I was one of those people.
I was one of those people. A broke college kid struggling to pass organic chemistry, I got D’s and F’s all semester and, long story short, I needed an A on the final to pass the class. The logical step was to keep studying and pray for a miracle. But studying hadn’t helped in the past and if anything, I told myself, the stress of wasted effort made things worse. Instead I decided to manifest an ‘A’ using the law of attraction. I visualized, made a vision board, did the affirmations, and watched law of attraction videos every day. Exam day came and went, I got a 28%, and my professor suggested I give up and just try community college.
After that I decided positivity was a waste of time. The Secret didn’t deliver any miracles so it must be pseudoscience, right?
Not really.
The thing is, researchers have uncovered real benefits to certain positive affirmation practices–
they do work but it’s not magic. We’ll cover the science behind affirmations another time but for now, picture a corn field. A farmer can have many successful harvests, but eventually the soil can get depleted and won’t be able to support the corn. To fix this the farmer will, after the corn is harvested, plant crops that restore nutrients to the soil. These are called cover crops or green manure and they are essential for many farmers.
Your mind is a corn field and every thought, feeling, and habit you have is a seed that has been planted. Affirmations are cover crops for your mind; they restore you from things like stress and anxiety and set you up for success.
Anyway eventually I realized it was time to change my life. I left town and that’s when I decided to give affirmations another (more realistic) shot. I picked 3 videos to listen to twice a day for 2 months; Louise Hay’s 101 Power Thoughts, David McGraw’s Power Affirmations, and a shorter video for self forgiveness. My main objective was to improve my self esteem and bad habits.
Verdict: When used correctly affirmations changed my life! I noticed improvements after just a few days but by the end of the experiment my self esteem was noticeably improved and my anxiety-related health concerns were less noticeable.
So with that, here’s how Daily Affirmations helped me level up:
I’m more motivated.
I admit it, I can be lazy. My typical day involves a lot of blankets and YouTube. Generally, I prefer the path of least resistance. Since adding affirmations to my routine, I WANT to be better at adulting. I’m more likely to work, walk my dog, shower, and meditate. Overall, my productivity has more than doubled, yet I’m less drained somehow.
I sleep better.
After hearing the same affirmations for a few days, they become familiar, and I no longer needed to listen as closely to know what was being said. Then I play them quietly at bedtime and the messages lull me into a deep, peaceful sleep. My dreams are more positive, too!
I’m more spiritual.
Daily affirmations helped me clear out the negative self talk that used to crowd my mind. I didn’t expect my relationship with the Divine to be strengthened because of this, but that’s exactly what happened! Once I made room to hear and accept love from the Universe it came pouring in. As a result I feel more connected and balanced.
I’m healthier.
Like many Americans I’ve experienced stress-related health problems. Positive affirmations were essential to improving my mental health, and that in turn improved my physical wellbeing. Affirmations are also a great motivator when I’m working out.
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