One of the ways to change negative, self-defeating attitudes about yourself is to begin to say affirmations.... The word 'affirm' means to 'assert to be true'.

Therefore to begin to create change in your thinking is to affirm positive life enhancing ideas about yourself and your life. It is also valuable to say an affirmation slowly and mindfully, in a way that allows the full meaning of a word or phrase to resonate with you, an example would be is when you say the word 'peace' allowing yourself to 'to sense, to feel' the word 'peace', so that in a way you make a connection with the energy vibration of the word 'peace' or with the picture that the word 'peace' conjures up for you, allowing the feelings and sensations associated with the work to embrace and surround you to somehow 'wash all over you'. You may also find it useful to bring forth a memory of a time in your life when you experienced what the word is saying, to reconnect at a conscious level with this memory.

Initially you may find that saying positive things about yourself difficult to do as your ego will want to continue with the negative self-defeating thinking yIou have had up to now in your life....and in a sense your ego has a vested interest in continuing to 'be right' and won't want to change the way you think about yourself. An indication of this is that you may notice some resistance when you first read over or speak a positive affirmation. Know, that the resistance that surfaces is an indication of the degree of work that is ahead for you in order to change your current negative self-defeating patterns of thinking and attitudes.nitially you may find that saying po sitive things about yourself difficult to do as your ego will want to continue with the negative self-defeating thinking yIou have had up to now in your life....and in a sense your ego has a vested interest in continuing to 'be right' and won't want to change the way you think about yourself. An indication of this is that you may notice some resistance when you first read over or speak a positive affirmation. Know, that the resistance that surfaces is an indication of the degree of work that is ahead for you in order to change your current negative self-defeating patterns of thinking and attitudes.

Therefore it can be useful to preface an affirmation with "I am willing to e.g .... love myself....."   as this doesn't seem to create the same level of resistance as saying for example "I love myself...."

Generally I have found that people are adamant that they would not dream of speaking to a small child in the manner that they 'speak to themselves in their thinking' as they recognize the harm that this would do to the child....so why would one speak to oneself in this manner as it does as equally much harm to you as an adult as well.

A reminder to you is that the most important or 'core relationship' in your life starts with the relationship you have with yourself. It is a tragedy to go through life having a negative relationship with yourself. As I have been known to say, when speaking about self-esteem, 'like it or lump it', who you are is who you are.

Be open to giving the affirmations 'a go', ...know that it does take some practice to change your old negative patterns of thinking but when you do you will find that the way you experience yourself and your life will improve for the better.

It is helpful to say the following affirmations out aloud

I am willing to love and approve of myself

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I AM...........

I am strength, health, peace,

happiness and prosperity.

The spirit of love which is active in me,

flows through me, in a

healing, cleansing & purifying way

that removes all obstructions

and brings

peace, health, harmony & prosperity

to me.

  Let others be themselves

then

I am free  

The following affirmation is for people who struggle with self-harm thoughts - Please note it is important that you seek out professional assistance if you feel you are 'at risk'

 

 I am willing to consider committing myself to the

notion that 'SUICIDE IS NOT AN OPTION'

and whenever I find myself beginning

to think about self-harm or suicide,

I am aware that I can choose

not to open 'the door', or go down 'that path

of thinking'

....that instead I can start to allow myself to be

with my pain.....i.e. to allow, to feel and to release.....

knowing that this encourages

the process of healing to take

place within me.

 

...ALL IS WELL IN MY LIFE...

 

GUARDIAN ANGEL PRAYER

  Angel of God

my Guardian dear

to whom God's love

commits me here

 

Ever this day

be at my side

to light and guard

to rule and guide

 

AMEN

The following is a bodycentred affirmation to release physical and emotional holdings patterns.

  I thank and acknowledge my body in doing what it has believed is the right thing to do.... by responding in the way it has to trauma and what it has perceived as threats to my survival....

BUT I am now willing and able to release

these emotional holding patterns in my body...

related to fear, sadness, anger, retreat,

resignation, jealousy, hurt.......

emotions that have been held in my body,

in my posture, or in my cellular memory....

AND I now give permission AND invite

my body to release these holding patterns

and to return to being

relaxed and

at ease.

 

Instructions for Life in the new millennium from the Dalai Lama:

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

 2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

 3. Follow the three Rs: Respect for self, Respect for others, Responsibility for all your actions.

 4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

 5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

 6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

 7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

 8. Spend some time alone every day.

 9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

 11. Live a good, honorable life, then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.

 12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

 13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation, don't bring up the past.

 14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

 15. Be gentle with the earth.

 16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.

 17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

 

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RULES FOR BEING HUMAN

1. YOU WILL RECEIVE A BODY You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time round. 

2. YOU WILL LEARN LESSONS You are enrolled in the full-time informal school called Life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons, or think them stupid. 

3. THERE ARE NO MISTAKES, ONLY LESSONS Growth is a process of trial and error: experimentation. The 'failed' experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately 'works'.

4. A LESSON IS REPEATED UNTIL LEARNED A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson.

5. LEARNING LESSONS DOES NOT END There is no part of Life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive there are lessons to be learned.

6. THERE IS NO BETTER THAN 'HERE' When your 'there' has become a 'here', you will simply obtain another 'there' that will again look better than 'here'.

7. OTHERS ARE MERELY MIRRORS OF YOU You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself.

8. WHAT YOU MAKE OF YOUR LIFE IS UP TO YOU You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9. YOUR ANSWERS LIE INSIDE YOU The answers to Life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen and trust.

10. YOU WILL FORGET THIS

11. YOU CAN REMEMBER IT WHENEVER YOU WANT

 

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