All of you who work with us at Empowered Connections know that we are all huge affirmation girls. We love using the evidence backed cognitive behavioral therapy approach which simply means what you think becomes how you feel and then how you act. We love to give you affirmations to begin using while working on changing this auto process that our brains do to us.
So, what are affirmations and why are they so helpful?
First some background: do you know how there’s a ticker at the bottom of the news show on tv or at the bottom of like ESPN? Well, your brain has its own ticker that is always playing in the background. I read somewhere that we have about 60,000 thoughts a day and 80% of those are negative and most of those are unconscious!!
That’s right … 80 PERCENT. Like what the fuck?? No wonder we are struggling with feeling shitty and self-sabotaging our best intentions.
It’s like this nasty devil in the background telling you things like “no wonder they don’t like you, you’re a moron” or “see? They never texted you back so it’s obvious you’re a nobody.”
These are always playing in the background on your “ticker” and it’s based on what your core beliefs are which is shit we uncover and explore in your sessions.
So, the affirmation piece comes in once you’ve discovered all of your emotional Achilles heels, and we work with you to create statements that are specifically designed just for you. Examples could be: “I am fully supported and loved by those around me” or “I am now a college graduate.”
In a nutshell, affirmations are statements that are written “as if” they’ve already happened or as if you are already these things: they are basically creating new neuropathways in your brain to replace the old negative, sabotaging tracks you’ve had for years. A great book that explains this in more detail is “You are Not Your Brain” by Jeffrey M. Schwartz. (This book is my Bible!!)
Next we have you do the 3x rule which is basically you read them 3 times a day: morning, afternoon and evening, over and over. I tell client’s to keep them on an index card in your car, on your bathroom mirror, etc.
What I’ve learned recently though is that you can up level your affirmations by recording them!
Yes! So grab your smart phone, find the voice memo app, put your affirmations in front of you and begin recording your voice as you read them.
Next you can then sync the recording to your iPod or music app and begin listening. I have found when I listen to my affirmations in my own voice, it’s so much more powerful and my brain is more likely to listen to it.
Try this trick and let us know what you think! We always tell clients if you get stuck creating new affirmations or need new ones, just google whatever issue your struggling with along with the word affirmations and viola! tons will come up for you to use.
If you want to figure out what your core beliefs are, your self-sabotaging shit …we got you! It’s what we do: we’d love to help you peel back all that old garbage and get to the you that has always been there! Click here to schedule now!
