Affirmations and Anxiety
Do affirmations work for reducing anxiety? If you hear something, [anything?] stated as fact often and long enough, you might come to believe it. Napoleon Hill and Norman Vincent Peale wrote about the power of imagination and belief. People use prayers and blessings to self-sooth. So can affirmations cure anxiety?
What makes a phrase an affirmation? Stating something you want to be true in the present tense as if it is a fact, is a way to create an affirmation. So, if I wish to have less anxiety, an affirmation for that would be to say, “I now have a peaceful calm mind.” If you say, “I will have peace and calm,” it will always be something that will happen in the future, but not now. If you say, I now have less anxiety, your brain only hears, I have anxiety. You do not want to make a negative statement about something you do not want. That affirms the thing you don’t want.
The idea is; if you say it often enough, eventually it will be a fact. If someone believes affirmations work, they are more likely to work. There is a lot of evidence about the placebo effect. I think it is possible that affirmations could help reduce anxiety the same way a placebo works.
If you ruminate about events you don’t want to happen, or things you wish never happened it doesn’t make you very happy. Trying to tell yourself not to think about what might go wrong, that might not happen. Don’t think about pink elephants! I said “don’t think,” but your mind heard, “Pink Elephants” and that is what you thought of.
If you want to stop worrying about something, it is helpful to have something else to think of instead, because our minds like something in them. Having a few affirmations is something else to fill your mind. You could also memorize the words to a song that is uplifting, that would be something positive in your mind. Imagining what you hope might happen is something to fill a mind.
There are lots of ways to use your mind to reduce anxiety; meditation, mindfulness, prayer, and affirmations. Some people spend time in the morning, writing out affirmations, things they are grateful for, or things they hope to achieve for that day. Our minds are very powerful and finding positive words and thoughts to fill our minds is certainly more calming than ruminating over things that reinforce our anxiety.
Here are some examples of Affirmations to Reduce Anxiety; I rest in the peace of the present moment. I am great at finding new ways to think about life and use peaceful thoughts to stay calm. Every day, in every way, I am experiencing more peace. I am always calm.
When we say something we don’t believe, such as, “I am always calm,” our brain says, no I’m not. That’s not true. If you are planning to use affirmations to have less anxiety, choose phrases that are believable, such as; I am willing to discover thoughts that bring peace.
One of my favorite affirmations is actually a question. How can I think of this differently? Other such questions to reduce anxiety are; I’m curious about my anxiety and willing to listen to that part of myself with compassion.
As I read these words, I imagine a soft warm golden light filling my body. Every muscle of my body relaxes and my mind is peace.
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