Welcome to Week 5 of our 6 Week Mindfulness Challenge here at Lion's Den Fitness.  This week we are going to exploring the practice of incorporating affirmations into our daily practice.

For those of you that know me well, know that I am a firm believer in the law of attraction. I draw great strength and courage through the use of words and especially affirmations. I have used affirmations in many different practices such as a prep talk before a challenging task, while running and competing, when feeling overwhelmed, during treatments for my Lupus when I am uncomfortable or in pain. While in nursing school I thrived off of positive self talk before big exams, and during clinicals when I was feeling nervous or unsure. When I work with my clients I always introduce them to affirmations. I say give it a try! I am a firm believer that what we continually tell ourselves can have a huge impact in our outcomes. If you have never tried affirmations before, I completely understand how skeptical you may feel. That's completely normal! That's why I want to start this week off with explaining how and why positive affirmations may be worth adding into your tool box! And yes, there is genuine theory and a fair amount of neuroscience behind this practice. Let's take a look!

What are Positive Affirmations?

Fortunately, positive affirmations are almost as easy to define as they are to practice. Put simply, they are positive phrases or statements used to challenge negative or unhelpful thoughts. Practicing positive affirmations can be extremely simple, and all you need to do is pick a phrase and repeat it to yourself. You may choose to use affirmations to motivate yourself, encourage positive changes in your life, or boost you self-esteem. If you frequently find yourself getting caught up in negative self-talk, positive affirmations can be used to combat these often subconscious patterns and replace them with more adaptive narratives. 

Is there Science Behind Them?

Yes! Positive affirmations require regular practice if you want to make lasting, long-term changes to the ways that you think and feel. The good news is that the practice and popularity of positive affirmations are based on widely accepted and well-established psychological theory. The development of self-affirmation theory has led to neuroscientific research aimed at investigating whether we can see any changes in the brain when we self-affirm in positive ways. A study conducted at Harvard University reveled "There is MRI evidence suggesting that certain neural pathways are increased when people practice self-affirmation tasks." The study suggests that when we choose to practice positive affirmations, we're better able to view "otherwise-threatening information as more self-relevant and valuable". As with all of the Mindfulness practices we have learned throughout this challenge the use of affirmations can alter out nervous system and instead of being in a state of "fight or flight" we can switch to the system of " rest and digest" thus decreasing heart rates, and lowering blood pressure. Individuals who practice positive affirmations may also experience increased self-confidence and self-worth and fewer harmful consequence's of stress on the body and mind. That may include reduced production of cortisol, the stress hormone. 

What are the Health Benefits?

As the studies above suggest, positive affirmations can help us to respond in a less defensive and resistant way when we're presented with threats. Whether it's social pressures, health information that makes us feel stressed, or feelings of exclusion, a broader self-concept can be an extremely helpful thing to have. 

As inherently positive statements, affirmations are designed to encourage an optimistic mindset. Ans optimism in itself is a powerful thing. In terms of reducing negative thoughts, affirmations  have been shown to help with the tendency to linger on negative experiences. When we are able to deal with negative messages and replace them with positive statements, we can construct more adaptive, hopeful narratives about who we are and what we can accomplish. 

I recently read an older book "You Can Heal Your Life" written by Louise Hay back in 1984.  In 1970, Hay was diagnosed with what medical professional called irreversible cervical cancer, and as a result, she began looking into non-medical healing alternatives. In doing so, she created an approach that combined visualization, forgiveness, psychotherapy, and dietary health. In her book, she argued that self-perspectives and other negative beliefs are often the causes of our health problems. Through affirmations and other alternatives approaches like positive thinking, she argued, we have the power to transform our lives and health. Hay even made it onto Oprah's stage for an interview, before she passed away at the ripe age of 90! 

I hope that you have the courage to step outside your comfort zone this week and give affirmations a try! Throughout the week we will dive into some different types of affirmations, and I will be making daily 3 minute audios for you to listen to. Positive affirmations can be a super refreshing way to use positive self-talk! 

Hope everyone is staying safe and warm with all the snow and cold temperatures here in Wisconsin!

Much love, 

Katie 

RN, Certified Fitness Trainer, Wellness Coach