Have you heard the phrase, “you are your toughest critic?” For some people, this is a painful reality. Internalizing a positive affirmation (a declaration that something positive is true), from others or from you, can be very difficult. A recent article in Huffington Post by Ronald Alexander Ph.D., author of “Wise Mind, Open Mind,” tackles this issue and offers steps to embodying encouraging statements.

Starting at a young age, we receive negative affirmations from people around us. These messages can remain in our conscious or subconscious for a long time if we do nothing about it. They can then override any positive affirmations we receive, even if we aren’t aware of it.

Here are the five steps that Alexander offers to make affirmations more effective and powerful in your life:

-Make a list of what you’ve always thought of as your negative qualities. Think back to what others may have told you, or things you may believe to be true about yourself. Look for themes. This is a great start to making a shift in your life.

-List positive affirmations about yourself. Try to use powerful language (dust off that old thesaurus) to describe your positive aspects. Ask a close friend to read your list to see if he or she has any suggestions to make the wording stronger.

-Speak the affirmation out loud for about five minutes, three times a day. Schedule time (morning, noon and night) to say or write the powerful, positive statements out loud over and over. Find time when you’re alone, or even in front of a mirror, to do this exercise.

-Anchor the affirmation in your body. “Breathe” into the affirmation while you are saying or writing it. Place your hand on the area that felt the most uncomfortable when you wrote out the negative belief in step one. As your mind re-programs, you want to move from the concept of the affirmation to a real, positive embodiment of the quality.

-Get a friend or coach to repeat your affirmation to you. Having another person reaffirm these positive messages helps make the statements tangible. If you don’t have someone in your life who you would feel comfortable asking to do this, stand in front of a mirror and repeat the affirmations as the person reinforcing the message.

“Affirmations can be a powerful tool to help you change your mood, state of mind and manifest the change you desire in your life.” (source).

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