THE POWER OF POSITIVITY AND AFFIRMATIONS

 

Reframing and Rebuilding Your Thoughts

In this current time things are ramping back up in the news and communities that will increase insecurity and fear. When things outside ourselves can be very much out of our control, how can we find peace and joy and happiness? There are a few simple things that are free and within our reach to help.

Gratitude: By writing down, thinking to yourself, or sharing out loud with your loved ones, things that you are grateful for, will help you focus on what is good and positive in your life. It is recommended that you even keep a gratitude journal. In this you can write down 3-5 things, or more, that you are grateful for every day.

This can be the most minute things such as:

·         “I am grateful and thankful for the birds I can hear singing this morning.”

·          “I am grateful and thankful for feeling rested when I woke this morning.”

·          “I am grateful and thankful for taking time to be present.”

Some bigger things could be:

·         “I am grateful and thankful for my family’s health.”

·         “I am grateful and thankful for being able to keep a roof over our head and food on the table.”

·         “I am grateful and thankful for not being in pain today.”

The power of gratitude is truly tremendous! It may be very challenging somedays to think of even 3 things to be grateful for, but like I said they can be big or small. The power comes with practice. When you make this part of your daily routine, it builds a pattern, a pathway in your brain and the way you think. You begin to think “the glass is half full” instead of “the glass is half empty.” You begin to naturally perceive all that is going well in your life. By showing it appreciation, it will energetically draw more into your life that is good and positive, as well as give you a better ability to discern it. At the very least, practicing it has no negative effects! Try it and let me know what you experience in the comments.

Positive attitude: This can feel like Gratitude but is just a state of mind and being. Even during a challenging day or event, by maintaining a positive attitude or outlook the situation becomes less stressful, you release less cortisol (your stress hormone, fight/flight), and you may begin to experience things have a better ease and flow. I will give you an example from my experience.

A few years ago, my youngest child and I were going to Chicago to see a play. To decrease the stress and angst of driving, the traffic, finding parking, driving back (it is a two-hour drive usually) home after being in the city all day while tired, we decided to take the train. We did have to drive 20 or so minutes to the train station and park our car there. I had not done this before. Everything is automated, machines, no human attendance or change machines. I had to pay for the parking, I had no small bills. Assuming the machine would give me change I fed a twenty-dollar bill into it. Sadly, it didn’t give me change. This was the beginning of our day! Ouch! Was this how it was going to unfold?! Instead of letting this freak me out, upset and stress me, and go down a mole hill of negativity, I chose to rephrase my thoughts and feelings. I said to my son, “Well, if this is the worst thing that could happen to us today, we are doing pretty good!” We laughed and boarded the train. We went on to have a lovely day in the city, walking around, getting lunch, going to the show, looking at the sights and long gone was the loss of the twenty bucks.

By reframing things into a positive light, it helps energetically let go of the stressful negative event, thought, feeling, and situation. All those things are fleeting and momentary. Focusing on what isn’t working can drag you down.

Do things that cheer you up, raise you into a positive vibration! Listen to music you enjoy while doing chores or even while working if you are able. Read books or watch movies that are uplifting and inspiring. See how others overcome their struggles and adversity. If they can do it, you can also do it! Whatever it is.

It is difficult to change your surroundings or circumstances, but you do have the ability to control how you feel and interact with what is around you. You can choose to have a positive outlook and demeanor, or you can choose to continue to feel stuck and defeated. It is your choice.

Positive affirmations: Affirmations are small statements you say to yourself out loud, or inside your mind. You can write them; you can decorate your house with positive affirmations. You can pick ones that aren’t even true initially. After a while, you begin to resonate with the statement.

Some things people will say is “I am happy and good things come to me easily.” While at first this may not feel true, the more you reinforce it by saying it, the more you will begin to feel happier, and notice good things coming to you without effort. This is the power of manifestation at work. So, think of the many things you could say to yourself. You could undo many decades of harmful self-thought/talk that was programmed, sometimes unknowingly by a teacher, a parent, friend, or boss. Something that we have heard a million times like: “You can’t do anything right!” You can change and begin to say, “Everything I do works out exactly as it should.” While things may end up with a result that we didn’t initially plan, we may have an outcome that works out better in the end! Try it and see!

Some other examples of Positive affirmations are:

·         I am happy, joyful, calm, and centered. 

·         My life is wonderful and is better in every way than I ever thought was possible. 

·         I have everything I need right now. 

·         I am abundantly provided for in all ways. 

·         I have my wonderful relationships that are healthy and supportive. 

·         I am so grateful for this moment 

·         I observe my thoughts without judging them 

·         Every single one of my problems has a solution

                These become even more powerful when you select a few and say them while looking at yourself in a mirror. Even if at first you do not believe what the affirmation is, over time this rewires your thought process and self-talk. Soon your negative thoughts will no longer hold the power they once had on you. You will experience a positive shift within yourself and your beliefs that will also begin to lift everything around you!

Mindfulness/Presence: This is the practice of just being in the moment of NOW. At any moment of the day or night, you can always just pause…take a deep breath…and just experience that which is going on around you.

·         What sounds do you hear? Birds, people talking, the sounds of traffic or air conditioning?

·         What things can you see around you? Who do you see near you? Do you see any animals, do you notice your pen just laying on your desk, or a picture of your family nearby?

·         Do you notice any particular smells? The smell of food cooking? The smell of fresh cut grass?

·         Can you feel the warmth in the air, or the cool breeze? Can you feel the firmness of whatever chair you may be sitting on, or the floor under your feet?

·         Can you taste anything? Any residual taste of something you just ate or drank?

Just use all your senses in the moment and observe passively where you are and what is going on around you. You can take this moment to take a few more slow deep breaths. This helps to decrease your heart rate and respiratory rate, which in turn decreases the amount of cortisol (the stress hormone) your body is secreting. This helps your body be calm and out of fight/flight mode, which can help improve your bodies immune response. When you return to what you were doing, work, taking care of things at home etc. you will be able to return feeling refreshed, calm and better able to handle any stress. You will respond to that stress with more thought and a better game plan for resolving any issue.

These things when built into your daily practice can lift your spirits and help you get through even the most difficult times. Try them. You can incorporate them one at a time into your routine, see what works best for you, use any, or use all of them! Please share with me in the comments what were your favorites? How did it make you feel? Have you seen any improvement in your quality of daily life?

I hope you are staying happy healthy and whole

🙏🌼

Tina