I live in California, and it’s been a rough month.

With the usual sunshine replaced with dreary rain-drenched days, I was feeling more insecure than my leaky roof. But then I found an unexpected way to turn my thinking around with daily affirmations.

These simple self-talk exercises helped me find optimism again, no matter what the weather was outside.

Do daily affirmations really help?

I am here to tell you, yes, daily affirmations help!

Daily affirmations are powerful tools that can help you achieve your goals, gain confidence, and become more optimistic about your life. Daily affirmations are simple phrases or statements you repeat to yourself every day that can positively affect your attitude and outlook.

The importance of daily affirmations cannot be overstated; they can help motivate you to make positive changes in your life and increase your overall sense of well-being.

Inspire Self Confidence

You actively engage in self-care when you try to be mindful and take time out of each day to practice positive affirmations. Repeating these phrases or statements reinforces positive thoughts about yourself, which can lead to increased self-confidence and self-esteem. This is especially beneficial if you struggle with negative self-talk or find it difficult to see your potential or the silver lining in any situation.

Positive affirmations can provide a powerful source of motivation and offer encouragement when things become challenging. Moreover, research has shown that daily affirmations can reduce stress and improve mental health outcomes. ⁽¹⁾

Inspire Creativity

Affirmations allow you to express yourself creatively as they are not limited to any specific format or structure. Your positive affirmations should reflect your hopes and wishes for the future.

The affirmations you choose can range from simple statements such as ‘I am capable’ or ‘I am strong’ to longer, more detailed ones such as ‘I will reach my goal today if I focus my energy, time, and resources effectively.’ Or, in my case, “the abundance of rain will help my flower beds bloom in spring.”

By repeating these affirmations regularly, you are actively working towards achieving your desired outcome rather than passively waiting for it to happen – this is known as manifesting your dreams into reality.

Inspire Happiness

In addition to being mentally beneficial, daily affirmations also bring about physical benefits. Studies have demonstrated how positive self-talk triggers the part of the brain responsible for releasing endorphins that induce feelings of happiness and relaxation; this helps alleviate stress levels, lowering cortisol levels and resulting in improved physical health outcomes.

Furthermore, through regularly repeating empowering statements, you develop inner strength, which in turn helps you navigate through difficult situations with greater ease – allowing you to take control back over your life and move forward with confidence.

By taking time out every day to sit quietly with yourself and focus on repeating empowering phrases such as ‘I am enough’ or ‘I choose love over fear,’ you are actively engaging in the act of kindness towards yourself. With our busy lifestyles, we often forget that self-love is one of the most important expressions of love.

Positive Affirmations you can say daily:

• My life is full of abundance.

• My path is the right one.

• I am at peace with who I am as a person.

• I am grateful for all that I have.

• I am proud of myself.

• Today I will take action.

• I will let go of my past mistakes.

Towards A More Cheerful Outlook

Positivity is the key to getting out of your comfort zone to learn new skills and succeed in everything you do. We can all agree that good vibes are essential in achieving our goals. And while the power of positive thinking is great (and where daily affirmations lend a hand), there’s a way you can take it one step further.

Adaptogens are herbs and plants that help your body adapt to stress. When consumed in concentrated amounts, they can improve mental clarity, focus, and energy levels. These benefits are why adaptogens are becoming increasingly popular among those looking for natural ways to reduce stress and anxiety. 

But not all adaptogens are created equal. Some have more powerful effects than others. One type of adaptogen that stands out from the rest is functional mushrooms. These unique fungi contain compounds that provide countless benefits to the human body. Here are just a few of them:  

Improved Mood

Studies have shown that taking functional mushroom supplements can improve your overall mood by reducing anxiety while boosting feelings of calmness and clarity. They also help regulate hormones like serotonin which helps regulate your mood. ^(2-3)

Increased Energy Levels

Functional mushrooms also act as stimulants by increasing blood flow to the brain, which results in greater alertness, focus, and physical energy levels. Functional mushrooms are perfect for anyone who needs an extra boost during their workday or after a strenuous workout session at the gym. ⁽⁴⁾

Improved Immune System

Functional mushrooms also contain compounds that help boost your immune system by helping your body fight off disease-causing bacteria and viruses more efficiently. They also contain antioxidants which help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals in the environment. ^(5-6)

Functional mushrooms are not the type of white button or field mushrooms you’ll find in the produce section at your grocery store. They are much more valuable and harder to source than the standard varieties. 

The easiest way to enjoy functional mushrooms’ health benefits is through a supplement like Stonehenge Health^® Dynamic Mushrooms™. It’s an expertly crafted blend of Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Reishi, Maitake, and Shiitake with highly concentered extracts of mushroom fruiting bodies.

Take Dynamic Mushrooms™ daily as part of an overall healthy lifestyle – for better memory and focus, increased mental strength and physical endurance, improved ability to adapt to physical and mental stressors, and support your immune system’s health.

Sources:
1. Catherine Moore, Psychologist, MBA. Positive Daily Affirmations: Is There Science Behind It? March 4, 2019. | positivepsychology.com/daily-affirmations/
2. Vigna L, Morelli F, Agnelli GM, Napolitano F, Ratto D, Occhinegro A, Di Iorio C, Savino E, Girometta C, Brandalise F, Rossi P. Hericium erinaceus Improves Mood and Sleep Disorders in Patients Affected by Overweight or Obesity: Could Circulating Pro-BDNF and BDNF Be Potential Biomarkers? Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019 April 18;2019:7861297. doi: 10.1155/2019/7861297. PMID: 31118969; PMCID: PMC6500611. | pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31118969/
3. Ryu S, Kim HG, Kim JY, Kim SY, Cho KO. Hericium erinaceus Extract Reduces Anxiety and Depressive Behaviors by Promoting Hippocampal Neurogenesis in the Adult Mouse Brain. J Med Food. 2018 Feb;21(2):174-180. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2017.4006. Epub 2017 November 1. PMID: 29091526. | pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29091526/
4. Ping Geng, Ka-Chai Siu, Zhaomei Wang, and Jian-Yong Wu. Antifatigue Functions and Mechanisms of Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms. August 14, 2017. Volume 2017 | Article ID 9648496 | hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2017/9648496/
5. M. Daniel, Arun Arya, Vinay M. Raole. Herbal Technology: Recent Trends and Progress. Published 2007 | Google Books | books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4-GMDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA63&ots=kkwd8LZM5b&sig=4AIWGX_SPkgZqhAqz5kZTJqTj1Q#v=onepage&q&f=false
6. Solomon P. Wasser, Alexander L. Weis. Medicinal Properties of Substances Occurring in Higher Basidiomycetes Mushrooms: Current Perspectives (Review) – International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, Volume 1, 1999, Issue 1 – Begell House Digital Library | dl.begellhouse.com/journals/708ae68d64b17c52,6f35eacf6176a1b5,3265072d688f53ee.html