Effectively Working With Affirmations

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In my years of teaching and counseling I have come to the con- clusion
that many people are unsure of what affirmations are, how to use them,
what great tools they can be, or what good benefits can be manifested
by working with affirmations in both children and adults. In the
simplest form an affirmation is a statement of a positive effect,
result, or of a future event that you would like to achieve. Usually
an affirmation is stated in the present moment and in positive
verbiage and wordage. For an example " I can do this" as opposed to
"I'd like to do this" or "I'm going to do this." The sentence " I can
do this" is set in the present moment and it implies confidence in
one's ability to accomplish the task and an immediacy to take action.
The statement " I'd like to do this." Implies that it is not quite
possible but you are yearning to do it but (something out of your
control) is preventing that. "I'm going to do this" implies sometime
in the future when all the conditions are right. In that case we can
make an assumption that the conditions will never be right.
To effectively work and create affirmations for yourself or child it
is better to create patterns of repetition in saying the phrase out
loud many times per day if need be, or weekly and using a creative
visualization technique to anchor the effects of the affirmation in
your mind and your body. For an example if you wish to give up
smoking. The best way to phrase the affirmation would be "I'm smoke
free." "I enjoy being smoke free." " I enjoy being a non-smoker." In
these examples you would repeat the affirmations and design a creative
visualization (of events in the future but seen in present moment
time) of you being a fulfilled non-smoker. You could imagine yourself
doing an activity and feeling free and joyful that you are without a
cigarette. You could imagine that you are visiting with children who
previously were reluctant to spend time with you because of your
smoking and how much you enjoy that visit. You could imagine that you
feel the breath in your lungs very different and that you can actually
breathe freely.
In working with children, repetition is a key. You can make it into a
game of movement and imagination that children love. The affirmations
can be repeated together and new images or visualizations can be
incorporated into the game. For instance, I use an affirmation with
children that is very powerful and fun and it creates a strong visual
image for them. "I stomp out sickness." When we are in a circle we
stomp our feet on the ground and pretend that we are stomping sickness
into the earth. They enjoy games and imagery like this immensely and
it creates effective anchors.
For adults too the same sort of movement can be used to create an
anchor. You interrupt a pattern of stagnation with the new movement.
For instance, if you threw your arms up into the air and then out in
front of you in a big sweeping gesture, and then said an affirmation
such as "I'm free!" "Big pathways are opening up for me!! You would
immediately feel the vibrancy and the expansion of that affirmation.
An anchor of thought and the physical action would then be created in
your mind. Every time that you said that affirmation, and did that
gesture of the big sweeping arm movements a thought of freedom and
lightness would be interpreted into your brain. You would begin to
feel the joy associated with that move- ment and those words.
On repeating the affirmations, a new pattern of hope, expectancy and
action would be created for future moments to unfold. Of course you
don't have to make a big physical gesture to interrupt the pattern of
thought. However when you can add physical movements, gestures or
sounds, the affirmation becomes more effective and can promote a
transformation more quickly. If you can picture in your mind the thing
that you want to achieve, as if it is already done, and you are
feeling wonderful about receiving it, that combined with the
affirmation is a very effective tool of change.
Let's look at some affirmations. "I'm easily and effortlessly
attracting the right business contacts to promote my work." If you
imagined in your mind; the smiles, the handshakes and the business
meeting going very well and the ultimate picture of you receiving the
benefits of new business and the
achieving the results that you want and need every time that you said
that affirmation, you begin to attract what you are
confirming to the universe.
"I am fearless." If you said this out loud it would be very effective
to raise your voice and emphasis the word fearless. If you raised your
hand in a strong gesture it further anchors the strength and courage
that you feel in your body. The visual image that may go along with "I
am fearless," could be seeing yourself confronting a strong adversary
and you looking right into his or her eyes and feeling in your heart
that you are too strong to cower, and that you are planted
firmly to the Earth.
"I can do this easily and effortlessly." Imagine yourself in the zone
so to speak where you barely make any effort at all and everything
falls into place. Feel in your body and heart, how joyful, casual and
confident you are about everything coming quickly together for you.
Use an example in your past successes when something came together
just as easily and remember how happy and light you felt when it did.
"I am the perfect weight for me." Instead of focusing on how much
weight you wish to lose, which implies that you are not perfect as you
are, focus on how it would feel to fit into the size jeans that you
always wanted to fit into. Also focus on how good it would feel in
your slim clothing and seeing yourself in the mirror at the weight
that your body looks absolutely fabulous in. See yourself very
energized with your newly trim fit body, and how then you would act,
walk, run, play and enjoy yourself.
Affirmations are best spoken out loud; the vibrations of the spoken
positive expression are impactful to your psyche or a child's. They
are also best repeated until a new pattern is created. Create your own
affirmations, or read from a book of affirmations, or listen to
affirmations on tapes or CD's.
Keep revisiting these affirmations daily. Affirmations build
confidence, help you to overcome low self-esteem, create balance, and
space, helps you to get past feelings of guilt, and condemnation,
clears obstacles, or limitations, create new patterns of health and
well-being, and may produce feelings of prosperity and abundance. Of
course Affirmations are not a cure-all, but they are very powerful and
effective tools for you and your child to transform a challenging area
in life. Every time that you say an affirmation with conviction you
are creating a new unfolding moment to engage in a new fulfilled,
balance, healthy, or abundant way of being.