An affirmation is a positive statement about a situation or a desired event. It is always formulated in present tense, as if what you hope for has already been achieved. Affirmations are most effective when you link them with a feeling of joy and the inner certainty that your wish is already on its way to you. An affirmation inspires, comforts, motivates and gives strength.

No, but affirmations became known to a wide audience through Louise Hay. In 1976 she published her book “Heal Your Body”. Louise Hay had made the observation that illnesses often go hand in hand with a certain, mostly negative, way of thinking. She put forward the thesis that a reversal of thoughts in a positive direction could make people healthy again. Louise Hay called these positive statements affirmations.

The book became a great success. Revised and expanded in 1988, this little booklet was published in 30 different countries and translated into 23 languages. Through her methods and positive philosophy, millions have learned how to be healthy in body, mind and spirit by uncovering and eliminating negative thought patterns. 

A consistent opinion on affirmations cannot be established from a psychological point of view. Critics mainly object to the statement that the change of thinking alone is supposed to bring about healing. Their concern is that patients may feel compelled to forego medical help altogether and thus fail to take advantage of opportunities offered by conventional therapies.

However, it has become accepted, especially in cognitive behavioural therapy, that working on dysfunctional thought and behaviour patterns (and thus the use of affirmations) can help to increase patients’ well-being.

A consistent opinion on affirmations cannot be established from a psychological point of view. Critics mainly object to the statement that the change of thinking alone is supposed to bring about healing. Their concern is that patients may feel compelled to forego medical help altogether and thus fail to take advantage of opportunities offered by conventional therapies.

However, it has become accepted, especially in cognitive behavioural therapy, that working on dysfunctional thought and behaviour patterns (and thus the use of affirmations) can help to increase patients’ well-being. 

Affirmations are intended to help steer your thinking in a positive direction. However, they only have an effect if the choice of words and the associated feeling really correspond to you. If this is not the case, it can happen that you feel more and more resistance to the affirmation.

If you feel resistance to an affirmation, as just described, it can make you feel worse instead of better about using it. The causes of resistance are many, for example:

• The difference between your desired, affirmed result and the actual state is too great. If, for example, you affirm “I love myself as I am” but find only negative things to say about yourself, your frustration will grow, but not your self-love. Then affirm in small steps until you come closer and closer to your goal.
• You use an affirmation that has served a friend well but doesn’t mean much to you.
• You confuse an affirmation with a spell and immediately expect a change in your situation.

Affirmations are a useful support for fears that have arisen from distorted thought patterns. They then act as an anchor, e.g. in an exam situation: “I have prepared well and will surely pass the exam.” (instead of getting worked up into fears that make failure likely).

If a pre-written affirmation gives you confidence, it is one that suits you well.

If an affirmation appeals to you in terms of subject matter, but you do not like the choice of words, change it and find the right words for you. If the absolute claim of an affirmation such as “I love myself as I am” bothers you, change it to “I am ready to love myself as I am”. Find words that convey positive feelings of joy or relief.

An affirmation is an instrument for guiding your thoughts in a positive direction, a kind of lighthouse for mind and soul. Use an affirmation as often and as long as it gives you comfort, hope and strength – this can be several times a day or in a specific situation.

With an increasingly optimistic view, you will be able to behave in a different way, so that greater well-being arises in your life. You will feel whether the affirmation continues to be helpful to you. Perhaps the time has come for a new affirmation.

• • Perhaps you believe that affirmations make individual processes of cognition superfluous and only repeat prefabricated sentences that mean nothing to you?
  • Are you so fixated on a particular outcome that you still don’t notice good changes in your life?
  • Are you perhaps using vague terms like “less”, “more” or “more often”? A change is then not measurable and depends on your random judgement.
  • Do you formulate negatively like: “I don’t eat anything unhealthy anymore” instead of “I eat healthy (foods that are good for my body)”?

  Pay attention to what you focus on.

• I am ready to like/accept/love myself.
• I am the right age.
• I do what is good for me.

• My body has self-healing power.
• I eat what my body needs.
• I enjoy my breaks.

• I love being creative.
• My work enables me to …
• What I can do helps others.

• I treat myself to what gives me pleasure.
• I enjoy my life.
• I am rich in beautiful experiences.

1. Decide what you want. Be precise (avoid “more”, “more often”, etc.).
2. Formulate in the present and as if your wish were already a reality: “I am …”, “I have …”, “I will get …”. Attention: “I will …” moves your wish into an indefinite future.
3. Use words that feel good to YOU. If you take affirmations from others, remember that they think, talk or feel differently from you. Only when YOU are enthusiastic about your affirmation can it serve as motivation.
4. Trust that your wish will come true – when everything fits together perfectly. Some people say at the end of an affirmation: “… that – or something better”, because they want to remain open for unexpected, even better results of their wish. Try it and see if it works for you.
5. Don’t worry about HOW your wish will be fulfilled. After all, you can’t foresee everything and only know (part of) the story.
6. Pay attention to your intuition and find a balance between letting things happen and taking action. Also be open to spontaneous changes of direction. Who knows what will come out of that?
7. Allow yourself to receive good. It is as much yours as anyone else’s.
8. Be grateful right now for the best possible realisation of your affirmation. Practice daily gratitude for all the good things that happen to you. In this way you direct your focus on what you already have or are getting and avoid potential negative thinking. These thoughts could lead you to build up resistance towards affirmations.

With Affirmatio you can connect with your soul in an intuitive way. The goal is to find out what makes YOU happy. Along the way, you will discover beliefs that have prevented you from doing just that. And you will learn what affirmations are exactly, how you can create them yourself and use them for your own purposes. Playing with others, you will realise that we as human beings have much more in common than separates us.

Affirmatio does not teach dogma, but asks questions that support you in your own personal development.