| Psychology and Mental Health Forum | |
https://www.psychforums.com/blog/HealingLove/index_sid-703af316d5601707bcf08b002b80c1be.html |
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| Author: | HealingLove [ Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:26 am ] |
| Blog Subject: | AFFIRMATIONS - WASTE OF TIME OR WORTH IT? |
I've been dealing with emotional difficulty now for coming up on 22 years. It started when I had surgery for the epilepsy I was dealing with. Since the surgery in 1990 I have had no seizures, but I have had plenty of emotional difficulty. Along with that, surviving some traumatic events has added some emotional baggage...in other words struggling...along the way. I've tried many things to help me get through it all. I have all the coping techniques. I've been told I could give seminars on coping techniques and make money at it because I know them all. But I don't do that. What I will do is share a few things that may help you that I have found helped me over the years. Affirmations are a topic of controversy. Some professionals believe in them and recommend them highly and others pass them off as no use. I think it is a personal preference of the patient myself and that therapIists should at least offer the idea to clients. What is an affirmation? According to www.dictionary.com an affirmation is: the act or an instance of affirming; state of being affirmed the assertion that something exists or is true something that is affirmed; a statement or proposition that is declared to be true confirmation or ratification of the truth or validity of a prior judgment, decision, etc It is the 2nd and 3rd definitions I am going to use here. Most professionals who suggest using affirmations use it for the purpose of changing the way people think. Most of us have been programmed with negative thinking: I can't do ___________ I am no good I am not good looking I'm not smart The idea of an affirmation is to change the way we think over a period of time. Remember that it took however many years old you are to get you to think the way you do. It is going to take time to reprogram your mind to think positive things about yourself and then believe them. The important thing is to find out what you think negative about yourself and then rewrite it so it is in the form of a positive statement instead of a negative one. I've learned many things about affirmations over the years. These are the top things to remember: Personalize your affirmations. Start with or use the words: “I,” “me,” and “my.” You are focusing on YOU and not other people so make it personal to YOU. Write your affirmations in the PRESENT tense. In other words use the beginnings such as I CAN, I AM, I HAVE. To use the statement I WILL is future and you may not think of it very often so stick to the basics until you get more advanced in using affirmations. Make your affirmations realistic. Don't be grandious in your thinking. For example, saying something like “I am in control of my life,” is not true. Nobody is ever in perfect control of their life all the time. Instead say something like, “I have control over my decisions, actions and words most of the time.” Be positive! Remember, you are trying to turn the NEGATIVE into POSITIVE. One idea is to write down your negative thought and then write the complete opposite using the above guidelines as you do. Retraining your brain or your body is not easy, but keep it positive. It's not important if you dont' believe it right away. It's not likely you will, but over time it will begin to replace the negative tape that runs through your mind. Be positive. Make your affirmations short and easy.s Long and winded ones will bore you and you are unlikely to remember them. Short and sweet as the old saying goes. You're not writing a poem, you're writing an affirmation. Keep it to one sentence. When using your affirmations, here is how to use them: Write each affirmation out 10 times each day. Say each affirmation out loud 10 times each day. For a better effect, say it while looking in the mirror. Visualize each affirmation. Visualize you as the person you are affirming to be. The more you actually DO Number 6, the more you will see and feel results. Trust me. I didn't believe it at first, but now, 10 years after learnin... [ Continued ] |
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