Positive Autosuggestion: What It Is And How To Use It To Achieve Our Goals
Autosuggestion is a technique, related to placebo, that has been used in the field of psychology so that a person can influence their own mentality. It is usually used to modify and/or guide one’s thoughts, emotions and behaviors in a direction that is usually positive for the subject himself, and is what is known as “positive autosuggestion.”
This positive autosuggestion could be defined as self-induced inoculation of positive thoughts, through optimistic and motivating phrases, as well as with visualizations in imagination oriented towards what one wants to achieve, in order to condition one’s thoughts, emotions and behaviors. in that direction (for example, passing an exam, winning in a sport, etc.).
In this article we will explain in greater detail What is it and how does the phenomenon of autosuggestion arise? and how we could put it into practice ourselves through a series of guidelines.
“Autosuggestion”, which has also been called “self-hypnosis”, is a psychological technique that is closely related to the placebo effect and It has been used in the field of psychology so that a person can influence their own mentality To do this, it must modify and also guide one’s thoughts, emotions and behaviors in a direction that is normally positive for the subject himself, and this is what is known as “positive autosuggestion”, although negative autosuggestion also exists.
It should be noted that autosuggestion It was originally developed by the French pharmacologist Émile Coué who began to use a self-improvement technique that was based on self-induced suggestion, developing a new method for the time (early 20th century), which was baptized with the name “Coué Method”, based in part on positive autosuggestion and in conscious autosuggestion.
Positive autosuggestion consists of the self-induced inoculation of positive thoughts through optimistic and motivating phrases, as well as with visualizations in imagination, oriented on what you want to achieve in order to condition your own thoughts, emotions and behaviors in that direction, this being normally functional, positive and optimistic for oneself (e.g., passing an exam, losing weight, winning a race, winning a tennis match, etc.).
How can we put positive autosuggestion into practice?
Normally we use positive autosuggestion to change a situation in which we find ourselves that does not please us or to achieve a wide variety of objectives that we want to achieve. Therefore, before starting to put positive autosuggestion into practice We must identify what we want to change or the objective we want to achieve and what is the route we must follow to achieve it
We can also make a list of possible obstacles that we might have to overcome on the way to that goal we have set for ourselves, in order to be prepared for it and weigh the advantages and disadvantages when implementing our plan to achieve it. to get it. For positive autosuggestion to work, The advantages of achieving it must have more weight for us than the inconveniences or possible obstacles And for that, the following guideline, which is based on the use of self-instructions, can be of great help to us.
This technique of positive autosuggestion has a lot of weight because it consists of creating a series of positive sentences that motivate us to move towards our goals. These self-affirmations must have more weight for us than the possible inconveniences or obstacles that we could encounter, since This way we could repeat those self-affirmations to ourselves in those moments when it is difficult for us to move forward on our path to fulfill our purpose.
2. Use visualization
Another very useful exercise for positive autosuggestion to work would be to perform visualization exercises in imagination.
To do this, we can find a quiet space and position ourselves in a comfortable position (e.g., sitting or lying down). Afterwards it is advisable that we close our eyes and breathe deeply. Once a state of calm has been achieved, we can begin to imagine those self-affirmations that we had previously prepared, so that we visualize ourselves when we have already achieved our objective
When we are visualizing ourselves having achieved our goal, it can be of great help that we try to enjoy that moment as if we were really living it and that we are focused on every detail of that image. This visualization exercise can give us a shot of adrenaline in those moments when we feel reluctant to achieve our goals, so it can be especially useful in those moments.
3. Believe those self-affirmations and also the visualizations
For positive autosuggestion to be on the right track through self-affirmations and visualizations in imagination, we must believe them, since otherwise it will be very difficult to self-induce that suggestion and, therefore, our motivation to achieve our goals could be truncated, making it likely that we will end up abandoning
If you believe that it is possible to achieve the goal you have set for yourself, you will feel more encouraged when it comes to completing the daily tasks you must perform to achieve it.
4. Be realistic
Another essential tip for positive autosuggestion to be useful to us is that we set ourselves the goal of achieving realistic and achievable goals for ourselves, since It is useless for us to self-suggest to achieve goals that are out of our hands such as the goal of becoming millionaires overnight or visualizing ourselves having won the lottery, since the latter is beyond our area of influence.
