Affirmations & Power

The power resides inside of you... tell yourself how awesome you are!

Did you know that there is research behind the power of affirmations.

Basically, an affirmation is positive phrases or statements used to challenge negative or unhelpful thoughts.

Kinda like talking to yourself like you would your best friend.

They work if you regularly practice them, which is why I really love to put them beside my mirror and inside my phone case.

I put them wherever I know I am going to see them.

Then I stop.

I breathe.

I say it out loud (or in my head if it's a bit weird).

I repeat it again.

I think about it.

I move on with what I was doing.

Here is some of the benefits of daily affirmations (according to Positive Psychology):

1. Self-affirmations have been shown to decrease health-deteriorating stress (Sherman et al., 2009; Critcher & Dunning, 2015);
   
   
2. Self-affirmations have been used effectively in interventions that led people to increase their physical behavior (Cooke et al., 2014);
   
   
3. They may help us to perceive otherwise “threatening” messages with less resistance, including interventions (Logel & Cohen, 2012);
   
   
4. 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);
   
   
5. They have been linked positively to academic achievement by mitigating GPA decline in students who feel left out at college (Layous et al., 2017);
   
   
6. Self-affirmation has been demonstrated to lower stress and rumination (Koole et al., 1999; Wiesenfeld et al., 2001).

So there you have it, 6 fab reasons to do self-affirmations.  Something that is so easy to do.

I've shared my favourite with you above, but make sure you watch over on the gram or facebook this week for a whole lot more of my favourites!

Wishing you an affirmed and lovely week.

Much mama love

Dr Ali

Chiro, lover of you and life!