Forgiving myself and others

Getting Ready

Duration	10 minutes
Materials	Safe and peaceful space where you can talk out loud. Journal (Optional) Post-It notes (Optional) Notecards (Optional) Notes on mobile device (Optional)
Treatment Modality	Individual and Group
Frequency	We recommend practicing this activity at least 5 times a week.
Other helpful topics to use this activity for	Building Healthy Communication Skills Developing a Positive Attitude Evaluating Messages Overcoming Fear Social Media and Your Health Stress and Anxiety Release Calming and Destressing Goal Setting

The What

Daily Forgiveness Affirmations is an affirmation activity that motivates and inspires you to achieve your desires. Affirmations also remind you of what is important to you in your life right now. It is essential always to choose our words wisely, but especially crucial when we are doing affirmations. Our words are taken literally by our minds, more specifically by our subconscious mind. The subconscious mind takes our thoughts and words, memorizes and stores them as permanent habits.  The subconscious mind also makes our intentions and desires real. So, we want to choose positive words and create positive intentions so that we can achieve better results in all areas of our lives.

Affirmations are simply positive statements that create transformation, self-improvement, positive attitude when they are consistently used. With affirmations, you simply state out loud what your goals and intentions are in becoming a positive person with positive results. Then, your subconscious mind memorizes and stores these positive words, thoughts, and emotions. Throughout the day, the subconscious mind will work to make such positive intentions possible and happen for you. Affirmations can also serve as inspiration as well as simple reminders. This way, they bring focus and self-discipline on goals throughout the day.

We have two different types of affirmations available for you: (A) Daily Affirmations and (B) Guided Affirmations. For Daily affirmations, you select and choose your own affirmations based on what your personal goals and desires are for the day. Daily affirmations can take 3-5 minutes depending on how much time you would like to spend on them. Guided affirmations are affirmation activities that are combined with energetic techniques and are guided. We guide you through the affirmation session in a sitting position for a certain amount of time.

The How

Position: For affirmations, we recommend standing up because it keeps you in a “motivated” and “excited” state. You can also do affirmations sitting down. For daily affirmations, you simply take a few minutes selecting or writing your affirmations. Then, you recite them out loud at least 5 times so that you can remember them.

For longer guided affirmations, you will be sitting down or standing up. Guided affirmations are pre-recorded by Beyond Development team members. If you chose to sit for guided affirmations, then sit upright/straight on your chair with your feet touching the ground uncrossed, or limbs crossed (Indian style) on the floor.  You can grab your headphones if you have them. If not, simply play these guided affirmations on your electronic device so that you can get the best sound system.

We do have a very long list of sample affirmations to pick from available for you below on the topic of forgiveness.  List of other extensive sample affirmations on different topics is available to you in our activities manual called the Daily Affirmations.

Let's Begin

(A) Pick top 3 affirmations you are going to affirm three times a week for the next 4 weeks. (B) Once you have picked your top five affirmations, state or read them for at least 5 cycles each time. (C) Make sure that you are standing up with arms and legs uncrossed, shoulders back, head held up straight. You can write them on your journal, enter them on your cell phone note pad, any way you would like to as long as it is done with you reading them or stating them out loud to yourself. (D) Best time to do affirmations is in the morning before starting your busy day or at night before going to bed.

For instance, say you chose one affirmation: “When I forgive myself, it becomes easier to forgive others.” And so, each day you affirm with sincerity, conviction, and love:

1. When I forgive myself, it becomes easier to forgive others.
2. When I forgive myself, it becomes easier to forgive others.
3. When I forgive myself, it becomes easier to forgive others.
4. When I forgive myself, it becomes easier to forgive others.
5. When I forgive myself, it becomes easier to forgive others. And you’re done!
   

Here is the list of affirmations to choose from for your practice. Remember only to select 3.

