ‘real’ yet you will often find that certain parts of the body hold tension.
These are areas where there is stagnant energy – often related to what is blocking whatever it is you want to call in.
For example, you may notice your throat clog up, this relates to clearer consistent expression (especially vocal). You may notice your stomach tie in knots, this relates to the solar plexus or center of personal power.
Once you get comfortable with an affirmation, you can continue reciting it until it just because a part of your inner speech. At this point, you know a breakthrough is coming.
You can also turn up the heat and practice reciting affirmations in front of a loved one.
You want to have some variety in mentally affirming them, speaking them out loud, writing them down and whatever other methods suit you.
Mentally affirming your affirmation is a great way to build consistency, while speaking or writing them is great for going a little bit deeper.
When you speak or write your affirmations, you have to be more direct and honest with yourself. This also brings more structure.
Further Reading: Speaking to the Universe
How do you use affirmations?
Hey there, I’m Ashley. I hope that by sharing my experiences with deepening my intuition, I can help you find that ‘spark’. That magic we can all experience when our energy is aligned and we feel deeply supported by the Universe.