What are affirmations and why are they an essential part of your health & well-being journey?

To understand affirmations, we must first understand limiting beliefs.

So, what are limiting beliefs? Limiting beliefs hinder us from living fearlessly, and can prevent us from achieving our goals.

These beliefs drive our behaviour and choices in very subtle but very powerful ways. They can act as a distorting lens - not reflecting our actual experiences, but instead our perception of them. By identifying and addressing our limiting beliefs, we can overcome our fears to reach our goals more effectively and efficiently, plus we can implement positive, empowering affirmations in their place… affirmations are essentially the opposite of limiting beliefs!

Is it a fact, opinion or belief? And how to tell:

• Facts are realities and do no allow for doubt or personal bias e.g. the sky is blue

• Opinions are our subjective view on something e.g. blue eyes are beautiful

• Beliefs are things we believe to be true e.g. I am bad at maths

How do we identify the beliefs that limit us?

I’m going to give you some prompts now to do just this - the answers to which are for your eyes only (unless of course you should feel particularly compelled to share in the comments below!). The more raw, real & honest you are with yourself here, the more you will get from this exercise.

Using pen & paper or noting down your responses in your phone, let’s go through these together now:

• What do you think are your three greatest strengths?

• What do you often get complimented on?

• What beliefs / fears / insecurities do you have about yourself? (Often these sounds like "I'm not ________ enough") - List as many as you can. These could be linked to physical appearance, skills or something else about you.

We tend to attract experiences that reinforce these beliefs. When we feel stuck, or unfulfilled, perhaps restless, it is often because the goals we have set for ourselves are aligned with our false sense of reality based on beliefs that we believe to be true.

How do we overcome limiting beliefs and implement positive affirmations in their place?

Now take a moment to follow the prompts below for overcoming the limiting beliefs you’ve identified, and replacing these with positive affirmations.

• What specific beliefs are holding you back from your goals?

• Have you really trusted this belief? Was there a time when you didn't trust the belief? Why?

• What could be the consequences if you continue harbouring this belief? How will it affect your physical and emotional health?

• What is the opposite of this belief? Would this work for you?

Make note of this new, empowering belief. This is your positive affirmation.

• What are the benefits of the new, empowering belief?

• How will the new belief help change your life for the better?

I suggest you place this list of positive affirmations in a place you'll see it everyday - get creative here! Write, paint, graphic design - make it visible, something you love to look at! Write it on a post it note & stick it to your bathroom mirror so you repeat every day whilst you clean your teeth. Make it the cover of your notebook. Whatever works for you. You can also get posters with these positive mantras for kids’ bedrooms.

The more you repeat this to yourself, the more likely you are to start believing it!

Finally, I invite you to join in this overcoming limiting beliefs mindfulness exercise - this is a powerful tool for releasing our limiting beliefs, and implementing our new, positive affirmations.

If you feel compelled to share your affirmations in the comments, please do. You can also book a breakthrough session (which takes this one step further) here.