The Power Of Affirmations
How to Talk Your Way to Perfect Health

So you want to improve your health?  You are eating a better diet, you have been increasing the amount of exercise you take and that bottle of wine you used to down ever night has been reduced to just one glass.

Well done you, give yourself a big pat on the back.  These are all sensible things to do in order to enjoy better health. 

But did you know that you could improve your chance of success by talking to yourself.

Now before you think – “I’m not mad, why would I go around talking to myself?” hear me out.

I’m not talking about wandering around the streets, muttering to yourself under your breath, with a wild-eyed look on your face.  Although to be fair there have been days when I could have been accused of doing that – normally late on a Christmas Eve when I still haven’t brought that special gift for the Mother In Law!

No, this is more about repeating specific phrases that fill you with positive powerful feelings.  And these phrases are better known as affirmations.

Why Do We Need to Use Affirmations?

Affirmations are a great tool for breaking us out of habits that no longer add value to our lives.  If you think about what you do on a daily basis, you will realise that much of the choices you make are driven by your habitual behaviour. 

In itself this is not a bad thing, if you had to think about everything you did, every moment of the day, you would probably end up with one heck of a headache!

Lets look for example at cleaning your teeth.  Most of us were taught to clean our teeth at least twice a day – morning and night.  Now when you were a child you had to be told to do this every day until one day it became an ingrained behaviour.  So its now second nature to you as an adult.  I doubt your partner asks you every morning “honey have you cleaned your teeth?”

But if you have a habit of coming home every night and slouching in front of the TV, your favourite drink in one hand and your favourite high fat snack in the other then maybe this is a behaviour you would want to reprogram.

Our Outer Behaviours Are A Reflection of Our Inner Image

The other reasons Affirmations are such a great tool is that they can help to change our self-image. 

So why is this important?

Have you ever tried to change a habit?  Did you find it easy or did you fail miserably. 

If you tried to use pure will power, I can feel a prediction coming on about how successful you were.  Let me just have a quick look in my Crystal Ball.  The mists are clearing and I can see an image of you and your habit – oh yes, you are still doing the same behaviour.

This is because the actions we take are all based on the image we have of ourselves.  This self-image is a projection of our inner beliefs.  For example if we believe that we are always unwell, then we will never take the actions necessary to improve our health.  Or, and possibly even worse, we will do one or two things half-heartedly.  Then when we fail we have proven to ourselves that our negative beliefs are true.

So to really change our habits we have to re-program our self-image and affirmations are one great way to help do this.

Where Do Negative Beliefs Come From?

Most of our beliefs both positive and negative are formed in the early years of our lives.  As babies and young children we are like sponges taking in the words of those around us.  Now some of these beliefs serve us well when we are young but many are not useful as an adult. 
For example I can bet you were told not to trust strangers when you were little, but if you still have that as a strong belief now, you could be missing out on all sorts of opportunities.

What’s This Got to Do With My Health?

Our beliefs around health are also programmed into us when we are young.  Think back to when you were ill as a child.  How were you treated?  Did you get more attention than normal, did your parents or other adults take lots of care over you.  Did it feel good at the time – perhaps you even got given presents or your favourite food to make you feel better. 

Now I’m not suggesting that getting attention when you’re ill is intrinsically bad.  The question is are you creating illness in order to get the attention you desire?

The other way we pick up health beliefs is from the media, family, friends and work colleagues.  If you take these beliefs on board they can become self-fulfilling prophecies.  I’m writing this in the autumn and I’ve already heard at least a dozen people tell me how many people are suffering from some cold or sickness bug. 

Funny thing is nobody has pointed out how many more people are in perfect health!

Talk Your Way To Perfect Health

Make a decision now that you are going to reprogram your self-image to help you live a healthy happy life. 

Set aside 30 minutes and write down the beliefs you have about health.  Think about all the things you were taught when you were younger and all the things you have heard from others over the years.

Make sure anything that passes through your mind is written down.  Even if, at first, that belief may seem strange to you.

Now take the list of negative beliefs and write out an opposite empowering belief.  These will become your affirmations.  Make sure that the phrase you use can be associated with a positive image and feeling. 

Avoid using phrases such as “I don’t get Sick”.  To make sense of this phrase the mind will see the thing you don’t want first and therefore will give you an image of being sick.  Instead say, “I am perfectly healthy”

Here are some more examples to get you started.

“I always catch colds” becomes “I am always healthy”
“I have constant back pain” becomes “my back is strong and supple”
“I’m constantly tired” becomes “I have abundant levels of energy”

You may find that you use the same positive statement for a number of your negative beliefs and that’s perfectly ok.

Once you have your positive statements then its time to start reprogramming your mind.  Here’s a few ways to get started.

• Take around five of the statements that resonate most powerfully with you.  Write them out on a card that you can carry with you.  Read them aloud at every opportunity. 

• Write out your affirmations daily, saying them aloud as you do so.

• Record your affirmations onto a tape or your computer.  Play them back to yourself and repeat them out loud.  If you spend a bit of time in the car it’s a great way to use your driving time in a positive way.

• Take 3 x 5 cards, put an affirmation on each one and stick them around the house.  That way you will be reminded of them frequently.

Whichever way or ways you choose, make sure you do this with passion and enthusiasm.  If it becomes a chore you won’t get a lot out of it.

If you find you forget to do them, place reminders in your diary or somewhere you know you will see them every day like your bathroom mirror. 

And once you start to feel the benefits of doing affirmations they will become an ingrained habit – just like cleaning your teeth!

For other great ideas on alternative ways to achieving better health visit:

www.alternativemedicineanswers.com