You may not realize how powerful your thoughts and words are. In other words, everything you think and say about yourself can affect the self-outlook you have. There are times when we all feel bad about ourselves. For instance, we may foster negative thoughts, have low confidence, regret our past actions, or feel unqualified for future tasks. Because negative thoughts can contain serious implications, it is important to fight these harmful thought patterns and transform your thoughts with positive affirmations.
Similarly, the way you talk to yourself matters. Think of the way you talk to yourself as the way you would talk to a loved one. When you love someone, you want to encourage them, boost their self-esteem, and make them feel special. Ideally, we should always treat ourselves with the same respect and care. How to do that then? One way to practice self-love is to recite positive affirmations. Why? because they help to fight negative ideas of yourself and provide many benefits to your well-being.
What are Positive Affirmations?
According to researcher Steele, affirmations help remind you of your core beliefs and values. Overall, positive affirmations help to maintain a person’s integrity and self-concept. In other words, affirmations can benefit your self-concept. Typically these phrases are in the present tense and use “I” statements. For example, you may use affirmations when you are struggling with Imposter Syndrome: “I am qualified for the position that I have” or “I am knowledgeable in my field.”
Why Do Affirmations Work?
Do affirmations really work? Scientific research has shown that self-affirmations can assist in many aspects of our lives. The affirmation phrases may seem small, but the power they hold can be highly effective. Generally speaking, the more you repeat an affirmation, the stronger it becomes in your mind.
Why do affirmations work? The science behind it is this: when engaging in positive affirmations, people “showed increased activity in key regions of the brain’s self-processing…and valuation …systems.” That is, when affirmations are available, there is increased self-worth (valuation), self-perception, and judgement(self-processing).
Further, cognitive research has shown how our brain shapes our behaviors. Specifically, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy uses positive affirmations to change the way we think and reprogram our mind. In addition, it helps to remove the old negative beliefs that have been sabotaging us. When you think and say positive affirmations, your subconscious will accept them or reappraise your old beliefs. Simply put, if you believe you are worthless, you will behave like you are worthless. In the same vein, if you believe that you are likable, your behaviors would reflect your likability.
How Affirmations Benefit You
When you deal with stress constantly in your day-to-day life, certain tasks may feel more complicated and challenging. In particular, stress can affect your problem-solving abilities. Moreover, research has found benefits of affirmations in crucial and stressful situations. Affirmations have also assist to improve completion of tasks involving executive functioning skills. Specifically, positive affirmations can play an important role in the following aspects:
First, Improving Self-Esteem and Confidence
From time to time, you may find yourself indulging in negative thinking about yourself. With little self-confidence, you may lower your standards or ‘settle’ for less. However, affirmations help you to go against these doubts and reinforce your capabilities. Even if you do not feel much of a difference at the time, your negative thought patterns can start to become altered.
In addition, practicing self-affirmations can be accessible and beneficial to all age groups. No matter what stage of life, we all deserve to access a positive self-concept. While it is important for families and teachers to encourage children, kids can also continue these affirmations on their own. According to a research study, children can practice self-affirmations to maintain higher self-esteem and confidence in their adulthood.
Second, Enhancing Self-Compassion
Without doubt, treating yourself with self-compassion and self-love is vital to reach true wellness. Self-compassion involves showing yourself love and grace when you go through hard times or face challenges. Many times, it is easy to show these loving ways to friends and families; however, when it comes to practicing these acts towards yourself, you may struggle and self-sabotage. A study showed that affirmations can help to improve feelings of self-compassion.
Third, Increasing Emotional Well-Being
Positive affirmations are like acts of kindness and love towards yourself. Consequently, creating an inner confidence can benefit your whole life. It feels so good when others validate your feelings. However, you cannot only rely on others’ validation. You can learn to create these positive emotions within yourself and improve your emotional well-being.
Fourth, Achieving success
So far, we already talked about how affirmations can aid self-esteem. Self-esteem is a big component of reaching success in your life. If you think highly of yourself, you will have more confidence. In return, this confidence will help you to believe that you can achieve and reach your goals. In a research study, high self-esteem motivated college students to further their academics abilities. Affirmations can help increase this confidence and, in turn, achieve success.
How to Use Positive Affirmations
Overall, a great benefit of positive affirmation is how accessible it is. For example, you can participate in reciting these mantras anytime and anywhere you go! You can repeat them out loud or quietly. You can also write down the affirmations and read them.
Most Importantly, Practice Regularly
So, how regularly should you practice affirmations? I encourage you to practice positive affirmations daily. Repeating these statements can be beneficial in creating a more successful trajectory of your days.
You may wonder, “What if I have a busy life and schedule?” Here is a great way to include these affirmations in your life: find a time during the day that works best for you. A great way to implement affirmations is by including them in your morning and night routines. when you wake up or before you go to sleep, read your affirmations over . Another great time is before or during each meal. If you eat three times a day, this will triple your affirmation engagement!
Moreover, Focus on Affirmations that Will Benefit You
That is to say, try to find or create affirmations that resonate with you and your current life situation. There are many different types of positive affirmations to choose from. Think of what is important to you and what aspects of your life to focus on. For example, if want to attract more friends in your life, you can say a statement like this, “I am attracting high-quality relationships and people into my life.”
Categories and Examples of Powerful Affirmations
Speaking of categories, your list of positive affirmations may come with different lists, such as: success, anxiety, depression, confidence, self-esteem, self-love, or body positivity. Below we list affirmations in all different types of categories!
Affirmations about Happiness
“I am happy”
“I am attracting happy experiences”
“My happiness shines through me and reaches everyone I meet”
Affirmations about Work/Success
“I am successful”
“I am qualified for my position”
“I am a dedicated worker who contributes so much to my career”
Affirmations about Love
“I am attracting an abundance of love”
“I embody love”
“I share love with everyone I come across”
Affirmations about Self-Worth
“I am enough”
“I am more than enough”
“I am worthy”
Affirmations about Relationships/Friends
“I am attracting high-quality relationships and people into my life”
“I will find a relationship that is meant for me”
“I am a good friend who deserves good people in my life”
Meditation Video with Positive Affirmations
In her new video, Mind Connections founder, Dr. June Cao, helps you to practice positive affirmations. Through meditation, it unlocks the powerful effects of these positive statements. In this video, Dr. June Cao repeats each affirmation twice. This will leave space for you to repeat them out loud or quietly. Practice with Dr. June regularly. You will make changes to the way you think and feel, and transform you into a more confident and successful person.
Hope to learn more about positive affirmations for anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem? Our therapists at Mind Connections are here to help you. Contact us for a free 15-minute phone call and we will match you with the right psychotherapist to start your healing journey.
