“Manifestation is the creative process of aligning your energy with the universe to co-create your reality, focusing on becoming a match for what you desire rather than just getting it. It involves cultivating positive, high-vibe feelings of gratitude and joy to attract similar outcomes and trusting in the universe.” 

(Gabby Bernstein)

What is Manifestation?

Manifestation is the process of creating something your heart desires and trusting that if you believe it is possible and take actions towards achieving it, the right outcome for you will become reality, even if it isn’t exactly how you imagined it. At least that’s how I see it.

When I decided that I truly wanted and deserved to recover from anorexia, I got intentional about how I would make that a reality.  It was a process and it took years, actually, it’s an ongoing process if I’m completely honest, because life is always changing and I am always evolving into a higher version of myself but once realised I didn’t deserve or want to suffer anymore, that I didn’t want to live the rest of my life being sick, I allowed myself to begin imagining what that life would look like. 

When I started that first manifestation process, I wrote a letter to myself as though I was already living that recovered life, writing about all the things I could do, what I had achieved, the people who were in my life and how wonderful it was to finally be living anorexia free.  With that clear vision in my head, it made it much easier to start aligning my decisions towards making it all a reality. I believed my recovery was real before it actually was!

Whilst a lot of people start their year making resolutions, I begin starting mine with manifesting.  I write a letter to the “Maz a year from now” describing my year ahead, as if all the things I describe have already happened.  I then scheduled an e-mail with the letter attached for New Year’s Eve at the end of that year so that I can use it to review my year and see whether it aligned with my intentions or not.  Some years it has, others it hasn’t.  But I can honestly say that every single year I have been doing this has been one that I have grown and become stronger, even if the lessons weren’t always in the way I expected.

When I manifest my belief is that I’m just putting something I’d like to happen out into the universe and trusting that if it’s meant to be, it will be.  I’ve had some amazing outcomes, including sitting front row in an Elton John & Brandi Carlile concert that I’d originally not managed to get tickets for!  So for me it’s easy to believe in this process.

None of us can force the manifestation process, we can’t expect the universe to work on our timescales so being able to let go and trust is essential.  As is believing that whatever the outcome, it will be the right one for you.

The life I live today is very different from what I thought it would be when I first manifested “my recovered life”.  I’ve changed careers, ended relationships and friendships that were no longer serving me and developed new hobbies and interests that I wouldn’t have even thought about 10 years ago.  I’ve become the strong, confident, independent, woman I always wanted to be because I believed I could be and manifested that version of me into being.

There are many ways to practice manifesting.  But, regardless of which way you decide to approach it, the 5 steps that I have found most useful are:

1. Set your intention.  Know exactly what it is you want and belief that it can become a reality.  We cannot create something we don’t believe is possible.

2. Write your intention down.  Fill in as much detail as possible.  Not just what you want but how it will feel, how your life will be different, the people involved, who else might be affected by the changes you are manifesting.  The more detail you can add, the better.

3. Identify limiting beliefs.  These are negative thoughts or beliefs that are restricting us or stopping us from reaching our full potential.  A big one for me was not believing that I deserved to recovery from anorexia.  When you’ve identified the limiting beliefs, reframe them into more compassionate, positive beliefs.  To reinforce the new beliefs, it can be helpful to create some mantras or affirmations that you repeat frequently until you start believing them.

4. Take action.  Start living your life as thought your intention has already been manifested.  Before I was fully “recovered” I started travelling more and doing things I would have been terrified off before, because that is what the recovered version of me enjoyed doing. 

5. Let go & Trust.  Once you put your intention out into the universe, let it go and allow yourself to trust that if it’s meant to be, it will happen when it is supposed to.   This can be tricky, especially for someone with an eating disorder when so many of us want control and certainty, so allow yourself to lean into curiosity and see what happens!

Tips for Successfully Manifesting:

• Write down your manifestation in the present tense

• Practice gratitude and mindfulness daily – what we put out into the universe, we get back.

• Believe that you can have what you want

• Believe you deserve what you want

• Be willing to receive

• Stay flexible and detach from the outcome, it might not look exactly like you thought it would

• Keep positive thoughts, especially during setbacks

• Take inspired action daily to create tangible results

• Track your progress to stay encouraged and motivated

• Celebrate your victories, no matter how small

• Expand your faith in the universe's power to bring you what you desire

• Take time each day to manifest and visualise

• Remain open-minded and trust that the outcome will be what it’s meant to be.

• Enjoy the journey and stay focused!

Starting to manifest the life you want might feel overwhelming to begin with and you might not be certain where to start, so below you will find a guided manifestation journal alongside some prompts and affirmations that can be used in conjunction with it.  I hope you find them useful in your recovery journey and that you can start to create the life you want for yourself.