Affirmations - Great When They Work! (Step #4)

• Your Mental Response.
• Notice your internal response to the statement.
• What is your first thought upon hearing it spoken out loud?
• Were you able to speak the words easily, or was even saying the phrase difficult?
• For many the brain's natural response is something like "right, what a lie!", or "really? Who do you think you are!"
• For now, just note your reaction and the intensity of it on a scale from 1-10. You will use this intensity level to confirm improvement when you re-test.
• Your Physical Response.
• Notice how saying your mantra makes your body feel.
• Was there a specific place in your body that manifested a reaction? Maybe a twinge, ache, warming or cooling, tensing or relaxation, any sensation or even outright pain?
• Your body's physical response to the statement matters and needs to be minimized before proceeding.
• Try caressing or passing a magnet over the affected area. This may resolve the effects by releasing the trapped emotion triggered by the statement. You can learn more about how the body holds emotions and how to release them here.
• For now, just note your body's reaction, specific area affected and the intensity level on a scale from 1-10. Use this rating to verify progress as you adjust your statement.
• Arrrghh! What's wrong with my mantra? Whatever you heard in your head or felt in your body is OK, but...
• To make your mantra as effective as possible (and not cause actual harm) you will want to reduce excessive resistance.
• There is nothing to be upset or ashamed about. In fact, your brain and body are functioning normally and doing exactly what they were designed to do.
• It's your body's way of trying to protect you by sending you a warning signal. All feelings and sensations are! A headache is not a sign of an aspirin deficiency, it's the body trying to tell you something. Find it, fix it, problem solved!
• Your brain can only act/react based on past experiences extrapolated into the present.
• Your brain is just a big computer that stores information and uses that information to evaluate the present situation. Sometimes those past experiences relate to the present situation and sometimes not.
• Whether the feelings you noticed have any real meaning for this moment is irrelevant to their effects.
• Resistance will hinder your progress.
• You want your mantra to be heard by your brain and body to be congruent with its best interests.
• If your brain and your body are fighting the mantra, it could take a very long time for your mantra to produce the desired results, if ever. Worse yet, repeating a mantra that creates and adverse mind/body reaction has the potential to actually do harm by increasing your resistance over time, think "rebellious teenager syndrome". In this case, your mantra may be reinforcing the negative habit or behavior you're trying to change by strengthening your resistance to it.
• Now that you know, Let's Fix It!
• Adjust your wording within the Mantra Criteria until you feel as little resistance as possible while still stretching your comfort zone toward your goal.
• You may find your mantra to be less than the final goal, but if it's moving you in the right direction and doing so without massive resistance to overcome, then you are indeed making progress.
• After using your interim mantra a little while, retest with your original mantra. Taking this interim step should give your mind/body time to adapt.a Soon you will be able to return to your original mantra without resistance.
• At each step, use the best mantra you find which doesn't create excessive resistance and level-up when you're ready.
• If you can't seem to make enough adjustments to your chosen to reduce resistance, you'll find resources for what to do here.

Take me to Step #5

Take me to the beginning            Back to Step #3

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