How Can Affirmations Help Cure IBD?

Let’s talk about affirmations! You may have heard a little about them, read about them in Chapter 7 of Listen To Your Gut, or are already practicing. But how can you use them to cure yourself from a chronic disease like IBD? Follow me on a beautiful journey as I touch what Jini and I have both learned from the power of positive affirmations.

Did you know that affirmations have been scientifically proven to change the way you think and feel in a lasting and long-term way? Your thoughts and emotions cause physical changes in the body. So when we have negative emotions and thoughts, we can conclude that this is not good for our body. On the other hand, what about the targeted cultivation of positive thoughts and emotions? If we did this, it could only lead to healthy physical changes.

What are positive affirmations?

Jini talks about positive affirmations in chapter 7 of her flagship book, Listen to Your Gut. She says that “positive affirmations are a powerful tool that you can use to help yourself achieve anything from athletic excellence to financial success to excellent health.” Anything you want or want to achieve, you can start with affirmations! (By the way, you can download the first chapter of the book Listen to Your Gut here for free.)

An affirmation is basically a positive statement that you repeat out loud in the present day. It is even more helpful to do this while looking at yourself in the mirror – so see yourself as you project what you want! I know it might seem strange at first to talk out loud to yourself about how great you are, especially when you stare in the mirror, but that’s just because self-love isn’t always learned. Self love is difficult! But restorative practices really help in achieving that true healing at the root level. And to be fair, there is real theory and a good level of neuroscience behind this practice.

I find it helpful on TAP while also saying affirmations! For me, it helps to shape them more deeply. Jini says you can also do affirmations first and then type – so choose the method that you think works best for you!

Here’s the problem that gets people tied up (myself included before I learned this trick): People don’t use affirmations because they don’t feel that the emotions they are trying to evoke are true. They find it hard to believe that it is a true statement.

Here’s an example – let’s say you want to use affirmations to help with a specific health problem. One of the statements you use is, “I am enough.” But you struggle to feel good enough. You can sit there and think that not only is it silly for me to say this out loud, but it is an untrue statement.

While this may be the case in the current situation, one of the great things about affirmations is that repeating those affirmations can actually make a change in your mind and body. Even if the statement you’re saying feels wrong at first, if you do it enough you can get to a place where you actually feel that way. Remember that thoughts and emotions cause physical changes in the body. When we impress this positivity, emotional and physical changes can follow.

What are the benefits of affirmations?

When we have health problems, especially chronic illnesses, changing our perspective can be extremely helpful. As you get into the habit of having a more positive attitude, you can rewire your brain. Negative thoughts create stress, which in turn can disrupt hormones – damage the immune system and rid the body of all “good” chemicals. These chemicals are responsible for the feel good emotions and feelings we get, such as joy and happiness.

Affirmations can also help build better relationships with our own bodies. Put what you want to become and who you want to be in the universe!

How do you practice affirmations?

While I was very sick, I practiced affirmations during my daily exercises. I would sit in a comfortable place and make sure I was in a quiet area with no distractions. I wanted to make sure I felt safe while doing them, so I chose an environment that I was comfortable in.

Walking helped me too. There was something about “movement” that helped me convey the affirmations more easily while enjoying the healing power of nature.

If you start now you might feel silly! If the affirmations you choose feel really uncomfortable at first, start with those that make more sense to you.

This blog post I stumbled upon offers really great examples of positive affirmations specifically targeted at chronic illnesses. The author states 5 things that in her opinion should be confirmed based on her personal experience.

In the post, she mentions that chronic health problems can make it really difficult to give an affirmation like “Your health problems don’t exist”. It expresses how you should acknowledge the presence of your health problems and respect your body’s messages – don’t ignore them! Sound familiar? By the time you’ve read Jini’s popular post, I should get the message and the symptoms should go away!

Therefore the author writes the claim: “I choose not to let my illness define me.”

She found these 5 points to be the most helpful when it comes to affirmations:

• Credible and realistic
• Practically repeating
• Easy to remember in concept
• Specially designed for your trip
• Comforting to hear

I was so focused on healing that I personally jumped straight into saying “I am healthy” and so on. However, if you need to familiarize yourself with this technique, do what is best for you!

In my humble opinion, the guidelines above are great if you don’t know where to start.

And here are some additional confirmation ideas from Louise Hay. Louise Hay offers tremendous positive affirmations and she designed all of these affirmations for people who want to take their life back! Both Jini and I love and highly recommend her affirmations, and here are some of my personal favorites:

I am healthy
I am enough
I am beautiful
I’m thankfull
I believe in my ability to heal
I deserve _______. (Put whatever you want / deserve in the space) or say: I am open to _________.)

Imagine walking, tapping or relaxing in the tub, how you would deal with these things, have these things and what life would be like. When you do this it can imprint it a bit deeper so your body gets a sense of what it would look / feel like and how safe it is to make these things happen!

Hope this post has helped you better understand what positive affirmations are and how to use them as a powerful remedy. What affirmations will you create and how will you apply them to your healing? Let me know below!

Linsy is Jini’s assistant. From a highly sensitive / reactive case of ulcerative colitis to a completely drug and surgery-free case using only natural methods, Linsy understands the interplay of mind / body / spirit on the healing journey firsthand.