Guidelines for Creating Affirmations

Getting Ready

Duration	5 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

Affirmations remind you of what is important for you in your life right now. It is important to always choose our words wisely, but especially essential when we are doing affirmations. Our words are taken literally by our minds, more specifically by our subconscious mind. 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 own 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 certain amount of time.

The How

Position: For affirmations, we recommend standing up because it keeps you in “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.

Let's Begin

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

User Guide

Start with the words “I am.”These are the two most powerful words in the English language.
Use the present tense.
State it in the positive. Affirm what you want, not what you don’t want.
Keep it brief.
Make it specific.
Include an action word ending with “ –ing.”
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.
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 greatly improve as result of this fearless, focused, and clear mind!
The best times for affirmations are early morning and right before you go to bed.
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 lunch time at school or before a certain class? After your quantum mindfulness session?
Some studies suggest that writing affirmations down on a daily basis is useful, because the act of writing something out is another way through which the affirmation naturally becomes part of the subconscious mind.
Different people also have different modes of using affirmations.
Some simply read or repeat affirmations from a list, a stack of cards, or most recently, from smart phone 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!).
We suggest that you update your affirmations regularly, in order to preserve their emotional and motivational potency.
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 a good way to remind yourself of the actions you would like to take when you are able to.