On the other hand, we can set other goals that are attainable, such as passing our exams, being more successful in the professional field, losing a few kilos of body weight or improving our performance in a sport that we practice.
Also It is important that we set small goals to achieve them progressively until step by step we get closer to the final goal.
5. Be constant and stay motivated
Positive autosuggestion It will only work if we are constant in completing the tasks we must perform for those goals that we have set for ourselves, since it is useless for us to repeat self-affirmations and visualize ourselves having fulfilled our purpose if we do not work to make it come true.
To maintain motivation, self-affirmation phrases and imaginative visualization can help us in the moments when we are most discouraged. We must also have a well-established routine instead of improvising to achieve our challenges, since otherwise it will be easier for us to throw in the towel and get discouraged.
Staying surrounded by people who support us and encourage us in our purpose can be vitally important so that we achieve that goal, especially if they are people who have already achieved it in the past or who are trying to achieve the same thing. In the latter case, companionship, based on mutual support, can be very important for both and will make the path forward more bearable. Plus, you can always cheer each other up when one of you is unmotivated.
It is also essential to have healthy lifestyle habits (rest properly, eat healthy, exercise regularly, read, etc.), since this way we will feel more energetic to maintain that consistency. In addition, maintaining correct habits can facilitate the process towards our goal because if we have our daily routine well structured, it is easier for us to complete the tasks we must to achieve that goal.
7. Repeat the process whenever necessary
It is important that we repeat the entire process that positive autosuggestion entails as many times as we believe necessary so that we can maintain it for a long time.
Even if we see it necessary, We can modify certain steps of the process when we see fit ; such as self-affirmation phrases, since if we see that they have stopped working for us, we can look for new phrases that allow us to maintain our motivation and meet our objectives.
Distribution and perseverance are two fundamental pillars for positive autosuggestion, since for our goal to become a reality we must work for a long period of time. Thus, It is more useful that we work towards our goal for a short time each day, but that we do it daily because we only work exhaustively one day, and then do nothing the rest.
In this sense, it could be useful for us to repeat the self-affirmations several times and do the visualization exercise in imagination every day for at least 5-10 minutes, being able to divide that work time into 2 halves: one half in the morning when we get up and the other half before going to bed. This would be more convenient than doing these exercises for 1 hour only one day and then doing nothing the rest of the time.
When we perform these exercises on positive autosuggestion we must be relaxed and fully focused on what we are doing. Otherwise, it would be more difficult for the exercises to work.
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Example of positive autosuggestion exercise
Below we are going to explain a brief positive autosuggestion exercise, applied to a person who intends to lose body weight To do this, the first thing you should do is set realistic goals, such as losing weight little by little and not 20 kilos all at once. You should also not resort to “miracle diets” or go too hungry, as this would end up giving you up and gaining back more weight than you had lost.
Once realistic goals have been set (e.g., losing approximately 2 to 4 kilos per month) and having established an affordable plan with an appropriate physical exercise routine for that person (which could simply be a daily 30-minute walk) and maintaining a healthy diet, being able to resort to the help of a nutritionist (basing your diet on healthy food such as vegetables, fruit or fish, among others; and avoiding fried foods, industrial pastries, etc.), is when we can start with the exercises of positive autosuggestion.
To begin with positive autosuggestion, we must develop a series of self-affirmations such as the following:
“I am capable of achieving it.”
“When I achieve this I will have better health and I will feel better emotionally.”
“I am a strong person.”
“It is worth achieving.”
“A small step each day will mean a big step in a while.”
These phrases are just an example and can vary completely depending on each person. Are They must be personal and in line with what each person wants and what they consider can keep them motivated over time to achieve their purpose ; which in this case would be to lose a few kilos of weight and stay in better health.
In the visualization exercise in imagination we can imagine having managed to lose the weight we want, paying attention to all the details about how we feel having achieved it. It is important that both the self-affirmations and the visualization exercise are as realistic as possible, to the point that we believe that we can achieve it one day.
From here we must be constant when practicing exercises related to positive self-affirmation (self-affirmations and visualization in imagination), as well as healthy lifestyle habits (correct rest, healthy eating and a daily routine). of physical exercise) so that we can maintain it over time to obtain the provided results.
