It is difficult to come across anything on positive mental change without coming across the term ’affirmation’. The dictionary defines affirmation as:
1. The act or an instance of affirming; state of being affirmed.
2. The assertion that something exists or is true.

Both are actually good definitions of affirmation. Affirmations can be said to be your commitment to an intention to goal; to make the mind and will clear, so that you are committed to believing that a certain thing is true. In some instances it can also be said to be a type of personal challenge, where you tell yourself that this is so and will be so because you say it is so. An affirmation then, as it relates to positive mental change, can closely be said to be defined as an assertion that something is true, whether this something is physically true or not. In other words an affirmation is a way to help you believe that something is true, even though it might not be true in an objective sense.

A good affirmation should be:

Positive; it should be a positive statement in the sense that it should talk about creation and you creating something instead of destruction or you destroying something. It should be positive also in the sense that it makes you feel good and saying the affirmation lifts your spirits and makes you feel better.

Here and now; a good affirmation needs to be stated in such a way that you are experiencing said affirmation at this very moment. What is meant by this is that you must make your affirmation statement so that it is in the present tense. For example you should say, “I am now…”, And not, “I will…”.

Doable; what this means is that an affirmation should be something that you think is possible. This is a tricky subject because it is a subjective opinion, whether you believe that certain thing can or cannot be done. In order to get this right what you need to do is to examine your own beliefs and try and create an affirmation that you believe is plausible.

Another thing to remember is that you should pay complete attention to your affirmation as you are saying it. Most believe that an affirmation can just be said in a robotic fashion and that this is good enough to change your state. You must give the affirmation your full attention, and if your mind can’t stay focused on the statement of your affirmation then you must do everything that you can to use your imagination to visualize things pertaining to what you are affirming. If you don’t do this, your affirmation has no power.

An affirmation then is a statement, or better yet a small phrase, that affirms a belief and the existence of an ideal that might not be objectively true at the moment. An affirmation is a physical action that helps you to believe something that might not be true at the moment.

Using affirmations and the power of your imagination you can alter mood and redirect your mental thoughts. An affirmation used properly has enough power to change hormonal chemicals in your brain, which can alter how you feel and your energy level instantly. Just by saying a positive phrase it is possible for anyone to alter his or her thought patterns, and this is the true power of the affirmation; it is a fast and simple way to alter what you’re thinking at the moment and as a result change the direction of your actions and physiology.

Affirmations can also be said to be a kind of mental exercise. Once you have created a phrase that you like, you can repeat this affirmation as many times as you like. An affirmation said over and over and over again, then becomes a type of mental exercise. Each affirmation is sort of like a ‘curl’ or a ‘squat’, where the more you say it, the stronger that you become, and the closer that you get to attaining your goal. An affirmation, thought in this way, becomes a prayer sent into the wind at Eather, and the more that you this affirmation, the more thought forced that you give to your intended goal. If thoughts create reality than an affirmation repeated thousands of times creates a powerful thought indeed.

Affirmations are perhaps the best way to instantly alter you’re your thoughts. They can be used constructively anytime to keep you focused on your goal. They can also instantly alter moods and therefore keep you in a positive state of mind. Use affirmations then to your benefit and as an extra technique to control your thoughts and reality.