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metaphysical advice column


photography by: Michelle Tricca


Dear Susanna, I keep hearing that positive affirmations will change my life, but find myself stuck in perpetual negative talk. I’m very unhappy with how my life is going, and it’s next to impossible to keep positive thoughts when so much negativity is happening around me. What can I do to get out of this rut? – Scaredy Kat


Dear Scaredy Kat, It’s very true that affirmations work not only by rewarding


our self esteem, but also in changing our life for the better. There is real science behind how the brain reacts to positive affirmation. That said, it doesn’t work without action – just saying a positive affirmation is only one step in the process. You must consciously repeat your new mantra throughout the day with your actions in alignment. For example, if your goal is to lose weight and your affirmation is “losing body fat is easy and effortless for me,” you can’t follow by picking up dinner at a fast food drive-thru. Your actions have to mirror your positive affirmations – consider them a team working together for your success. My first piece of advice is to stop talking negatively about


yourself. Let’s change the perception that you are “Negative Nelly” to “Sunshine Smile.” When we smile from the heart, it’s impossible not to smile from the face. Many people who are on the phone a lot for work know this trick: smile while talking and you’ll always sound cheerful to the person on the other end. You don’t need to be on the phone to put this concept into practice. Next, let’s dive into the real grit of how positive affirmations


work. The purpose of affirmations, similar to meditation, is to reprogram our self talk. The more you repeat an affirmation, the truer it becomes. According to John Peace, “The joining or wiring together of brain cells is often referred to as cells that fire together, wire together.” His theory explains that when we learn, groups of cells activate together to grow a stronger connection. This bundling of cell groups is what turns into our learned behavior. Learned behavior is more than mere actions like walking and talking. It’s also our personality. The human subconscious doesn’t filter out negative self talk, it simply accepts it and thus it becomes part of our outlook. Feeding positives to the subconscious builds a healthier self. Just like riding a bike, positive affirmations take practice so don’t give up! Dr. Masaru Emoto is currently studying how words energetically


vibrate in our systems. One experiment included saying both positive and harsh negative words to water, and then photographing the water molecules. The results are stunning! Water that was spoken to with love had molecules that were beautiful and symmetrical, like bits of art. The water put into an environment of negative words had misshapen, deformed molecules. Do you remember from science class what the human body is mostly made of? Over half of our body weight is water, so creating a positive environment helps to keep our molecules in tip-top shape. Words have vibrations, so speaking your positive affirmations out loud is essential.


CONT. >> 54 | Pulse Magazine SWFL My favorite way of easily incorporating positive affirmations


requires only a few index cards, markers and any other craft supplies. Write personalized positive message on the index card and decorate it. Place these cards where you will come across them several times a day (on the bathroom mirror, by your car radio dial, next to the coffee pot, etc). Or consider purchasing pre-made affirmation cards; my favorite authors are Louis Hay and Dr. Wayne Dyer. Starting each day with positive words promotes productive steps of action. Repeating positive messages throughout the day helps rewire self-talk, creating a positive shift in your life. Affirmation cards and books about living a more positive life can be found locally at Anahata Holistic Healing Center in Naples.


Namaste and bright Blessings!


About the Writer: SUSANNA TOCCO owns Anahata Holistic Healing & Spiritual Center in downtown Naples. She is a crystal intuitive, energy practitioner, Qigong & Yoga instructor as well as a teacher for metaphysical classes. She also designs Lady Morgan’s Apothecary line of ceremonial products. Additional information is available online at www.AnahataNaples.com/susanna or submit questions directly to Susanna by emailing SusannaTocco@rocketmail.com.


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