But how do candles provide such a sense of tranquility? -- There are many elements that help with this! -- check out why.
Setting the Scene:
If you are lighting a candle, there is a pretty good chance that you are deliberately trying to create an environment that will provide peace to your soul. Just by simply deciding that you want this moment of peace, you’ve already committed to this act of self-care. When you decide to create a soothing ambience, it makes sense that your mood will follow suit.
Lighting the Flame:
Flickering candlelight provides us with a sense of security that allows our mind, body and soul to relax. There is also an element of immediate action that ties into this step. You’ve already decided that you want to create a soothing environment, now this is you taking a simple action to make that decision a reality. Not to mention, when the warm-lighting comes into our vision, our minds make the connection that it is now time to relax. We picked a white vessel to help distribute a soft orange diffused glow as you look to your candle.
Choosing Your Perfect Scent:
This is the best part! There is so much science about how scent affects mood. By creating this calming ritual, you are essentially wiring your mind to feel a certain way when you smell specific fragrances. I personally love our “Free” and “Loved” affirmation candles to help facilitate this connection. They both offer a sense of security in different ways. It depends on your mindset that day.
Light "Free" when you want to soak in the present moment.
Light "Loved" when you want to take all of your heart and surround yourself with it.
]]>And, did you know that those same cells have been measured to vibrate at different frequencies when we feel different emotions?
Yep! Its true!
And did you know that the feeling we experience while reciting gratitude is some of the highest frequencies and that they are beneficial for the cells in our body? -
Well, now you know! So what do you say?!? Want to practice gratitude with us?
Here at State of Being, we are BIG journalers! And whether you've been journaling for years or just starting today, we thought that this week is one of the best to practice some gratitude together. We've provided a few journal prompts to keep you writing this week!
2 Weeks of Journal Prompts to Support a Life in Gratitude:
1. What’s something that you’re looking forward to?
2. What’s something that you are grateful to have today that you didn’t have a year ago?
3. Write about a happy memory.
4. What’s something about your body or health that you’re grateful for?
5. Open the door or window and look outside. What’s something you’re grateful for outside?
6. What’s an accomplishment you’re proud of?
7. Open your phone or photo album and find a photo that you like. Why are you grateful for this photo? What are you grateful for in the photo?
8. What have you been given that you’re grateful for?
9. How are you able to help others?
10. What book(s) are you grateful for?
11. Write about a friend/family member that you’re grateful for.
12. What’s a tradition that you’re grateful for?
13. What skill(s) do you have that you’re grateful for?
14. Write about 3 things you’re grateful for today.
The point of all of this is to help you feel better, and vibrate higher!! We're THANKFUL for you!!
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9am - My mind and body are refreshed, and I bring energy to this day
11am - I am valuable, and I am worthy of my heart’s desires.
1pm - I am strong. I am radiant. I can do the things I put my mind to.
3pm - I am Beautiful. I am thankful for the things my body does for me
5pm - I am open to receiving what is coming my way. I am open to rest.
7pm - I am thankful. I am whole. I am enough.
And, I was feeling like I was on a roll, so I have a BONUS for you!! My absolute favorite way to incorporate affirmations into my day, are….. Drum roll please…..
If you’ve stuck around here long enough, you know that affirmations are a critical part of our day. I’m here to help make them so easy you don’t even remember that you’re doing them!
]]>" are perfect for anyone who wants to take their affirmation practice to another level. There are five scents/affirmations to choose from: Worthy, Radiant, Resilient, Daring, and Free. These aren’t just candles designed to burn and smell good— they can actually improve emotional well-being. Here’s how to use them: as you state the affirmation, smell the candle and think the affirming thought. This increases the mind/body connection, amplifying the thought, which your brain will associate with the scent as the candle continues to burn."
-Amanda Lauren (Forbes Contributor)
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An affirmation is a thought we have about ourselves that we repeat over and over again. For better or worse, we have positive affirmations, but we also have negative affirmations. We often forget that we put negative affirmations into our heads moment by moment. So, that’s why we see that we have POSITIVE affirmations all around us as reminders.
Some of my negative affirmations are: I can’t do pull-ups. I am not a good writer. I struggle to stay focused. I’ll never look like her…. (YUCK) -- I hate even typing them into this post.
How about you?? -- Take a moment, identify some negative thoughts that you state as facts. (noticing them is the first step into turning them around, or simply claiming that you won’t say them anymore).
____
Our thoughts are fleeting. They are like cars on a highway zooming by. And whether we think about the groceries we need to pick up, or the important life goals we have, one thought carries no more weight than another. UNLESS, we give them more weight.
We give weight to a thought by pairing an action or an emotion with it. By journaling, we take our thoughts, and we pair MULTIPLE actions with it. We put our tactile sense to work by writing. We put our eyes to work as they see our writing, and they read the thoughts on paper. We can close our eyes and meditate and feel the words we just wrote. And we can even speak those same words and hear our own voices claiming the words on that paper. You’ve just taken (almost) all of your senses and invested them into your single thought that you had.
So that car that was zooming by on the highway just picked you up and allowed you to experience what it feels like to be on that highway and zoom on it. ---- WHAT A DIFFERENCE, RIGHT?!?!
The only thing that a journal cannot give us is the sense of smell. And it was this discovery that led me to created a line of candles that would allow you to pair a scent with your affirmations and journaling.
So, with your new candle, go set those intentions for yourself. Claim the new reality that you are stepping into, and inhale those sweet aromas! While you exhale the fear and doubt you are holding about yourself.
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Affirmations can be tricky.
It sounds simple, creating a statement for what you want to be, but often our minds don’t translate what we want to be, and claim it as who we are, we need do help our brains along.
Because of this little brain ‘trick’, a lot of people say that affirmations “don’t work”. I DISAGREE. And I disagree based on hard scientific evidence that they do work, and my own personal experience. To get affirmations to really work for you they have to meet a few criteria.
I find it easier to look at specific examples when I talk about affirmations, so let’s say you have bills coming in that are stressing you out. We want to overcome that stress with an affirmation so that you can go on in your day feeling better. To combat that you say to yourself; “I am a millionaire” over and over again. But when you say ‘I am a millionaire’ you're whole body tenses up and you hate yourself for not actually being a millionaire. And you don’t even know what being a millionaire would feel like.
Your brain is going to go into alert mode knowing that you are in fact, NOT a millionaire, and the stress your body is feeling is the lack of trust you just put into yourself. Instead, you’ll have to start in a way that your brain can connect to… Here are a few tips to find an affirmation that will work for you.
1. State what you want to achieve in a present tense. (but if that thing causes you stress, pull it back to something that brings you excitement)
Another example, you want to be the manager at work. But you feel stressed about not knowing how to do that job yet. Your affirmation should focus on what you want to have happen and what you can do to obtain your goal. For example, “I am doing the right things at my job that get me noticed for a promotion”.
In this example you have just informed yourself that you are doing all of the right things to achieve your goal of the promotion. You can believe this statement right now, and the end result will get you the promotion you are working for.
2. Are simple. Affirmations should be simple and easy to remember. Otherwise, it’ll be too easy to make excuses for not saying them, or to simply forget about them.
3. Are positive. NEVER use the words “don’t, can’t, won’t”. Affirmations need to focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. For example, “I have a promotion” is better than “I haven’t been passed over for a promotion.” -- Our spiritual side, and our brain only focus on the intent of our words, rather than the semantics of the words, in short, negatives ‘don’t work’.
4. Are in the present tense. Affirmations work best when phrased in the present tense, not in the future tense. For example, “I have a new car that brings me joy every time I get into it,” not “I am going to get a new car.”
5. Are filled with emotion. The more positive emotion you put into your affirmations as you say them, the faster you will see results. When you say your affirmation, really feel it. Get excited. Allow yourself to fill up with positive emotion.
This becomes even more important the longer you use the affirmations. In the beginning, they are exciting and new. After a while, it can feel like you are just saying them to say them. To keep your energy high, track your results, making note of any changes in your life or beliefs since you began using them.
6. Require repetition. You can choose to either repeat the statements to yourself as often as possible during the day, read them a couple of times a day, record them and listen to them while driving or throughout the night as your sleep, or better yet, repeat them every time you pass your candle. That’s why we put the affirmation right on the label! It will stay with you all day!
So, there you have it… a few key factors that are essential for your own affirmations. While I put a lot of information here, I want you to know that the point of the affirmation is for you to feel better. As you think of your own, don’t overthink it. Find a sentence or two that makes you feel better and run with it…. Tweak it if you feel it could make you feel better after a few days. These affirmations are YOURS. Enjoy the process. Enjoy your statements. Affirm your life!
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Affirmations have become a part of my daily life. They help me through tough times and make okay times brighter. They remind me to be positive and that I am strong and can push and make it through whatever life throws at me. But who created affirmations and brought so much light and strength to all of us?
The answer is Émile Coué. Coué is known as the father of affirmations to many and was a French psychologist and pharmacist. According to history, he would reassure his patients and praise them verbally but also leave them with a positive notice as he gave them medication. (isn't that so cool?!?!) In time, his method became known as Couéism or the Coué method. The method was centered on a routine and repeating phrase daily at least 20 times a day. He believed that by saying these phrases, it became occupied in one’s mind and then became a reality. One of his most well-known phrases he told his patients to repeat was, “Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.” Coué’s whole theory was based on that the person needed to believe what they said and in turn, it would come true.
In addition to Coué, Louise Hay was also renowned and mentioned a lot when looking into the history of affirmations. Hay was an author, teacher and lecturer and believed the morning is the best time to set how the rest of your day will go. After being diagnosed with cervical cancer, she turned to affirmations as a form of non-medical healing. In her lectures, she credits affirmations as a main treatment of her cancer and recovery.
Just like many things in history, there wasn’t a well written creator, but we can look to Coué as the father of affirmations and Hay as a more recent spokeswoman for them.
And when I look at the two of these prominent individuals, I pull out a few key details to the success of affirmations. Here is what is key to have an affirmation that works for you.
I’d love to hear from you! -- What’s your favorite affirmation? What works best for you? When do you say them?
Shine Bright loves!
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Coming off of a TOUGH astrological season of a Full Moon, blood moon, mercury retrograde, summer solstice, and WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE, my emotions and anxiety got the best of me. I'm hoping I'm not the only one!
Here is a list of affirmations I was repeating over and over again during this time. Feel free to take what serves you!
I am loved.
I am safe.
I am whole.
I am complete.
I am a powerful woman that is doing great work.
I am safe.
I am at peace.
I am enough.
I am the co-creator of the grand master plan and I'm doing the best I can each and every day.
Let me know which one resonates in the comments below! :)
]]>At this point in my journey, affirmations are part of my every day life. From the time I wake up to go to bed, affirmations carry me through my day. They give me the energy and empowerment to go about my day from working my full-time job to working out to fulfilling your orders. But where do they come from?
Mostly they come from you! You have the power to create and adapt existing affirmations and apply them to your life. You can take a very generic and vague affirmation and form it to your life and what you need at the time whether it is the power to get through your 20 emails in your inbox or a 30-minute spin class. Or something larger like finishing your master’s degree or saving up for a house. For example, you can take an affirmation from one of my candles or simply Google affirmations and then read it, think about it and tweak it to make sense for you.
When making your own affirmation, you want to start with the words “I am.” That’s all you need to start! Other key factors include using present tense, keeping it brief and most importantly making it specific. The most important part is just to start and follow your heart!
How do I make my own affirmations?
This might be the question I get the most! Here is how I would start!
Here is my example:
Thats it! It’s pretty simple!! Comment below with your newest affirmation!
]]>But how does it all work? -- We’re about to get super technical!!
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The joy a candle brings is unmatched. From when you purchase it and take the lid off for whiff after whiff to when you decide to burn it and get your wick trimmer out, trim your wick and light it for the first time. Your candle becomes your oasis and brings peace and serenity to your room.
But how does it all work? -- We’re about to get super technical!!
You buy a candle in a glass container, and it is filled high and after a few hours of burning the wax is lower and the wick is glowing but where does the wax go? To dive into the science behind candles, the biggest thing to know is that candle wax is composed of hydrogen and carbon atoms. Thinking back to chemistry in school, heated atoms evaporate. Once you light your wick, the heat it produces melts the wax surrounding it then vaporizes it. This turns into combustion when the wax atoms react with the oxygen in the air. As a result, carbon dioxide is produced just like when you breathe out. Your candle burning also produces some water, but it turns to steam and is barely noticeable. The process happens seamlessly and stabilizes quickly.
There you have it! Your yummy smelling candle wax evaporates but not before allowing your space to be filled with its scent.
]]>Our thoughts are fleeting. We think anywhere from 40-60 thoughts per minute. So, how can we give more weight to the GOOD thoughts, and less weight to the bad ones?
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We brought the power of scent and words together to give your brain a double dose of positive feelings and get multiple senses on board.
Our thoughts are fleeting. We think anywhere from 40-60 thoughts per minute. So, how can we give more weight to the GOOD thoughts, and less weight to the bad ones? --- We can attach emotions and other scents to the thought! When you do this, the thought ‘sticks’, and thus this thought becomes more important than the thought of “I need to pick up gluten free granola from the grocery store”. :)
When you think the ‘thought’ on our candles, you’re adding SO MUCH weight to your thoughts. Your eyes read the positive affirmation on the label, your mouth says them (and all of this takes your brain to do), your ears hear those same thoughts, and your nose gets to smell the aromas that have been designed to emphasize those feelings.
BOOM! We just added weight to your thoughts. And you just became more confident, just loved yourself a little more, and you just secured a moment of positivity into your brain. NICE WORK!
The more we think, say, or hear a particular thought, the more it sounds true, and the stronger our belief becomes. All too often we fill those beliefs with negative and stressful thoughts, and sometimes we need that boost or reminder of an encouraging thought. When we believe positive and encouraging thoughts about ourselves, our confidence grows, our self-worth develops, and we show up more authentically to the life we desire.
So take your candle, read the label, take a big deep breath in, and go capitalize on your moment of self love. Let us know how it feels!
]]>Emile Coue, introduced a method of psychotherapy and self-improvement based on optimistic autosuggestion.... its pretty amazing
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Affirmations are cool and all, but when did they start, and how long have they really been working for people?
The idea of affirmations goes back to a French psychologist and pharmacist, Emile Coue. He introduced a method of psychotherapy and self-improvement based on optimistic autosuggestion. Working as an apothecary Coué quickly discovered what later came to be known as the placebo effect. (or the power of suggestion)
He became known for reassuring his clients by praising each remedy's efficiency and leaving a small positive notice with each given medication. The application of his mantra-like conscious autosuggestion, "Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better" is actually called Couéism.
The Couéism method centered on a routine repetition of this particular expression according to a specified ritual—preferably as much as twenty times a day, and especially at the beginning and at the end of each day. Unlike a commonly held belief that a strong conscious will constitutes the best path to success, Coué maintained that curing some of our troubles requires a change in our unconscious thought, which can be achieved only by using our imagination.
He introduced this concept officially in 1920. So we’ve had official history of affirmations on the European history books for a century, but we know that these affirmations were happening long before this!
Stay close - We’re just getting started with proof that affirmations work. We’ll dive into more modern examples in a few weeks!
]]>Like many other traditions, I take lighting a candle for granted. But have you ever stopped to think, where did a candle even come from? Why did people start burning it? Just like everything else, the tradition of lighting a candle came out of the necessity for light. We know very little about the actual origin of candles, but what’s fascinating is that we can trace candles back to many different forms and materials used by each of the ancient civilizations.
Ancient Egyptians were using torches by soaking the core of reeds into melted animal fat…. They had no wicks, but in my book, that's close enough! Ancient Chinese candles were said to have used molded paper tubes and rolled rice paper for the wick, wax from insects and seeds. Ancient Romans dipped rolled papyrus repeatedly into melted beeswax or tallow.
And while candles had practical uses, we know they had spiritual significance too. Candles have been used in religious ceremonies by almost every religion, and each one gives fire their own meaning. and have been referenced as divinity throughout all cultures. In many ancient times and even in indigenous cultures the sign of fire was the sign of life.
Honestly, we could go on and on about how candles have been infused into everyday life throughout history, whether it's for need, or for pleasure. But I think we’ve provided you with enough random facts to support the candle category on Jeopardy! If you need more, you can always email us!
For now, take your moment and work on infusing candles into YOUR routine. Some days you might NEED that affirmation that believes in you before you do. Some days you might just want to inhale that luxurious scent that the candle brings. Either way, go strike a match, and light your candle and light up your life!
]]>Ugh. Hating your job is sometimes the toughest spot to be in. You feel like you need it to make a living. You have to show up. You have to give it your best hours of your day. You have to give it energy that you’d like to spend elsewhere. It makes you feel disgruntled, disengaged, and sometimes ruins your mood for the rest of the day.
So how do you get out of it? How do you break free from the chains that require you to show up every day? How can you start changing your mindset to change your reality? -- Let’s walk through this together.
Let’s start with your ‘hating’ of your job. For 8 hours a day (or more) you walk around in a state that is low, that is frustrated, that is dissatisfied, and you feel trapped. You’re going to need to dedicate yourself to changing that mindset and state multiple times in a day. You’re going to need to change your mind before you can change your physical reality.
Here are a few things you can do to change your state while going to a job that you hate:
Remember, it's the repetition that is going to help you through this. Stay with it, you’re worth it.
-- xo, Beth
]]>An affirmation is a thought we have about ourselves that we repeat over and over again. For better or worse, we have positive affirmations, but we also have negative affirmations. We often forget that we put negative affirmations into our heads moment by moment. So, that’s why we see that we have POSITIVE affirmations all around us as reminders.
Some of my negative affirmations are: I can’t do pullups. I am not a good writer. I struggle to stay focused. I’m not good at ____. I’ll never look like her.
How about you?? -- Take a moment to identify things that you say to yourself that are negative. (noticing them is the first step into turning them around, or simply claiming that you won’t say them anymore).
Our thoughts are fleeting. They are like cars on a highway zooming by. And whether we think about the groceries we need to pick up, or the important life goals we have, one thought carries no more weight than another. UNLESS, we give them more weight.
We give weight to a thought by pairing an action or an emotion with it. By journaling, we take our thought, and we pair MULTIPLE actions with it. We put our tactile sense to work by writing. We put our eyes to work as they see our writing, and they read the thoughts on paper. We can close our eyes and meditate and feel the words we just wrote. And we can even speak those same words and hear our own voices claiming the words on that paper. You’ve just taken (almost) all of your senses and invested them into your single thought that you had.
So that car that was zooming by on the highway just picked you up and allowed you to experience what it feels like to be on that highway and zoom on it. ---- WHAT A DIFFERENCE, RIGHT?!?!
The only thing that a journal cannot give us is the sense of smell. And it was this discovery that led me to created a line of candles that would allow you to pair a scent with your affirmations and journaling.
So, with your new candle, go set those intentions for yourself. Claim the new reality that you are stepping into, and inhale those sweet aromas! While you exhale the fear and doubt you are holding about yourself.
-xo!
]]>You just got your candle, you got to smell how great it smells, and now you want this baby to last as long as it can!?! Yes, we know the feeling!
To get the most out of your candle, here are a few tips to lengthen your burn time, and to keep that white vessel sparkling!
Candle Care: Trim wick to 1/4" before lighting. (There is an actual wick trimmer that you can buy) Allow the melt pool to burn to the edge of the container on the first burn to prevent tunneling. Keep the melt pool free of debris. (these instructions are also on the bottom of your candle)
When you have 1/2 an inch of wax left, that is a good time to say goodbye to your candle, and hello to the next one! (I know, it's a bittersweet moment)... However, if you would like, you could use the following instructions to re-use your candle container and keep your affirmation with you for longer!
When the candle is fully cooled and the wax has hardened, put the candle in the freezer overnight. The wax will contract and then be easier to crack and remove from the glass. Wash with warm, soapy water and your container is ready to repurpose! Pen pot, change holder, vase, plant pot. The possibilities are endless, and now you can continue to be reminded of this powerful affirmation when you need it.
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