Ten Weeks of Wellness - Week 3: Positive Affirmations!

Welcome to Week 3 of the Ten Weeks of Wellness program! We hope you are well-rested after last week's sleep challenge.  Keep right on sleeping and posture-podding away as we introduce our next challenge, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: writing and reciting a positive affirmation!

Week 1 (Jan. 7): Posture Pod Exercises

Week 2 (Jan. 14): Sleep

Week 3 (Jan. 21): Affirmation

Week 4 (Jan. 28): Caffeine Free

Week 5 (Feb. 4): Walking

Week 6 (Feb. 11): Random Acts of Kindness

Week 7 (Feb. 18): Gluten Free

Week 8 (Feb. 25): Sunshine and Meditation

Week 9 (Mar. 4): Dairy Free

Week 10 (Mar. 11): Gratitude

Positive affirmations are incredibly beneficial if you write them and say them properly.  The goal is to remove any question or doubt from the language you use to write them and from your intonation when you say them aloud (yes, out loud).  The affirmation can be as long or as short as you would like - as long as it's for you!

• Be specific!:  Decide what you will be affirming and then use as many descriptors as you can to paint a clear picture of the person you want to be come. 
• Think positive:  Don't use any negative words in your affirmation.  Your brain does not respond to negativity, so a poorly worded affirmation can back fire (Like saying "Don't forget the bag" often still results in forgetting the bag!)  For example, instead of saying "I am not depressed" try "I am an energetic and happy individual".
• Fake it 'til you make it!:  The key to a good affirmation is to use language that assumes you already have achieved your goals.  Instead of saying "I want to be confident"  say "I am confident."  
• Once you are satisfied with your affirmation, post it where you will see it often:  Places like your bathroom mirror or wallet/purse work well.  Read it out loud when ever you see it.
• Yes, saying it is important!:  By saying the affirmation out loud, you are activating more senses and areas of your brain.  This increases the ability of the brain to manifest the changes you seek in your day-to-day life.  

Here are examples of Dr. Rubin's favorite affirmations:  "I can, I will, I must."  "I feel healthy, I feel happy. I feel terrific." (Both inspired by the late Dr Sid Williams).  His father used to say during stressful situations: "Everything's going to be fine." If you have a goal with a date in mind, here is how it should be written: "By March 31st I have completed the Couch to 5K challenge."  Remember affirmations are future paced statements of "I am" or "I have" and are not "I will" or "I'll try."

So give it a shot!  If you need any help, we are more than happy to review your affirmation here at the office, or you can check out this website if you need a little more guidance in the writing process.  And here's how you earn your tickets this week:

• Writing your affirmation and saying it at least once a day: 1 ticket
• Commenting on this blog or on a Facebook post: 1 ticket
• Posting your affirmation to our Facebook page: 2 tickets

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