One of the best ways of tapping into your subconscious mind is by the use of positive affirmations.
What are positive affirmations
Affirmations are
Simple statements
Written in a positive way to focus towards the positive
Used to inspire, motivate, increase self-esteem, lower self-doubt
Affirmations bypass your conscious mind with its tendency to examine and judge everything and go straight to your subconscious mind.
Used consistently for a sustained period of time, positive affirmations can successfully reprogram your self-talk to make it more positive and upbeat.
This unleashes the power of your subconscious to help you achieve your goals because you will have removed the blocks created by self-doubt and a negative self-image.
In simpler terms, affirmations change your thoughts from negative to being more positive. And we all know, caregivers need/crave more positive thoughts.
Deciding what kind of affirmations you need
Using positive affirmations in this way is simple but time-consuming. First, you need to know the biggest issues you have to work on. Pick the ones that stand directly between you and your goals, not the ones that are only minor obstacles. Write them down so you know what you need to work on.
In the case of us as caregivers, it’s so easy to get discouraged, depressed, down on ourselves and most likely other family members and any other number of issues.
You should only work on one issue at a time. Select a single issue.
This issue may be self-confidence, doubt, fear, or anything that stands in your way. As a caregiver, often the issue is guilt or fear that we are not doing the right thing.
Find or create some positive affirmations around it that speak to you. You only need two or three affirmations. You can find plenty of affirmations online and in books or write your own.
The only requirements are a) these affirmations must be positive and b) they need to resonate with you. If both things are not true, you will not succeed with this method.
How to use affirmations
Next, you are going to start speaking aloud, thinking, or writing down these affirmations 3-5 times each several times a day.
Many people speak them aloud in front of a mirror or while driving.
You can think of them to yourself when you are around other people. All you need to write them down is a pen and a sheet of scrap paper.
You can also use a combination of these three methods throughout the day.
You should use your affirmations no less than three times per day -once in the morning after you get dressed and start your day, once before bed, and once sometime during the day.
The more you use them, however, the better and faster they will work. You must be consistent and use the affirmations every day for them to work.
Over the course of weeks or a few months, these affirmations will sink into your subconscious and slowly reprogram your self-talk and your self-image.
The negative thoughts they are replacing will slowly fade and eventually become extinguished entirely. When you see success with one issue, you can move on to the next.
If you don’t have the time to look for positive affirmations, don’t worry I Gotcha!
I have a set of positive affirmations for caregivers. They are available in my Etsy store – DementiaHelpingHand where I have instant download printables for caregivers of loved ones with dementia and for the caregivers. Click in the box below to head to my store and check em out.
There are 50 cards in the set. There are 3 different patterns for the reverse sides of the cards. All you have to do is print the cards out, on cardstock for durability, cut them apart and start working on changing those negative thoughts to positive thoughts.
If you want to take it a step further, there is also a set of matching caregiver affirmation bookmarks.
A caregiver leads a very stressful life. Positive affirmations are one way to alter the flow of negativity in your daily life. Check out this post for more ideas on relieving stress.