Powerful Affirmations for Powerful Women

Powerful Affirmations for Powerful Women

Powerful Affirmations for Powerful Women

When I think of affirmations I think of the episode of Sex and the City when Charlotte was practicing daily affirmations to find her soulmate but it wasn’t working. 

I honestly think that was one of the first times, being 19 or 20 years old in college, that I was really introduced to the idea of personal development and “self-help.” And of course, it was presented to be tacky and shameful and didn’t work. …. But I’m still obsessed with SATC, anyone else??

Anyway, since seeing that episode, I remember how silly I felt with the idea of affirmations. Do they even work? I feel dumb. 

Turns out they’re not so dumb. 

From Psychology Today: “One of the key psychological theories behind positive affirmations is self-affirmation theory (Steele, 1988). So, yes, there are empirical studies based on the idea that we can maintain our sense of self-integrity by telling ourselves (or affirming) what we believe in positive ways.

Very briefly, self-integrity relates to our global self-efficacy—our perceived ability to control moral outcomes and respond flexibly when our self-concept is threatened (Cohen & Sherman, 2014). So, we as humans are motivated to protect ourselves from these threats by maintaining our self-integrity.”

Also from Psychology Today: 

1. Self-affirmations have been shown to decrease health-deteriorating stress (Sherman et al., 2009; Critcher & Dunning, 2015);
   

2. Self-affirmations have been used effectively in interventions that led people to increase their physical behavior (Cooke et al., 2014);
   

3. They may help us to perceive otherwise “threatening” messages with less resistance, including interventions (Logel & Cohen, 2012);
   

4. They can make us less likely to dismiss harmful health messages, responding instead with the intention to change for the better (Harris et al., 2007) and to eat more fruit and vegetables (Epton & Harris, 2008);
   

5. They have been linked positively to academic achievement by mitigating GPA decline in students who feel left out at college (Layous et al., 2017);
   

6. Self-affirmation has been demonstrated to lower stress and rumination (Koole et al., 1999; Wiesenfeld et al., 2001).

To read more on this article, head here. 

Lately, I’ve been practicing daily affirmations with my kids, and I’m noticing a difference in how they carry themselves. They even remind me if we forget to do them in the morning. 

While they seem simple, I find so many of us get stuck. We have no problem saying mean things to ourselves but to think of something positive? It feels impossible. So here are a few to get you started. I hope you continue this practice. 

I enjoy the simple moments.

I focus on what I can control and let of the rest. 

I follow through on the commitments to myself. 

Happiness is a choice. Today I choose to be happy. 

I overcome my obstacles and believe that my potential is limitless. 

I stand up for myself. I am bold. 

I do my best every day and that is more than enough. 

I am worthy of all that my heart desires.

Days that are tough are days that teach me more about myself. 

I take time every day to take in the fleeting moments that bring me joy.

If this blog post resonated with you, you may love The Layered Growth Academy. It’s a one on one mentorship program for five full months. We dig deep into your mind, body and heart to find what it is you truly want and crave in your life. To establish boundaries, manage energy and created big life dream goals. You come out a different woman in the end. It’s personal development on steroids and if you’re ready, I’m ready. Two spots are open on June 7th. Beyond that, all details are always kept on the LGA page. Be sure to check out the details.

The days are long, but the years are short. Make them count.

Xo, E