Do you need some encouragement today? If so, here’s something you can try – affirmations.
It works like this. Our inner stories shape how we experience reality. And the more we tell ourselves a particular inner story, the stronger it gets.
here’s a neurological principle behind this. Have you heard the saying “neurons that fire together wire together?” This means that when we think a particular thought, what’s happening is that physiologically, we are strengthening that existing neural pathway, making it easier to think that same thought again in the future.
Now, if you’ve got a negative inner story on loop in your mind, the fact that “the more you think a thought, the stronger it gets” might sound a little depressing.
But think about it… If it’s true of negative stories, then it’s true of positive ones too.
Positive stories – by which I mean LOVING, SUPPORTIVE thoughts…. Those too can be strengthened through practice, to help ENCOURAGE us grow in the ways we want to.
Here’s how to do it:
1) Identify the inner story you want to change
2) Turn that inner story around. Write the opposite, positive statement in clear, vivid language, and in the present tense. Use language that feels good to you. You should get kind of excited, reading them.
3) Repeat them as many times as possible. Out loud. In your head. Memorize them, if you can. Sing them. Draw them. Write them down.
For example –
“I’m broken. I’ll never be able to heal.” becomes
“Each day, more and more, I am healing.”
“I don’t fit in,” becomes “Each day, I feel more confident, more at ease.”
“I’m not good enough” becomes “Each day, I love myself more and more, just as I am.“
It might feel funny at first. Like, “I don’t believe this about myself, how can I keep saying it?”
But it’s an amazing thing… With practice, it gets easier. Over time, those positive inner stories can start to feel truer than the negative ones.
To sum it up… To change our lives takes something more than just focusing on the hurt. It takes intentionally, actively nurturing the change we want to see.
It takes self forgiveness. It takes stamina. It takes steadfast belief, and noticing each small gain.
It takes letting in the BIG LOVE. The love that ALWAYS holds you in compassion.
Who better to learn and practice that BIG LOVE than YOU?
What about you? Have you ever successfully rewritten an inner story that didn’t serve you?
What did you learn?