There's this trending, new thing that's good for you, and it's not a food, doesn't come in a bottle or pill form, and no, it doesn't cost you a weeks worth of wages.
It's called affirmations. Affirmations to yourself.
Some naysayers may say you're just talking to yourself, while others may question your sanity as you stand in the mirror looking at yourself, repeating the same phrase over and over again, but the concept is simple: tell yourself what you need to believe or need to know, repeat it often enough and you will begin to believe it and intrinsically start to know it is true.
For example, if you are always beating yourself up because you don't think you're good enough, or comparing yourself to others who you think are better, your affirmation may be: "I am beautiful, I am unique, I am me, I am enough." Repeat these words to yourself every day, and especially when you are falling into the comparison trap, and they will help you boost your self confidence and overcome your feelings of inadequacies.
Here are a few other things you should know about affirmations:
1. Be patient - At first, the process will seem weird and uncomfortable, you'll think it's silly and doing nothing, and you'll probably be tempted to quit more than once. But like starting anything new, it will take some time for you to adjust and get used to it. And more than that, it will take some time before you start to see the positive impacts. Stick with it though, be consistent and be open to change. Enter this new lifestyle habit with an open mind and one that is willing to accept what it brings, not a closed, negative perspective.
2. There's no right or wrong - There's no right or wrong way to do affirmations , right or wrong thing to say, or right or wrong time to do them. It is completely individual and is up benefit your health and wellbeing. Treat it as shah, and find the words, time, place and frequency that work the best for you and bring you the most success.
3. Make it a practice - Just like you need to be patient, you also need to practice. And more than that, you need to make affirmations a practice that becomes a habit. Try to do it at the same time every day to start, so it becomes a routine for you, and then gradually implement it into other parts of your day and treat it like you would a yoga practice or yum workout: you're working towards improvement and you don't want to miss a day or mess up your schedule.
4. Use the support of others - Find someone you trust and are comfortable with, like a spouse or a best friend and let them know how you feel (i.e. "I feel inadequate and not good enough"), and that you're using affirmations to try and help you overcome these feelings. Having this person will mean you have someone to give you a little nudge when you are straying from your new habit, or getting down on how it's not working and there's no point, and it will also mean there is someone else to give you affirmations and remind you that you are enough, that you are a good, confident, setting person and that there is no need to compare yourself to anyone else.
By: Laura Peill – (Check out her blog Viand Nutrition & Facebook)
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