When it comes to having a more positive mindset, you will notice that it all comes down to those little daily habits that help you to start shifting how you think about various things in your life. One of those daily habits is using affirmations.
Positive affirmations might seem silly in the beginning and like they aren’t doing anything, but over time, your subconscious starts to reprogram with these positive words and statements. If you want to improve your mindset, affirmations are one of the best tools at your disposal.
How and Why They Work
With a positive affirmation, you are using words and phrases that affirm something in your mind. When it comes to a positive mindset, this is exactly what you need to make that shift. In the beginning, it doesn’t feel impactful, but the more you use affirmations and start to feel that positive light and gratitude, the more your subconscious mind starts to absorb these words and feelings.
Your conscious mind is what you are aware of. It is where your thoughts and your daydreaming are coming from. But it is your subconscious mind where you have those limiting beliefs, memories, and deep-rooted thoughts reside. This is where you want to make the change in order to improve your mindset, which can be done by using affirmations.
The Secret to Choosing the Best Affirmations
It is important that you don’t just use any affirmation you find, as they need to invoke the feeling you want to feel. There are so many affirmations out there for all different types of mindset shifts, but not all of them will speak to you. Use your intuition when choosing affirmations that you feel will make the biggest difference with developing a more positive mindset.
For example, if your negative thinking comes from limiting beliefs about your abilities, then using positive affirmations about your appearance might not be as helpful. They are great for people whose main objective is to boost self-esteem because of appearance-related insecurities, but not as good if you are working on your confidence related to your abilities and your strengths.
This is why you want to consider what areas of your life are most impacted by negative thoughts, and your reasoning behind wanting a more positive mindset. This helps you to then choose the right affirmations.
Tips for Using Affirmations Every Day
Once you find the affirmations you want to use, the next thing to do is figure out how to start a daily habit of using them. Here are some ideas that you can start with:
Write affirmations in your journal – This is probably the easiest and most popular method for using affirmations. All you have to do is write them down in your journal each day, as many as you want. You can either create your own, or get a list of affirmations elsewhere, and then rewrite them in your journal. Seeing it in your writing can often help your mind to absorb the words a little better.
Repeat 1–3 affirmations throughout the day in your head – Choose a couple of your favorite affirmations for the day, memorize them, and then repeat them in your head throughout the day when you get the chance. Think about mindless tasks you do like brushing your teeth or walking your dog, where you tend to sit in your thoughts a lot. These are the perfect moments to shift from your anxious thoughts and worrying, to repeating affirmations.
Read a list of affirmations every day – If you are choosing affirmations you have found that someone else wrote, you don’t have to rewrite them if you don’t want to. You might prefer just reading them to yourself, which you can definitely do. However, you might find it more impactful to read them out loud a few times each, as your mind hearing your voice might connect better to them.
Ideas for Positive Affirmations
Here are some positive affirmations that can help tremendously with your mindset:
I am in control of my own happiness.
I am strong, resilient, and capable.
I follow my passion toward success and abundance.
I get through every struggle with grace and patience.
I am extraordinary.
You can write your own affirmations that are just a few words long, are positive, and help you create the mindset you want to have.
