Autosuggestions or affirmations are easy positive declarations which could be repeated everyday to make a positive personal change or just improve your life. They are vehicles in which you could free yourself from the over-dependence on other persons’ opinions, feelings or attitudes about you and so it will lead you to feel great about yourself. Autosuggestions should be positive and self-healing scripts you offer to yourself to contradict your negative self-programming or the programming of others. Affirmations or autosuggestions are always positive statements of anything you want to happen. In a way, it’s a “success prophecy”. Using negative words such as won’t, can’t and don’t in your affirmations are likely to lead to weak changes, or worse, no change at all; phrase your affirmations only in the positive for best results.
By using an autosuggestion or affirmation, it’s a way for you to take responsibility for your health as well as your personal emotional stability. Autosuggestions are a way to give you permission to grow, change for the better, take risks, to build a better life for yourself. They offer you a way of letting go of some negative emotional burden you’ve been carrying. Émile Coué was a French psychologist and pharmacist who originated the expression "Each day, in every way, I'm getting better and better". Coué started by noticing that in particular cases he can improve the effectiveness of a medicine merely by praising its efficacy to a patient.
He also realized that those patients to whom he praised the medicine had a considerable improvement over those patients whom he said nothing. Thus it began Émile Coué’s quest and discovery of the power of imagination and the use of hypnosis during the earliest decades of the 20th century. Some books suggest using the term “I am...” whenever starting an autosuggestion but I have found this could prove counter productive. For instance, saying “I am getting thinner every day” while staying in the same size tends to lead to being disillusioned. However, I found it stronger or more effective to start for the first few days or longer with “I will...” These examples may include: 1.
I will be stronger every day. 2. I will like myself each day. 3. I will sleep soundly tonight. 4. I will choose to be a non-smoker. 5. I will face my fears with guts this day. When you already begin doing that new thing, being a non-smoker for instance, you could then utilize the “I am” version like the examples below. 1. I am now a natural non-smoker. 2. I am easily dealing with the stress and problems in my life. 3. I am choosing to go to the gym regularly. So when should you say them? Use the most quiet moments in your life to say your affirmations.
If mornings are too hectic, make some time for yourself early in the evening. Take a few minutes in the bathroom to look at yourself in the mirror and say the affirmations. It may seem silly the first time you do this, but since no one is watching, go ahead and focus. Say each autosuggestion 10 times. Oftentimes, three weeks seems to be the magical duration needed to really make the changes that you want.
The author of this article, Amy Twain, is a Self Improvement Coach who has been successfully coaching and guiding clients for many years. Amy recently published a new home study course on how to boost your Self Esteem. More info about this “Quick-Action Plan for A More Confident You” is available HERE.