Hi Andrea!

I love Louise Hay! She is such a wonderful inspiration. I particularly love that she started a publishing company that is responsible for bringing so many uplifting books into this world. :)

Good for you Andrea!!! Affirmations are a great way to help yourself heal.

Is the book called You Can Heal Your Life? It is a great book w/great affirmations. When I first started doing affirmations, I didn't believe them, but I said them anyway as if they already existed.

That's the key to affirmations, speak them as if they already exist.

She also offers a free daily message on her website... I try to read it as often as I can, for inspiration :)

AWESOME! =)

I like that one! My current favorite is "I am comfortable with my strength. I use my strength wisely.'

Thanks for all the positive responses. The book is called You Can Heal Your Life. My therapist lent it to me yesterday. My day has been good so far. Swimming and taking care of my friends sick little one this afternoon. Tomorrow I will post another one. Love to all today.

My sister gave me a box of Luise Hay insperational cards... I find them hard to read and believe right now.... (she actually gave them to me this summer when I was trying to decide to stay or go and I couldn't even look at them)...
Any suggestions of how to feel ok getting started with looking at the nice pictures and pretty words when your not ready to believe good things yet....
Sorry to be so bleak---I want to try and am struggling.

Yellow, I think sometimes you just have to start in spite of NOT being ok with it, that you get ok with it by doing it. If reading them brings floods of tears, then maybe the tears are cleansing and healing.

Yellow, when I first started this journey my therapist had me make a vision board and it really helps. You are wonderful, don't be so hard on yourself even though we are trained that way.

Hi Yellow,

You might want to try this exercise, just to get started. It is called the 11-11-11 exercise. You choose one affirmation (for example: I love and accept myself unconditionally), write it down and then write a corresponding sentence about your immediate reactions and thoughtsathoughtsabout the affirmation.

For example:

1. I love and accept myself unconditionally.

* I don't believe this right now, and I doubt I ever will. This exercise is stupid.

Don't judge yourself for your reactions and what you feel about the affirmation you have chosen.

Repeat this eleven times for elevan days. Then you completely stop for11 days. Afterwards you can chose to repeat the affirmation or do a new one.

It is supposed to shift your unconscious feelings by releasing the resistance.

Besides, what can you lose?

That is an interesting approach.... I could try it. Thanks

Great line! I will remember that one :)

Thanks xx

Yellow,

I thought so too! I haven't tried it yet, but I am going to start today. I have nothing to lose, and a heck of a lot to gain.

I have always had problems with affirmations. Some really resonate with me- like Andrea's, while others seem to bounce off of me as though they were meant for someone else.

I finally, for the first time in my life, can say that I love myself unconditionally. However, it took a complete emotional breakdown where I literally had to chose the survival of my Self over everyone else.

I was always taught that you always put others before yourself, to not do so meant that your selfish, inconsiderate, cruel and unworthy of love. When I was growing up, I was never given love freely and as a result I felt unworthy of love unless I earned it. I internalized that message and refused to love myself unless I was perfect. Needless to say, that was an absolute fail!

As a side note, I had an interesting talk with my best friend the other night. I was telling her about a conversation I had with my mom about a business idea that I had, something I have been working on for a couple of years, and how she said I should stick to what I am doing now. It absolutely crushed me. I felt like all of my time and effort, all ofnmy hard work was nothing. Inside, I was prepared for this reaction so I told her I was thinking about going back to school to become a doctor. Again, she said I should just stick to what I am doing now. (Fyi, I have a 4.0 in my BioChem minor-applying to med school would require just a few more classes, but she made me feel like sh*t about it.)

Again, I felt unworthy....

Until, my best friend pointed out that my mom never once supported menor encouraged me in anything I wanted to do. I have known my best friend for 20 years, she has seen it all.

She also gave me a new grounded my perspective that neither of my ideas were dumb. She pointed out that everyone has encouraged me about my business idea (some of whom are very successful), that I have always started and ran successful businesses and that I get paid to help advise people where to invest their money and how to protect themselves legally. Who is more qualified to give an opinion on whether or not an idea will be successful, me or her?

Finally...

The point is that I was still trying to earn her love, acceptance and approval, even though I have learned to love myself.

What we are dealing with are very old and ingrained patterns. The affirmations that seem the most ridiculous, while positive, might be the very ones we need most.


One day at a time.


Have a wonderful day everyone! :)