The best way to use positive affirmations to manage anxiety is to think of them as guidelines that you want to follow rather than commands that you must obey. As such, they should be used with a healthy and logical game plan in mind.
It is imperative to find ways to manage anxiety and repeating positive affirmations is a way for you to increase feelings of inner peace, and to combat daily stress. The idea is to take the positive statements of what you want to manifest in your life and repeat them enough that they become a part of how you think and see the world.
In order for there to be an effect on the brain's chemistry, affirmations need to stay in one's thoughts for significant periods of time. However, it's important not only what affirmation does but also how often they are repeated and how much patience one has while waiting for the change in their life. Positive affirmations are best used as a stress-free tool to self-actualize through the use of positive and healthy thoughts. But, for it to work effectively, you have to be able to take relentless pressure off of yourself so that you can genuinely do something that will make a difference in your life.
If you're struggling with your anxiety, here are some tips on how to effectively incorporate them into your routine.
Repetition
The most popular way that you can harness the power of affirmations is by merely repeating the affirmation to yourself regularly. Saying them out loud to yourself several times a day can be incredibly useful in the mornings or evenings. When you repeat them out loud, you hear them more clearly, which can make them more effective than if you were to repeat them to yourself mentally.
Expectations vs. Commands
When you are repeating the affirmations to yourself, do it in a way that you're simply stating your desires rather than trying to force them into being. Positive affirmations don't work with an aggressive spirit, so you must be gentle with yourself and your expectations.
Incorporate the Affirmations into Your Routine
Try to add them into your everyday routine in order to help the affirmations sink into your subconscious mind over time. Even if you repeat them while doing mundane tasks like driving or doing laundry, this is a helpful way to embed the statements of what you want into your brain chemistry and energy field.
Do-It-Yourself Recording
To hear your affirmations more times throughout the day, you can record yourself repeating the positive affirmations and play the recording while you are driving, when you're reading in the evenings, or when you are exercising. Be sure to talk in a calm voice, and consider playing your favorite soothing music in the background. DIY recordings are a great way to create a tailor-made experience for your specific needs.
Choose the Right Words and Phrases
Positive affirmations can be about anything. You can target any area of your life that you would like to transform. Stick with a positive and direct approach rather than being vague or wishy-washy with your wording. By being specific, you are more likely to get clear results in the best possible way, which will instill confidence in you and produce results very quickly. Try not to include negative words or phrases either, such as "I don't want" or "I mustn't". These kinds of words will only make matters worse.
Use Post-It Notes
A fun way to utilize your positive affirmations daily is by writing them down on Post-It Notes and placing them around your house to provide you with positive messages throughout the day. You can put them on the refrigerator, your bathroom mirror, and other places that you see frequently. This technique can be incredibly useful on its own, or you can use it with some of the other affirmation techniques as a reinforcement.
Self-Hypnosis
If you want to increase the effectiveness of your positive affirmations dramatically, you can use self-hypnosis with them. Self-hypnosis is a way to cement your affirmations into your subconscious thinking much quicker than merely repeating them when you are in your normal conscious state.
Don't Expect Instant Results
Be realistic in your expectations and plan the best way to use affirmations to make the most of them. The more often you repeat them, and for how long, the better they will work for you. If you're too impatient for results, then this won't be a good fit for you. Patience is an important part of using positive affirmations effectively.
While not all positive affirmations will be helpful in helping you relieve anxiety, most of them can effectively transition you into a better frame of mind, help you build resilience, and help you find enjoyment in your life.
Be realistic with your expectations and know that you can use affirmations to help you with anxiety, but some help more than others. Pay attention to what works best for your personality type and what resonates with you, and feel free to experiment with different tools until you find the ones that work best for you.
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