Short phrases that have a big impact – affirmations and mantras are particularly common in meditation, yoga, and spiritual teachings. But even if you don't have much to do with these areas, you can still use mantras and affirmations to develop a positive attitude and strengthen your mindset.

What good will that do me?

We think over 60,000 different thoughts every day—crazy, right? What's even more astonishing is the fact that a large portion of these thoughts are repeated day after day. This means that we rarely think completely "new" thoughts.

Many people view their typical thoughts and thought patterns as part of their personality. Our deepest fundamental convictions and beliefs play a particularly important role in this. These are thoughts we have about ourselves and the world that we assume to be true.

How do we come to be convinced of the correctness of these thoughts?

Through repetition. We've had many of our beliefs since childhood. They were—to put it dramatically—drummed into us again and again. As children, we are especially susceptible to the things that authority figures (like our parents) say and embody. We believe certain statements to be true because we hear them repeatedly, thus gradually internalizing them.

Negative beliefs

Unfortunately, these core beliefs often include limiting and negative beliefs. As previously described, we inherit these partly from our parents. But negative beliefs can also develop through certain experiences we have in childhood and adolescence.

Examples of negative beliefs can be

• “I am only a lovable person when I perform well.”
• “I’m not smart enough”
• “You can’t earn money in artistic professions”
• “It matters what others think of me”
• “The world is a dangerous place”
• “Money is a bad thing”
• “I’m not good enough”
• ...

Surely you recognize yourself in one or more of these beliefs, right?

It's perfectly normal for each of us to have these or similar core beliefs. The problem is that these very thoughts often prevent us from growing, daring, or reaching our full potential. In everyday life, these thoughts paralyze us and rob us of our ease. Our self-esteem can also suffer greatly.

The good news is that we can combat these negative and limiting beliefs. Because our brain (and thus our thought world) is flexible and capable of change. We can contribute to this by "reprogramming" our brain—feeding it with new, positive thoughts that will eventually become our core beliefs.

And this is exactly where affirmations and mantras come into play. They form, so to speak, the new software snippets for our built-in hard drive. The key here lies in repetition:

If we want to learn something, we have to (to put it simply) repeat it over and over until it sticks.Building positive beliefs is a bit like learning vocabulary: It takes perseverance and patience, but eventually the words and their associated meanings become second nature.

But what exactly is meant by an "affirmation" and a "mantra"? And what is the difference?

What is a mantra?

A mantra is a sacred syllable, a word, or a whole verse. Originally, people of the Indian, Tibetan, and Mongolian cultures were concerned with mantras. Seers of that time discovered the power of sounds: For certain Rhythms and sounds release positive energies. These were recorded and passed on in Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language.

The most well-known mantra is still “Om". It is said to describe the sound of the universe and represents the purest form of energy. Besides the mantra "Om," there are, of course, a whole host of other mantras that are used for various purposes.

Mantras are spoken, sung, or recited mentally – aloud or silently. Many people encounter mantras for the first time during a yoga class or meditation session. A selected mantra is sung or spoken together at the beginning, end, or repeatedly throughout the class.

The repetition of mantras serves to focus the mind and thoughts and release positive mental energies. The goal is not to "understand" or translate the Sanskrit words on a mental level, but rather to ignite their effect on an energetic level. The repetition of the sounds in the same rhythm creates vibrations that change our energy field and the spatial energy field. This can calm the mind, provide strength, and put the body into a state of relaxation.

What is an affirmation?

An affirmation is a “self-affirming Sentence” or even a positive Belief (z.B. “I believe in myself”). An affirmation functions similarly to a mantra, but works more on a mental level than on a sound level.

Affirmations are intended to positively influence or change a person's thinking. They direct one's focus toward positive thoughts. With the help of an affirmation, one can put into words what one wants to think or achieve and use it as a source of strength or to calm oneself. It's like a kind word of encouragement addressed to oneself.

Here, too, as you can probably guess, repetition plays a key role. The principle of repeating an affirmation is also called "affirming." You'll learn exactly how this works and what to look out for in the next section.

Effective Affirmations – How to find a suitable affirmation

Telling yourself how great you are or how well you're doing something feels quite strange to most people at first. This is no surprise, since in our society, celebrating yourself or giving compliments is frowned upon (– a shame, isn't it?!).

What I'm trying to say is: It's perfectly normal to feel awkward at first when using affirmations and to feel some inner resistance. Take it slow and take your time to find an affirmation that works for you.

Affirmations only work if you truly believe the statement is true. The message should resonate with you and feel right when you read and speak it. For example, the affirmation "I am the smartest person in the world" can only be effective if you truly believe it's true. If this statement seems too exaggerated or too much, start with smaller steps. z.B. with a sentence like “I believe in myself and my abilities” “I trust my feelings” or “I am calm and focused”.

Tips for formulating your affirmation

When formulating your affirmation, you should make sure that you write the sentence in the Present and in First person formulate, z.B. “I am calm” instead of “I become quiet” or “Peace returns”.

In addition, your affirmation should be based on a positive choice of words Our minds do not cope well with negations and denials. Therefore, you should always create positive images in your mind. For example, do not say “I am not ugly” but “I am beautiful” or “I am good as I am”.

Speaking of pictures: Our mind thinks in pictures, which is why it can be helpful Symbol language Use metaphors and similes to clarify the message of the affirmation, z.B. “I am calm like a mountain lake” or “I drift like a leaf in the wind”.

Furthermore, the shorter the better. Short sentences We can remember things better and reach our subconscious more quickly. So avoid creating very long sentences and try to get your message straight to the point.

Here are some Examples for Sentence fragmentsthat you can use:

• I am…
• I may…
• It's good for me...
• I enjoy it...
• I look forward to it...
• I can afford to…
• … more and more every day …
• … more and more …

(By the way, you can find a variety of example affirmations and other formulations on the Internet.)

Now it's time to get down to business

Once you have found an affirmation that suits you, it is time to get down to business: Repeat. Over and over again. Because that's the be-all and end-all of affirmations. Write your affirmation on a piece of paper and stick it somewhere you'll see it every day. Or set it as your desktop background.

Then consciously read it out loud three times in a row every morning or evening, or repeat the affirmation several times in your mind. It is important that you take the time to consciously to process.

For an affirmation to work properly, you should stick with it and repeat the affirmation daily for (at least) one week to one month.Little by little, the sentence will hopefully pass into your subconscious and become a positive part of your thoughts. ☺️✨

If you want to learn more about mindfulness && Spirituality, healthy eating, family & pregnancy or sustainability, take a look here over.

Photo by Sage Friedman on Unsplash