List of Forgiveness Affirmations:

1. Each day is filled with new possibilities.
2. Forgiveness gives me a fresh start and a clean slate.
3. Forgiveness is a gift to myself.
4. I accept my past and learn from it.
5. I acknowledge my faults and forgive myself completely.
6. I allow the energy of love and forgiveness to surround me.
7. I am a pioneer of the future and not a prisoner of the past.
8. I am able to heal from the hurt of my past.
9. I am capable of moving beyond my own mistakes.
10. I am forgiving, loving, gentle and kind to everyone.
11. I am free from the prison of resentment.
12. I am not my past. I am who I am now: confident and understanding.
13. I am the architect of my future.
14. I am worthy of all the compassion and kindness in the world.
15. I can only help others by forgiving myself.
16. I cease all self-judgment and self-sabotage.
17. I did the best I could at the time with what I knew.
18. I do not confuse people from my past with people in the present.
19. I forgive everyone in my past for all perceived wrongs. I send them loving energy and wash it out of my aura.
20. I forgive myself one day at a time.
21. I forgive so that I can have inner peace.
22. I go with the flow.
23. I grow more patient and understanding of others by forgiving myself.
24. I grow stronger and better every day.
25. I have the courage to heal any wound.
26. I lay down the heavy weight of doubt, shame, guilt, embarrassment, and self-hate.
27. I love myself and all that I am.
28. I make peace (inside) with anyone who has done wrong.
29. I practice understanding and compassion.
30. I release my past and forgive my participation in it.
31. I release the pain of anger and rage from my body.
32. I welcome love and kindness. I am Love. I choose Love.
33. I will treat myself with love and respect.
34. My parents did the best they could. I forgive them for any wrong that they unknowingly did and forgive myself for holding a grudge against them.
35. Old, negative patterns no longer hold me back. I let them go with ease.
36. The past is done. I now live in the present.
37. Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
38. Understanding is the highest form of love.
39. When I forgive myself, it becomes easier to forgive others.

Gentle reminder: You may pick different ones every 4 weeks. Always stick to three affirmations per 4 weeks. This way, you’ll remember them easily and achieve a peaceful state of mind faster.

User Guide to creating your own affirmations

Here are guidelines for creating effective affirming statements if you ever wish to write your own.

A. Affirmation guidelines:

1. Start with the words “I am.”These are the two most powerful words in the English language.
2. Use the present tense.
3. State it in the positive. Affirm what you want, not what you don’t want.
4. Keep it brief.
5. Make it specific.
6. Include an action word ending with “ –ing.”
7. Include at least one feeling word.

Make affirmations for yourself, not others because this is a change and growth you want to see in yourself and that brings you happiness.

B. Make sure to take 3 to 5 minutes every day to repeat your affirmations – preferably out loud with high energy and enthusiasm. The more you practice them, the faster the transformation and change. Also, your social life, academic performance, not to mention your emotional, mental, and physical health will significantly improve as a result of this fearless, focused, and clear mind!

C. The best times for affirmations are early morning and right before you go to bed.

D. Write down 3 affirmations for yourself each day. Then, write down the 3 different times of the day that you will commit to practicing your affirmations. Is it when you wake up in the morning? Before you go to sleep? During lunchtime at school or before a particular class? After your quantum mindfulness session?

Some studies suggest that writing affirmations down daily is useful because the act of writing something out is another way through which the affirmation naturally becomes part of the subconscious mind.

E. Different people also have different modes of using affirmations.

Some merely read or repeat affirmations from a list, a stack of cards, or most recently, from smartphone apps. Remember that affirmations work best in the PRESENT tense, just as you see below, and when you say them consciously and preferably loudly (if the circumstance permits!).

F. We suggest that you update your affirmations regularly, in order to preserve their emotional and motivational potency.

G. Finally, use your affirmations to take actions. Ultimately, it is ACTIONS that determine your results and the change you want to see in yourself. And affirmations are also an excellent way to remind yourself of the actions you would like to take when you can.