Affirmations

[riff]

My therapist gave me the following list of affirmations. She wants me to pick out which ones I like the best and explain why. Before I go to bed, I thought I would share them with you. Which ones do you like best? Or do you have others you use that you would share?

• I love you just the way you are (look in mirror and repeat)
• My life is divinely guided, and I grow in peace, security, and serenity every day, every hour.
• I am free of pain, anger and fear. I enjoy perfect peace and well being.
• In every aspect of my life I am guided to my highest happiness and fulfillment.
• All problems and struggles now fade away. I am serene.
• I love to love and be loved.
• God grants me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
• I am whole. I am complete. I am perfect just the way I am right now.

I would also ask- do you think these ideas are ludicrous?

 

[Kitte]

Ok I will admit it, when I seperated I was feeling pretty low so my friend got me saying three times a day. I am a beautiful person and I deserve to be happy.

Oddly enough whenever I found myself reverting to destructive behaviours or feeling very low I found myself saying it just as sort of a reminder to me. I think if they work for you do it!

 

[Black_Bird]

I would also ask- do you think these ideas are ludicrous?

No. They work. The problem is, they work for the people who designed them and a few people beyond that. You need to develop your own affirmations.

 

[Calamity Jane]

Re: Re: Affirmations

No. They work. The problem is, they work for the people who designed them and a few people beyond that. You need to develop your own affirmations.

Exactly. Other people's words have never done much for me, but if I come up with my own reasons to like me, I believe them.

 

[badasschick]

I am whole. I am complete. I am perfect just the way I am right now.


I would also ask- do you think these ideas are ludicrous?

This one works for me, of course I'm a bit of a narcissist, so I say it to myself everyday, but it usually goes like this.


I am the SHIT!

 

[riff]

Re: Re: Affirmations

This one works for me, of course I'm a bit of a narcissist, so I say it to myself everyday, but it usually goes like this.


I am the SHIT!

I do admit these affirmation things can get to sounding sappy- I rather like "I am the SHIT."

Now, this makes me think of using other people's words. I agree is great to make up your own poems of self, but I don't see how claiming them (or stealing them) for your own weakens them or makes them any less genuine.

I mean- If if I look in the mirror this morning and say, "I am a BAD MUTHAFUCKA" do you think I'll be the first person that has ever said it.

I just thought of that myself. And now I am reminded of Jules in Pulp Fiction. So what, is that invalid?

"I am the riffdude."

 

[Calamity Jane]

Re: Re: Re: Affirmations

Now, this makes me think of using other people's words. I agree is great to make up your own poems of self, but I don't see how claiming them (or stealing them) for your own weakens them or makes them any less genuine.

I just thought of that myself. And now I am reminded of Jules in Pulp Fiction. So what, is that invalid?

"I am the riffdude."

No, not at all. I'm not saying that other people's words are less valid than your own. What I'm saying is, FOR ME, I'm better off coming up with my own lil things to make me feel better.

Someone else's words are great to get you going, to start to change your mindset, but eventually, you need to walk on your own. Does that make sense?

 

[riff]

Absolutely pagancowgirl.

 

[Dillinger]

Re: Re: Affirmations

No. They work. The problem is, they work for the people who designed them and a few people beyond that. You need to develop your own affirmations.

I agree with BB here. None of those affirmations really do it for me... some come closer than others. If you don't particularly believe in the Judeo/Christian God then those that invoke HIM don't really mean anything, do they? If you're devout then they might work for you.

Affirmations are all about self-awareness and self-image. Everyone has qualities about them that are positive. Its about emphasizing the positive in your life.

Attitude is very important. We ARE what we think. Very much so. A negative person lives in a negative world. A sad person lives in a sad world... but...

A happy person lives in a happy world... etc. I'm not saying everything is under our control - but I am saying that we do play a role in the world we live in - the world we create. You read BB's "control" thread and what I posted there.

There's an old saying - "if you say something 3 times then its true." Affirmations are about making yourself believe the truth of things - or changing the truth to become positive. The repetitions are to drive the point home.

You do need to come up with things that have MEANING for YOU - that are important to who you are, who you want to be. And then BELIEVE THEM.

 

[Ginny]

I love to love and be loved.

i like this one....loving.....being loved.....just makes things right...ya know?

 

[Calamity Jane]

Re: Re: Re: Affirmations

Attitude is very important. We ARE what we think. Very much so. A negative person lives in a negative world. A sad person lives in a sad world... but...

