Silencing negative thinking may be easier than you ever imagined it could be, but it begins with a positive thought.

Negative Thinking, Positive Aspirations, and You

Negative thinking not only controls the way you approach life, but it also can affect your body, mind, and relationships in negative ways. When you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you have the power to move forward in a healthier and more productive way.  With enough time and effort, you can change your thought process, and it all begins with just a few words.

The Power of A Few Words…

When you see a list of affirmations, you see nothing more than a list of words with idealistic phrases that do not seem to apply to your thinking. If you look closer at each affirmation, you may find that many of them encapsulate the way you would like to think.

When you see a positive phrase that speaks to you, latch onto it and use it to extinguish the negative thought you want to get rid of. In essence, you will be replacing your negative thinking pattern with a positive approach. This is what positive affirmations are all about!

Affirmations are positive statements that stimulate your mind to accomplish all of the great things you would like. Words have the power to move mountains because they can evoke emotions within us all.  If you use an affirmation that speaks to you on a deep level – and you reaffirm it by repeating it often – you can make the statement your mantra and your reality.

If you are overcome by negative thinking to the point where you think no affirmation can work for you, don’t lose hope! There are many affirmations that can help you deal with just that!  Using an affirmation such as, “Negative thinking is not my way of thinking” or a favorite from Louise Hay, “I only speak words that are loving, positive, and constructive” it will give you the power to change your thought process and your life. It may feel awkward at first, but as you reaffirm the positive emotions you desire, your negative thinking will be replaced with positive thoughts.

There are many different affirmations to help you with negative thinking.  Something as simple as, “Only positive thoughts are allowed to enter my mind,” will allow you a moment to replace anger and frustration with a positive thought.

]]> http://gratitudecollections.net/blog/stress-negativity-and-positive-affirmations/feed/ 0 http://gratitudecollections.net/blog/gratitude-and-positive-affirmations/ http://gratitudecollections.net/blog/gratitude-and-positive-affirmations/#comments Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:46:05 +0000 Deanna Collins http://gratitudecollections.net/blog/?p=489

I absolutely love this short video with Louise Hay, a pioneer in the field of positive thought.  I encourage you to take the 5 minutes to watch it.

Louise is such an inspiration and talks here about the power of positive affirmations which we have spoken about a lot here at the Gratitude Circle. Affirmations really are such a simple concept.

A friend of mine, who has struggled with her body image, is taking the time to invest in herself.  Her affirmation is the following:

I am a lean, SERENE, fit, and healthy machine.

I loved it so much, I told her that I needed to steal it for myself.  She gave me permission. 

I encourage you to find some affirmations that you can relate to and practice them many times a day.  Post them on your mirror, text them to a friend, and/or write them down each night.   There are many ways to reinforce them.

Finally, Louise speaks of the power of Gratitude and how much the universe loves it.  The more gratitude you feel and express the more you will get back to be grateful about.

It’s all about planting seeds and watching them grow. Small, subtle choices and changes, will lead to big and wonderful things overtime.

P.S.  Want to read more about positive affirmations?  Check out our blog post on affirmations from March by clicking here.

What is an affirmation, you say?

According to dictionary.com an affirmation is:

• The act of an instance of affirming; state of being affirmed.
• The assertion that something exists or is true.
• Something that is affirmed; a statement of proposition that is declared to be true.

There has been a lot of buzz over the past few years around visioning and in particular, the vision board, made popular by the Secret.

I remember Joe Vitale speaking about visioning.  He was talking about a car he once wanted.  He speaks passionately about how he visualized himself behind the wheel.  He could smell the leather seats, feel the grip of the steering wheel and even hear the music on the stereo.  The whole process is about acting “as if” you already have these things or have achieved your goals – not just material things.

Affirmations are a great tool to have in your positive thinking arsenal and aid in this process of “acting as if.”

Mindset is so vitally important in this process and it’s something I speak of often.  It is key to our success in anything we do.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s relational, spiritual, physical, or professional.

Changing your mindset is the single most powerful and important step you can take to change your life. The power of positive thinking has been studied by the psychiatric medical, scientific and spiritual community and they’ve all determined the same thing – positive thinking has power. Of course, changing the way you think is easier said than done. That’s where positive affirmations become a very useful tool.

A positive affirmation is a statement you can use to replace a commonly held negative statement. For example, if you’re always saying, “I feel fat,” then a good positive affirmation to replace this sentiment might be, “I am comfortable with my body and am the perfect weight for me.”

If your goal is to lose weight, for instance just think about how much more successful you will be and feel when you utilize positive affirmations.  The law of attraction tells us that “like attracts like.” If you are saying these negative statements to yourself, you are only attracting more of that to you.

Positive affirmations help you change your thinking by giving you something to lean on. They help you stay aware of your thoughts, which is the first step to changing them.

Finding the Right Affirmations for You

The next step is to determine what your negative thoughts are and to replace them. Here is a great list of positive affirmations:

•    My body heals quickly and easily
•    I am the picture of good health
•    The more grateful I am, the more reasons I find to be grateful
•    I know that I deserve to be loved
•    I give out love and it is returned to me tenfold
•    I have a wonderful partner and we are both happy and at peace
•    I am the perfect weight for me
•    I make positive healthy choices for myself
•    I express my needs and feelings
•    I am my own unique self – special, creative and wonderful
•    Everything comes to me easily and effortlessly
•    I love and appreciate myself just as I am
•    I accept all my feelings as part of myself
•    I love doing my job
•    I always communicate clearly and effectively
•    It’s okay for me to have everything I want
•    I am getting wealthier each day
•    I have an abundance of energy
•    My mind is calm
•    My thoughts are under my control
•     I am successful in whatever I do

As you look through the list of potential positive affirmations, are any compelling?  Do any of these affirmations resonate with you? The affirmations that speak to you are good ones to start with. For example, if you’ve been struggling with your weight, spend some time thinking about the negative self-talk you have around that issue and find a few positive affirmations which give you the strength and motivation to move through this challenge.

Affirmations are the first step towards changing your thoughts, however with any process; it takes time, practice, patience and a love and acceptance for yourself. Negative thoughts will slip in from time to time, as we are all human, but as you practice, it will get easier.

Trust yourself and the positive affirmation process. It will help to change your life.