Affirmations and Healing – How to Use Written Affirmations to Resolve Limiting Beliefs

Healing the body and healing the mind go together. Since health is your natural state, any deviation from health means that you have deviated in some way. Many of these unintentional lapses begin in the mind. Written affirmations are an effective way to identify and resolve any limiting beliefs that may be slowing down your healing process.

First of all, what is an affirmation?

An affirmation is a positive statement that you can use to keep your mind focused on making your wishes “steadfast” in the world. In other words, to solidify the ideas you have in your mind and make them come true.

There are several other beneficial effects that come from working with affirmations. Today we will explore just one. Use affirmations to increase your awareness of limiting beliefs.

As you intentionally work with your affirmations, you will sometimes find “bonus” beliefs that you didn’t even realize were holding you back. As you truly commit to positive life change, it’s valuable to search every available corner of your mind for hidden beliefs that may detract from your success. Affirmations can help you do that.

Let’s explore a 5-step process to identify and resolve hidden beliefs that may be slowing you down. Before you begin, you will need to find paper and a pen or pencil. I like to have a special notebook for this kind of thing, but any paper will do. Try this the “old fashioned” way: on paper. Seems to work better than typing.

1. Create an affirmation statement about your positive health status and write it down. You can start this process with any positive affirmation. Remember that an affirmation creates your future, so make sure you choose an affirmation that matches the future you want. Write your statement in the first person, using the word “I” or your own name. It is better to keep things simple. Perhaps start with a statement that goes something like this: “I am whole and healthy in every way!” Draw a line down the middle of your paper to separate it into two columns. If your print is larger, you may want to use two facing pages. In the left column, write your statement.
2. Write your statement over and over again. Part of the benefit we seek is to create a new habit for your mind. Repetition is helpful. As you write, be sure to notice what’s going on in the back of your mind. You know, that “little voice” that always wants to have the last word. If you’re like most of us, soon after you start writing this positive statement, you’ll have something to say about it. Usually his “little voice” starts arguing with the statement. “Who are you trying to fool?” one could say. “You’re overweight, have high blood pressure, and are so out of shape you can’t even walk up a flight of stairs.”
3. Write down everything your “little voice” says that disagrees with the statement in the right column. Keep writing. Affirmation to the left, small voice to the right. Continue until your “little voice” runs out of things to say. This could take several pages!
4. Review everything your “little voice” came up with. These are the main beliefs that limit the results you seek. As you read through your lists, make a note of any themes you notice. In our example above, the person most likely has multiple entries about weight or fitness. Pay attention to what his “voice” says, because it will most likely direct you to valuable information. Anything that appears repeatedly deserves your attention. Another thing to watch out for is a statement that “shakes” you. Sometimes, out of the blue, you will hear your mind say something that you didn’t consciously know before. It might sound something like this: “As long as you keep using food to cover your loneliness, you will never be healthy.” Wow, who said what? Either way, from your “little voice” column, choose the topic or statement that stands out to you the most, that stands out as the one that most grabs your attention.
5. Now write an affirmation for that! In our example, the person probably already knew that they were overweight and out of shape. Hearing it repeatedly from his own mind may be enough for him to realize it’s time to do something about it, because that’s what gets in the way of his progress the most. If so, his next statement might look something like this: “I’m fit and fit.” Or maybe that joke about loneliness really got the person’s attention. In that case, his next statement might be more like this: “I feel loved and comfortable just being me.” Repeat the two-column assertion process for the next statement as well.

You can probably see that sometimes it takes more than one session to work out all the little nooks and crannies you uncover with this process. No problem. Just keep going, doing a little each day until you feel like you’ve gotten to the bottom of things. It’s best to choose a consistent time for your self-healing work, such as first thing in the morning or last thing before bed.

Ultimately, you should start to notice two things. First, you will begin to feel better. As he finds and then reverses old beliefs that were overwhelming his mind, he should begin to feel lighter, more flexible, open, and healthy. Your spirit will refresh.

Second, you will be inspired to take certain actions that promote health. Follow the inspiration! Maybe you would normally grab a quick burger for lunch, but one day your mind will say, “eat the salad.” Cool! So eat the salad!

Healing occurs through a combination of renewed spirit and positive action. Writing affirmations is a great way to focus your attention where it will make the most difference.