Exercise Your Mind Using Affirmations

By Sabrina Viramontes, LCSW

Affirmations have been a hot topic all over social media lately, and understandably so. Some people love affirmations and some people hate them (or better yet, they don’t understand them). 

You know that feeling you get when something becomes so popular you grow this resistance towards it? *I know it can’t just be me!* Maybe that’s how you’re feeling towards affirmations. 

By the end of your time here, I hope to have removed some of that resistance about affirmations and to have provided a bit of inspiration.

What are affirmations anyway?

Affirmations are usually short phrases or statements you can say to yourself (out loud or in your head) and/or write down. Affirmations can help increase your confidence, self-love, gratitude and help you overcome challenging or limiting thoughts. The process of creating and repeating your affirmations is comparable to going to the gym to work on your physical body but you’re building your mind muscles instead.

Some affirmation inspiration:

- I deserve all that is good in this world.

- My voice is valuable and my opinions matter.

- I am doing the best I can, and that is enough.

- I respect my body and all it does for me.

What affirmations are not.

Affirmations aren’t a magic pill, or a one-and-done quick fix. Similar to starting a new workout routine, it would be unrealistic to expect immediate results after one day or even one week! It isn’t as simple as “just saying” a few words and hoping it’ll change things.

You have to believe the statement is true or can be true about you or your situation in order for it to help you. Over time, you will eventually build this mental muscle and reprogram the way you think, and in turn, change how you behave and move in this world. 

If the process of creating affirmations is difficult for you, I encourage you to become curious and ask yourself questions instead. 

For example, if the affirmation you want to say is, “I am the best employee at my company,” and the immediate thought after that is, “no, I’m a terrible employee,” don’t fight your resistance, instead I want you to ask yourself, “am I actually a terrible employee?” You may be surprised where these questions lead you.

*I’d like to note that affirmations may not work for everyone. 

Affirmations can be stressful and even cause harm to someone who has deeply rooted negative beliefs about themselves as it may cause an internal battle that is too much to bear. I highly recommend working with a mental health professional to help navigate this process.

So, what’s the takeaway?

Affirmations are simply one tool in your mental gym bag to help you create change in your life. They can help facilitate intention and action to get you where you want to be, by rewiring how you think and feel about yourself. Affirmations can also allow you to open your eyes to the good in your life that maybe you’ve been ignoring. Our brains are capable of so much more than we know!

If you’re up for it, I’d like to invite you to create your own affirmations!

Click here to download your free printable affirmations worksheet or click here for the fillable version!

Looking for a licensed therapist to help you on your self-love journey? Visit my contact page to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation!