Hey All! Hope everyone has started the weekend off on a good note. As we get into the weekend, winding down from the long week, I wanted to share a current challenge that I am working on that I wanted to share and encourage everyone to try it out; Daily Affirmation Challenge.
You probably seen them on Pinterest, Buzzfeed, Facebook; Daily Affirmations for Anxiety, Daily Affirmations for Women, Daily Affirmations . Maybe you’ve seen this cute video of a little girl Jessica giving herself daily affirmations .
What is going on with this phenomena of daily affirmations? Why should I do it?
What are Daily Affirmations?
Daily Affirmations are short statements we tell ourself to help us manifest a specific goal or achievement. You can start off your morning with these daily affirmations, or really you can do them anytime you want. Skies the limit!
But do they really work?
The Science behind Daily Affirmations
An article by Psychology Today explores the science behind daily affirmations and whether they actually work. Research was conducted on academic groups and cancer survivor groups. The research showed positive psychological results in the groups.
By enhancing the psychological resources of self-integrity, self-affirmation reduces defensive responses to threatening information and events, leading to positive outcomes in various areas such as psychological and physical health, education, prejudice, discrimination, and social conflicts.
Sherman, D. K., & Cohen, G. L. The psychology of self-defense: Self-affirmation theory. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (2006: Vol. 38, pp. 183–242). San Diego, CA: Academic Press
You can find the rest of the article at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/embodied-wellness/201704/affirm-or-not-affirm
Another article used brain scans to determine effect daily affirmations had on the body. (How cool is that? Seriously, science is amazing)
The results were pretty outstanding.
On those that used daily affirmations, there was an increase in positive activity in the VMPFC or Ventromedial Pre-Frontal Cortex, the part of our brain that influences our emotional responses, processing of risk/fear and our personal evaluations. There was also a decrease in sedentary behavior.
Therefore, those that used daily affirmations;
1. Thought more positively
2. Processed events more positively than those who did not
3. Have more of an active lifestyle
You can check out the study at this link;
https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/11/4/621/2375054
In conclusion; daily affirmations are scientifically proven to work
When I first learned about daily affirmations, I thought I would give it a shot. I looked up on Pinterest and tried doing some of the affirmations. What I found was that I had a hard time doing them. The conclusion that I came to was that the affirmations didn’t feel genuine and I couldn’t connect with the goal. So perhaps like me, you are having a hard time with affirmations. This challenge is going to help us both get to our goals, whatever they may be!
Daily Affirmation Challenge
1. Decide what you want to achieve
For me, I want to increase my own self-affirmation and decrease the need of receiving affirmation. Make it specific to you. What are your goals, dreams, aspirations?
2. Write your own affirmations!
Check out the video with Jessica, she isn’t rehearsing with some list posted on her mirror. She is saying this out of her own being, she made her own affirmations. By writing your own affirmations, you will be voicing a part of yourself, the words you really need to hear in order to make the affirmation effective.
Do what feels right for you, but also something you can say out loud and truly mean it to your core. If you can’t say it and mean it, don’t write it down.
3. Start small
By starting small, you are setting yourself up for success. Its easier to process items in smaller chunks. It also gives you a chance to add to your list. You don’t have to start off with a huge list! Start small and work your way through it.
Right now, I only have 2 items on my list;
1. I make a difference
2. I can’t make everyone happy. That is not my responsibility
Yes, I want to add more. There’s one specifically I want to write down, but I know I am not just there yet. For your curiosity; I am open to and deserving of good and meaningful relationships.
4. Repeat it at least once a day
Do yourself a favor, write it on your calendar, right now, go! Write it down; Daily Affirmation Challenge! Then each day, check off that you did your daily affirmation. They say it takes 30 days to form a habit, so do it for every day for 30 days. I find that I say it more than once a day. Do what feels right for you and your goals.
Are you with me? I challenge you; 30 Days of Daily Affirmations.
I started successfully on February 4th and I will check back in with you guys in regards to this challenge on March 6th. I’ll let you know how I did, what I added (maybe even take off) my list and how it worked out for me.
My goal is to continue these daily affirmations even after the March 6th date. I want them to be engrained within me and help build upon a positive lifestyle.
Let me know if you do the challenge! I’d love to hear feedback! If you do; Feel free to share your experience, what you found successful and what worked for you.
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