A happy person lives in a happy world... etc. I'm not saying everything is under our control - but I am saying that we do play a role in the world we live in - the world we create. You read BB's "control" thread and what I posted there.

There's an old saying - "if you say something 3 times then its true." Affirmations are about making yourself believe the truth of things - or changing the truth to become positive. The repetitions are to drive the point home.

You do need to come up with things that have MEANING for YOU - that are important to who you are, who you want to be. And then BELIEVE THEM.

C'mon oh god of the quotations... isn't there one about words becoming thoughts becoming actions??? Or some mutation of that.

It is all about believing though, Riff. No matter how many times you tell yourself that you're a wonderful amazing person, if there's even one little part of you sitting in your mind thinkin "Yeah right, you dumbass, you're only doing this cuz your therapist told you to" than it's not going to help.

If you do something for three days, it becomes a habit. So set up a time for three days in a row to list your positive attributes. Write 'em down. Add to the list every day. Then, look it over and come up with your own personal affirmations.

I'd recommend starting with "My goatee is damn sexy"

 

[Dillinger]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Affirmations

C'mon oh god of the quotations... isn't there one about words becoming thoughts becoming actions??? Or some mutation of that.

Yes - you're referring to a quote by Buddha from The Dhammapada:

"All that we are is the result of all that we have thought. It is founded on thought. It is based on thought."

 

[Dillinger]

Here's a couople of more appropriate quotes:

"Change your thoughts and you change the world." -- Norman Vincent Peale

"You have become what you thought. All good and evil in the world began as thoughts. There is no angry thought that does not bring forth violence sooner or later." - The Gospel According to Mary Magdalene

 

[riff]

pagancowgirl thinks my goatee is damned sexy. I agree with her.

Dillinger- I am hardly devout and I understand you.

I use the word god because it is a wonderful metaphor.

I'm starting my own religion.

 

[Calamity Jane]

I like this one.

You must know for yourself, directly, the truth of yourself and you cannot realize it through another, however great. There is no authority that can reveal it.

-- J. Krishnamurti
from "Authentic Report of Sixteen Talks,"

 

[Dillinger]

I'll join your religion! I've joined quite a few - its pretty eye-opening to sample a bunch of them - Hell, believe it or not, I'm even Ordained in California...

If you haven't done so you really should check out The Church of the SubGenius - http://www.subgenius.com as well as Discordianism - http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~tilt/principia/

And as long as the word "God" doesn't throw you off then do use it. I find that word doesn't work for me - it has too many other connotations. I often use Goddess because of my magick/druid/wiccan background - and I often associate Goddess specifically with Nuit (the Egyptian star goddess).

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Oh - and PCG - you know I have a goatee too, don't you?

 

[Calamity Jane]

Oh - and PCG - you know I have a goatee too, don't you?

I'm revealing far too many of my fetishes on this board aren't I?

 

[Dillinger]

What better place to reveal them?

 

[Calamity Jane]

Good point. Now if only some of them would move from thought into action...

 

[hornylady]

On the goatee issue, I agree that they're pretty sexy

On the issue of affirmations, having been through counselling recently, I agree that you need to either develop your own, or at the very least use someone else's that really resonates with you. There's no point repeating something that makes you want to roll your eyes! The one I keep in mind is on your list -

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

The quick phrase I switch to when I find myself getting fixated on something is "What is the worst that will happen if I do or don't do this?".

 

[riff]

Within my skin, I possess everything I need to live joyfully, harmoniously, and effectively.

 

[Dougy]

• I love you just the way you are (look in mirror and repeat)
• I love to love and be loved.
• I am whole. I am complete. I am perfect just the way I am right now.

I think these would work well if you had a good Barry White voice and added ", Baby" at the end...

 

[riff]

Re: Re: Affirmations

I think these would work well if you had a good Barry White voice and added ", Baby" at the end...

Comedian...

 

[Liontamr]

The one lone affirmation I say to myself usualy in the morning..

Be damned what anyone else thinks.. As long as I can live with myself - and 9.5 times out of 10 I can - I'll live my life the way I see fit.

 

[riff]

I am told I sing well when I sing in my own voice

* I love you just the way you are (look in mirror and repeat) baby
* I love to love and be loved. baby
* I am whole. I am complete. I am perfect just the way I am right now. baby

baby, baby, baby...